Southern Nationals: Madden Takes Charge of Tour; Snares Volunteer Checkers

A happy Chris Madden after another "Southern Nationals" win at Volunteer Speedway Friday. (Brian McLeod)

BULLS GAP, Tenn. — July 22. 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 write the champion’s check to Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., after he led flag-to-flag Friday 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 here at “The Gap.”

Madden began the evening by earning the pole position for the 53-lap main event, presented by East Tennessee Masonry Supply of Kingsport. 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, who advanced from his seventh starting position to overtake Hill for fifth in the running order racing into the first turn on lap three. Dillon got around Pursley to move into the fourth spot on lap eight. Just one circuit later, caution waved when Hill spun in turn four.

While Madden and Jacobsen began to put a little room between themselves and their closest challengers after the restart, Dillon was all over Boles for the third spot until getting under on lap 14. A strong run inside the top-five then ended for Pursley when he slowed on lap 23 and coasted to the 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 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 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.

July 22 - Volunteer Speedway Southern Nationals 1) Chris Madden, 2) Eric Jacobsen, 3) Ty Dillon, 4) Stacy Boles, 5) Billy Ogle, Jr., 6) Mark Vineyard, 7) Mark Douglas, 8) Brian Reese, 9) Tony Knowles, 10) Ross White, 11) Brett Miller, 12) Kerry Jones, 13) John Pursley, Sr., 14) Jeff Smith, 15) Johnny Pursley, Jr., 16) Mike Weeks, 17) Chad Ogle, 18) Vic Hill, 19) Bryan Hendrix, 20) Kyle Pierce, 21) Tommy Kerr, 22) Donald Bradsher. Fast Time (22 entries): Madden (12.394); B-Main winners: Douglas, Kerr
Michael Moats photo