Top-3 Recap | 2026 Lucas Oil Topless 100 Saturday at Batesville Motor Speedway
Top-3 Recap after Saturday's 2026 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Topless 100 at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark.
Video Transcript
Well, we'll wait till he puts the name on the check.
Here he comes.
He took his lumps a year ago.
D-A-N E-B-E-R-T. What you doing, Dan?
"Well, I just won $50,000 in the Topless 100."
Look at him.
How about that?
Crowd, let's hear it for him.
What a crowd here tonight.
And Dan Ebert, the back He's gonna come around front straightaway.
I wanna hear it.
I wanna hear it.
Look at him.
Unbelievable.
One brave driver right there.
That is a memory.
We had one last week, and there's a memory for life right there for Dan Ebert.
What a way to get your first Super Late Model victory of your career, in the Topless 100.
Let's see if he does some donuts.
Like, Rice ran out of fuel last week.
Let's see what Ebert does.
That is awesome.
See him pick up his first win.
He's soaking it in.
James Trantino's car owner.
He himself had a rough accident on track in Minnesota a few weeks ago.
He's healing up, and Dan Ebert makes his way to Veland Victory Lane.
Mark Richard's down there, the crew.
A Crown Jewel victory, your first one of your career, and it's the Topless 100.
Wesley, I don't know what to say, and I, I You gotta love it, right?
This is something we'll all I mean, last week him at Florence, and Dan Ebert backs it up here tonight.
Here he is out of the car.
How about it?
Lake Shore Minnesota's Dan Ebert, your Topless 100 winner.
Wesley, take it away.
Dan Ebert's gonna celebrate here.
The confetti goes off, $50,000 richer, tears in his eyes.
We'll get him here in front of the race car.
First off, congratulations, sir.
Not only are you a Super Late Model winner, not only are you a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series winner, you are a Topless 100 champion.
Dan, take us through all the emotions.
It's unbelievable really.
I mean, to win, our first Super Late Model race.
I mean, we won that Dash last week.
We've had speed here, but, on one of the biggest, most hardest races to win is, is unbelievable.
I'm just speechless.
This is just incredible, the crowd here and You know, we ran good here last year, and I just kinda had a good feel for it and, we've built on the setup since then.
You've had a lot of speed.
We talked yesterday and you said you felt really good.
Last year you come here, you get your best ever finish of fourth.
Did you ever think you had a chance to win it?
You had fast speed last night, and then heartbreak as you, you didn't have the run you were looking for in the prelim feature.
It's just so hard to know, particularly with all the tire trouble, that wa- was happening yesterday.
It's, it's just kinda the luck of it, honestly.
You know, I, I try to be as, as nice as I could and not slide.
But we ended up having a tire go down, which probably was a blessing because we probably had something there to race at the end.
And, I was just kinda able to get that middle groove working down here on some of those restarts, and it was a little touchy, for sure.
But, man, it's just unbelievable.
This is just crazy.
I, I can't even I'm just speechless to, to be where I am.
I mean, for my year and a half basically driving a Super Late Model, I've come a long ways.
James Trantino, my owner, took a chance on me and my team, and my wife and, and, Shelby and Jeff and, and Hunter and Ben.
And, it's pretty crazy because, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into getting here.
Take us through those last couple of restarts as well.
You start making those moves.
You get up into the top three.
You get to second.
You look under Joshy.
He, he cuts a right rear tire.
Then you're leading out front when the caution comes out.
What's going through your mind?
It's so hard.
I, I, I had a good restart there, could roll the middle good, and then, kinda hated I got into Dale there.
But I, I had a, had a good run there, and obviously Dale McDowell's an idol and, I, I look up I've been looking up to him my whole life.
So, I would run second to him any day, but I had to take that, had to take that chance.
And then I was running Rice down, and I kinda see he was starting to get a little right rear laid, and I'd just be patient here.
Just be patient.
There's a little time left.
And, and then he ended up having a flat tire there.
So man, that, that's nerve-wracking there.
Like I s- said before, it's so hard to lead races, let alone, you know, couple to go in the, one of the biggest Crown Jewel races there ever was.
So, Jeff was communicating really well with me, just said, you know, open up my entry good and, and make my car as wide as possible.
So, we just I just never hold back, you know?
And, these big races, you just Sometimes you hear the weirdest things, you know?
It's like, a man, two to go, it's like, is this right rear going down?
I really started feeling shaken, but it held off, and that's all that matters.
And let's talk about all the great people that help you out, and of course your family here celebrating.
Yeah, Collins Brothers Towing of St.
Cloud, Minnesota Truck Headquarters, Bear With Me Here, this is one of my pet peeves, looking at the car, but, First Time, Rob Mueller Electric, Montahan Marine, SpeedWorks, Fast Shaft, Gold Lithium Batteries, Gorsuch Performance, Simpson Race Products, DK Designs, Quartermaster, Swift Springs, All Star Performance, Weir's Machine, obviously Rocket Chassis, everybody there.
They turned this car around for us last week.
Anti-dur motors are running really good, Quartermaster bellhousings, just everybody on this thing.
It's, it's a dream to be here.
I mean, people would kill to be standing where I am, let alone racing with some of the best competition in the world.
So, just taking it all in.
This is, this is incredible.
Well, Dan celebrating.
Batesville Motor Speedway, show him some love.
Your Topless 100 winner, Dan Ebert!
Well, Wesley trying to find second place Dale McDowell, but it was 4.984 seconds, and the right rear tire's down.
How appropriate right then that a wild night as we catch up here with Chickamauga, Georgia's Dale McDowell.
Dale, it looked like you were about to have number three, but you get there, you had a great battle with Ebert.
He gets by you, and the right rear held on, but another great run for the 17M.
Yeah, we had some right rear tire left.
I had a right front flat.
So it started getting a little wheel spinny down the straightaway, and I knew we, we were one of the only ones that, if not the only one that didn't pit.
So, feel good about what Shane and Landon did on, you know, the adjustments on the car.
I just I, I first felt like I gave it away a little bit, 'cause I was running really conservative trying to make it on tires.
But when I wheel spun and Dan come by me, but those guys pitted about lap 34 or 35 I think, and, and, so they just had a little bit better tire.
But, it was a good run for us.
Got in trouble early, got down there and got all boxed up and turned around, and was just patient trying to come my w- you know, r- race my way back up through there.
The car was really good in the middle, and, so I knew I wasn't really hurting tires, as bad, but this place will, eat on them.
But, it was a good run for us.
Limited starts, you gotta be happy to have that kind of speed at any race you go to.
Yeah, it's, I, I mean, it is.
You come out here with a group like this and, and the speed changes, you know, the competition level's unbelievable, and the speed changes throughout the race, top groove, bottom groove, middle groove.
You know, it's just makes it It makes it skillful, you know?
And, and, so these guys, a lot of good guys out in this field.
I mean, it's It was, a, a lot of good racing out there.
So, I need to thank all my sponsors.
Without them, we wouldn't be here.
Mike Reese came on board, Reese Monument, a couple years ago and s- just saved our program, so I appreciate him.
Ace Durans, the sponsor of the race, they come on board with us this year.
Benadom's Companies, BSI Well Service, and Black Rock, Otterly Bath, Fox Shocks, c- clutch, Kometic, Northeastern Fabrication, AAA General Contractors, just everybody that's on the car, Alma Cleveland Bunch, Campbell Insulation, M&S Motors, Erindale Heat and Air, Jason Wright and his construction company.
Just, it's everybody, you know, that come on board.
Clements and, and, I need to say hi to Tiff and the kids.
I know they're at home.
Had a new little grandbaby here a couple weeks ago, Della, Della Ray.
So, so, she's not watching, but, but Banks is probably watching, my, my four-year-old grandson.
But, but just, it was a good, it was a good race for us, you know?
And, and, so congratulations to Dan, and he did awful good job.
You know, and to, and to win one of these things is, is, is tough.
So, he did a good job.
Congratulations to him.
Thank all you race fans for weathering this heat and coming out and supporting us, and I'm hanging in there.
Maybe we'll be back next year.
I don't know.
We'll see.
How about it, race fans?
Second place here tonight, Mac Daddy Dale McDowell.
You got one more as well.
I did.
I Ram Tech, Ram Tech, Enterprises come on board this year, and I, I forget those guys.
I We ain't raced enough for me to remember everybody, but thanks to all those guys that, that make this deal possible, so appreciate them.
How about it, race fans?
Once again, Dale McDowell comes home second.
Wesley catches up with Jonathan Davenport.
Why not sign aut- autographs in victory lane?
Go ahead, Wesley.
Well, JD, you were the only driver to have five top fives in the last five Topless 100s.
You keep that streak going, another good run here coming up third, especially with the tire trouble battling back through the field.
Yeah.
We just played the cards we was dealt there.
I felt like, we had a really, really good car there.
Thanks to my team there.
They, they done a excellent job, you know, battling through the heat, and, special thanks to these fans, man.
It's, it's, tough sitting out there in, in the sun and, watching a bunch of rednecks go around in a circle.
So we definitely appreciate all y'all's, for, coming here and staying here.
But yeah, as far as the race goes, I just felt like I was really patient and, felt like we had a, a, a car to win really.
And I was just kinda easing around there at the beginning, made sure I didn't go too hard, didn't run the top, any really.
I think I went there one time just 'cause I pushed up there.
But And just, been patient and, you know, several cars passed me, and then, about mid- right before midway there, I, I started rolling and, and got back by them.
And I got to the 17 car and felt like we was about to pass him for second, and, we had to caution, and that, that's when the, right rear started going down.
So, tires looked great, j- just had a, had a cut in it.
So it's just, it's just part, part of Batesville here.
You know, it, it, it's bit a lot of people, and, some it hasn't.
So, but, then we, g- got back going there and, passed quite a few cars.
I actually got by Dan, before it started taking rubber.
And then, so o- once it started taking rubber, I just went in conserve mode and, felt like we was pretty good there, just would pick them off every now and then and just kind ride.
And I could go up there and, kind of see whose tires was slick and whose wasn't, and I just kind of looking for circumference grooves.
You know, it's pretty dark out here, but there's a lot that shines on the tires every now and then if you, if you get just at the right angle.
So just trying to, see what was around me and, we, we, we lost a spot to Dan.
I, I believe it was, one of the last double file restarts.
I, I think the car in front of me got a little loose in one and two there.
We had to check up and then so, he got by us, but And then, from then on we went single file, and he started moving around and getting a couple guys on the outside when, when it- they get bottled up in, in turn one.
So, yeah, we just really didn't know how hard to go.
We still had plenty of tire left.
So we, we had a really balanced race car.
But congratulations to Dan.
You know, it, it's hard to win any Lucas Oil race, no less one, one here at Batesville, the, the way this place, shakes out and, a Crown Jewel to add on top of that.
So, just, say want, say congratulations to him.
Thanks to all my guys.
They, they done an excellent job once again.
And, gotta thank Ace Duran, Nutrient Solutions, ASC Warranty, Longhorn Chassis, Bilstein Shocks, Longhorn Dynamics.
I'd like to give a shout-out also to, Allison Enterprises, and, for, you know, all the, all the help they give us.
We had some A- Ace Duran, people here tonight and u- up in the booth, so hopefully we put them on a good show, and of course Steve and Anthony up there too.
So, ju- just thank everybody to, make this possible.
Lance also obviously, and, Darla Landers, I'm sure she's watching back home.
I, I wish she, she could, come out here and, and, wa- wa- watch this race, but I'm sure it's a whole lot cooler there sitting on the couch.
So e- e- also gotta say thanks to, Midwest Sheet Metal.
I know Chris ain't here, so if you're watching, you know, ho- hope you're doing okay, buddy, and, we miss you at the track.
How about it, race fans?
Third place here tonight, Superman, Jonathan Davenport.
All right, Wesley, great job working with me this weekend.
I don't even know what to say, right?
