Madden cruises to $5,300 Volunteer Speedway ‘Southern Nationals’ victory

Madden cruises to $5,300 Volunteer Speedway ‘Southern Nationals’ victory

BULLS GAP, Tenn. (July 22, 2011) — There may be one more event remaining in the 2011 Ray Cook-promoted Schaeffer Oil Southern Nationals Series, which features 10 Super Late Model races across the Southeast in the span of 13 days. But you can go ahead and write the champion’s check to Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., after he led flag-to-flag Friday night at Volunteer Speedway to capture his series-leading third victory, a win worth $5,300.

Should Madden pull off the series finale victory Saturday at Tazewell Speedway, it will be a clean-sweep in the Volunteer State, following back-to-back wins at Cleveland Speedway and “The Gap.”

Madden began the evening touring the high banks at 12.394 seconds to earn the pole position for the 53-lap main event presented by East Tennessee Masonry Supply of Kingsport, with Mark Douglas and Tommy Kerr each winning B-mains.

Madden jumped into the lead over Eric Jacobsen, Stacy Boles, John Pursley Jr. and Vic Hill to complete the opening lap.

Quickly on the move was current Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) point leader Ty Dillon, grandson of legendary NASCAR race team owner Richard Childress, who advanced from his seventh starting position to overtake Hill for fifth in the running order on lap 3 racing into the first turn. Dillon got around Pursley Jr. to move into the fourth spot on lap 8 racing off the fourth turn. Just one circuit later caution waved when Hill spun in turn four.

Madden was trailed by Jacobsen, Boles, Dillon and Pursley Jr. on the restart. While Madden and Jacobsen began to put a little room between themselves and their closest challengers, Dillon was all over Boles wanting the third spot. Dillon got under Boles racing between turns three and four on lap 14, and racing off the corner Dillon powered his way into third.

A strong run inside the top-five ended for Pursley Jr. when he slowed racing off the fourth turn on lap 23 and dropped down to the inside and coasted down the front straightaway and around the bottom of the track between turns one and two before entering the infield pits.

With the race reaching the halfway point, the front-running trio of Madden, Jacobsen and Dillon had pulled ahead of fourth- and fifth-running Boles and Billy Ogle Jr. by about three-quarters of a straightaway.

While Jacobsen and Dillon got to battling for the runner-up position, Madden began distancing himself from the duo. Lap-after-lap, Dillon would get under Jacobsen in the corners only to see Jacobsen power back ahead racing down the straightaways. The last thing leader Madden wanted to see was a caution flag, yet that’s what happened on lap 39 when Tony Knowles slowed with a flat tire to erase Madden’s advantage over Jacobsen and Dillon.

Back under green and up-to-speed for a run to the checkers, Madden, driving the Cornett-powered Century Plastics Inc./Hamrick’s of Gaffney/Cushman Paint & Body/Freeman Plumbing/Henderson Amusement/Allstar Performance/Hoosier Racing Tires/Ohlins/CV Products/Peterson Fluid Systems/VP Racing Fuels/Quarter Master/Team Zero Bloomquist Race Cars/No. 44 Ford Fusion, once again pulled back ahead of Jacobsen and Dillon over the remaining distance to easily win. Finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, were Boles and Ogle Jr.

Completing the top-10 finishers were Mark Vineyard, Mark Douglas, Brian Reese, Knowles and Ross White.

Dale Ball holds two Fastrak Racing Series-sanctioned Crate Late Model track championships and currently stands atop the point leaderboard on the strength of four feature wins this season and only second-place finishes in the other races. He grabbed the lead over pole-sitter Pierce McCarter at the start of the 25-lap feature, but McCarter got around Ball for a lead he would never relinquish on lap 2 racing off the fourth turn.

With Pierce setting a blistering pace out front leading Ball, just behind in third and fourth positions were Jerry Broyles and Pierce’s younger brother, Mack McCarter. Between turns one and two on lap 7, Mack got tangled up with the lapped car of Tyler Dixon and wrecked to bring out the caution, ending Mack’s night early.

McCarter was all alone out front for double-file restart and back under green Ball and Broyles raced side-by-side into the first corner. But exiting turn two Broyles moved ahead of Ball for the second spot, though it would prove to be short-lived as the next time around Broyles looped his car between turns one and two, bringing out the caution.

During a long green-flag run, McCarter, driving the McCarter Lumber Company/Parkway Liquor Store/McCarter Farms/Hoosier Racing Tires/Matlock Decal Company/CVR Race Cars/McCarter Brothers Racing/No. 71 Chevrolet Impala, built up a comfortable lead over Ball and Bobby Mays. But catching a group of seven cars running mid-pack with only two laps remaining, while attempting to lap them McCarter saw his advantage over Ball shrink.

But the 19-year-old McCarter, from Sevierville, would not be denied his first-ever Volunteer Speedway victory as he held on for the win. Finishing behind McCarter were Ball, Mays, Tim Byrd and Mike Smith.

Shannon Emery of Morristown recorded his second straight “Gunslingers of Kingsport” Hobby Stock victory over division point leader Jamie Whitt, Danny Helton, Robbie Woods and Sue Curl

Eddie Morris of Gray rolled to the Road Warrior victory over Chris Naillon, Jesse Wilder, Kyle Hunter and Robert Barndt.

EAST TENNESSEE MASONRY SUPPLY OF KINGSPORT – “SCHAEFFER OIL SOUTHERN NATIONALS SERIES” – FRIDAY, JULY 22 – VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY – BULLS GAP, TN

Showing Finish Position, Starting Position In Parentheses, Driver Name, Car #, Hometown, Money Won

1. (1) Chris Madden #44-Gray Court, SC $5,300
2. (3) Eric Jacobsen #5-Seacliff Beach, CA $2,500
3. (7) Ty Dillon #41-Lewisville, NC $1,500
4. (2) Stacy Boles #11-Claxton, TN $1,000
5. (8) Billy Ogle Jr. #201-Knoxville, TN $900
6. (6) Mark Vineyard #4-Powell, TN $800
7. (9) Mark Douglas #52D-Knoxville, TN $750
8. (13) Brian Reese #33-Sharpsburg, GA $725
9. (11) Tony Knowles #26-Tyrone, GA $700
10. (16) Ross White #0-Karns, TN $675
11. (19) Brett Miller #25-Greeneville, TN $650
12. (15) Kerry Jones #6-Bristol, TN $630
13. (14) John Pursley Sr. #9-Clover, SC $620
14. (12) Jeff Smith #18-Dallas, NC $610
15. (5) Johnny Pursley Jr. #09-Clover, SC $600
16. (17) Mike Weeks #22-Friendsville, TN $590
17. (22) Chad Ogle #10-Sevierville, TN $580
18. (4) Vic Hill #1-Morristown, TN $570
19. (20) Bryan Hendrix #5-Knoxville, TN $560
20. (18) Kyle Pierce #281-Statesville, NC $550
21. (10) Tommy Kerr #4T-Maryville, TN $540
22. (21) Donald Bradsher #93-Burlington, NC $530

CRATE LATE MODEL (25 laps)

1) Pierce McCarter #71; 2) Dale Ball #2; 3) Bobby Mays #19; 4) Tim Byrd #24; 5) Mike Smith #4; 6) Jerry Broyles #72; 7) Forrest Trent #4Q; 8 ) Weston Gantte #14; 9) Tim Maupin #2T; 10) Todd Brooks #T1; 11) Ricky Moore #75; 12) Rick Shelton #22; 13) Hugh Scalf #56; 14) Tyler Dixon #00; 15) Mack McCarter #51 – Did Not Start: Chuck Laney #91

“GUNSLINGERS OF KINGSPORT” HOBBY STOCK (20 laps)

1) Shannon Emery #m2; 2) Jamie Whitt #1; 3) Danny Helton #88; 4) Robbie Woods #2; 5) Sue Curl #5; 6) Chris Gregg #73; 7) Kaleb Trent #34; 8 ) Shannon Davidson #4 – Did Not Start: Dale Reed #52

ROAD WARRIOR (10 laps)

1) Eddie Morris #112; 2) Chris Naillon #54; 3) Jesse Wilder #79; 4) Kyle Hunter #711; 5) Robert Barndt #14; 6) Billy Bernard #10