Ronnie Johnson finished third on Saturday night iat Talladega Short Track to win the $10,000 2014 Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series National Championship. Photo by Brian McLeod
EASTABOGA, AL – Chris Madden of Laurens, SC breezed to his second Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series win of the season in the Crowder Trucking Special on Saturday night in the 2nd annual Dega 100 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL. Madden took the lead from Ronnie Johnson on lap 20 and never looked back.
Johnson may have lost the lead, but after a late-race side-by-side duel with Tim Busha of Boaz, AL, the Chattanooga, TN racer finished third in the NeSmith Chevrolet Special and captured the $10,000 2014 Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series National Championship.
Busha finished second in the Kilpatrick Racing GRT followed by Johnson, and Tyler Crowder of Lamont, FL. The fourth-place finish for Crowder in the Crowder Trucking Rocket gave him the second spot in the 2014 Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series standings, 36 points behind Johnson. Tim Roszell of Anniston, AL rounded out the top five in the Coosa Heating and Air Warrior.
Matthew Turner of Dawsonville, GA finished sixth in the Hedman Hussler Hedders Special and Donald Bradsher of Burlington, NC was seventh in the Mega Plumbing Special. Brent Barrett of Cleveland, MS started 22nd and finished eighth in the Custom Spraying, Inc. GRT. Barrett finished fifth in the point standings and earned the 2014 Cruise With The Champions Rookie of the Year Award.
Terry Smith of Oxford, AL drove the Smith Racing Special to a ninth-place finish, and Forrest Trent of Talbott, TN rounded out the top ten in the Trent Logging Rocket. Johnson out-timed a stout 35-car field powered by the economical all-aluminum Chevrolet Racing Engines in qualifying with a lap in 14.381 seconds. The two 12-lap B-Main races were won by Jacob Grizzle of Blairsville, GA in the Carolina Performance Special and Crowder.
Madden’s Dega 100 win was worth $6,000 and it was his second win of the season in the last three races after reuniting with the South Carolina-based Crowder Trucking team. The dirt late model veteran seemed to enjoy his three-race stint with the series.
“It was a lot of fun racing side-by-side out there tonight, especially with Ronnie Johnson for the lead,” Madden said. “I started by racing career with the Crowders and they gave me my first late model ride. If it wasn’t for a cut tire in our second race while we were leading, we could have made it three wins in a row.”
The two and three-wide racing Madden spoke of occurred early and often throughout the 24-car field during the 100-lap race. The close racing action began on the first lap of the race when Ross Bailes of Clover, SC spun in turn two while running third. The entire field missed Bailes’ WP Racing Shocks Special, but the caution flag came out to necessitate a complete restart.
The restart saw outside front row starter Jeff Smith of Chatsworth, GA take the lead in the Hill Motorsports Warrior followed by Johnson, Madden, Bailes, and Brad Hall of Knoxville, TN in the Tazewell Chiropractic Special. Busha came from the ninth starting spot to hustle up to the sixth spot by lap four.
Smith, Johnson and Madden battled for the lead three-wide on lap five, with Johnson coming from the middle of the pile to take the lead on lap seven. Jake Knowles of Tyrone, GA came from the tenth starting spot in the Cedartown Electric Rocket to battle Busha for the sixth spot on lap ten.
While Johnson led the field, Madden continued his battle with Smith for the second spot. Madden drove under Smith coming off the fourth turn on lap 11 to take the second spot. By lap 14, Madden chased down Johnson and they battled side-by-side for the lead for the next six laps in heavy lapped traffic.
Madden was able to drive under Johnson to take the lead on lap 20, just before the caution flag came out on lap 21 for a spin in turn one by Lavon Sparks of Phenix City, AL in the Hester Racing GRT. When the field lined up for the “Dixie-Style” double-file restart, Madden had Johnson, Knowles, Bailes, Busha, Hall, Smith, Bradsher, Grizzle, and Adam Martin of Talladega, AL in the Seals Insurance Special doubled up behind him.
Johnson chose the outside for the double-file restart, and had Knowles to his left on the inside. When the green flag came back out, Knowles was able to get under Johnson down the backstretch to take the second spot, and by lap 25, he was closing in on Madden. A debris caution on lap 29 bunched the field back up.
Roszell spun on the restart, and while the field lined back up, a pair of top four drivers ran into problems. Bailes had to give up the fourth spot when he pitted with a broken right-front suspension, and then Knowles stalled on the track, and he gave up the second spot when he headed for the pit area.
After the next restart, the field settled in as Madden pulled out to a half straightaway lead by lap 38. At the halfway point in the race, Madden led Johnson, Busha, Martin, Bradsher, Crowder, Hall, Brian Ligon of Augusta, GA in the Big Dog Disposal Special, Roszell and Turner. Early race leader Smith brought out the caution flag on lap 53 when he stalled in turn two.
The restart saw Busha get by Johnson for second, and Crowder passed Martin for the fourth spot. The next caution flag waved on lap 56 when David Earl Gentry of Murfreesboro, TN stalled the Hardy and Associates Special on the front straightaway. Johnson was able to reclaim the second spot on the restart by passing Busha, while Martin fell off the pace from the fourth spot.
Mark Dowdy of Waterloo, AL brought out the caution flag on lap 57 when he sailed off the banking of turn one in the Action Track Chair.com Special. Busha passed Johnson for second on the restart, and Hall got by Crowder for the fourth spot. Martin fell out of the seventh spot on lap 61 and coasted to the pit area.
Another top four car ran into problems on lap 67 when Hall cut down a left-rear tire to bring out a caution flag. Madden had Busha, Johnson, Crowder, Bradsher, Roszell, Turner, Barrett, Terry Smith, and Hall doubled up behind him for the restart. Bradsher began to fade after the restart, as Roszell passed him for fifth on lap 68, and Hall dropped him to seventh on lap 70.
With 25 laps to go, Madden had stretched out to a half straightaway lead, while Roszell dusted off the outside groove and began to close on Crowder to challenge for the fourth spot. Hall spun in turn one on lap 80 to bring out the caution flag, and he was done for the night. After the restart, Busha and Johnson would begin a side-by-side duel for second that they would contest right down to the checkered flag.
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Jadon Frame of Winchester, TN stalled the Poultry Electric Special on lap 93 to bring out the caution flag. When the green flag came back out, Madden pulled away while Busha and Johnson raced side-by-side for second. Trent would stall in turn four on lap 96 to bring out the final caution flag of the race.
Madden once again pulled away on the restart, while Johnson went to the inside to passed Busha for second. Busha was able to regroup and pass Johnson for second on lap 99, but there was no time left to go after Madden, who had a 2.051 second margin of victory at the checkered flag.
For more information about the Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series visit the series web site at 525SuperSeries.com.
Chevrolet Performance Super Late Model Series
Talladega Short Track – Eastaboga, AL
Dega 100 – Oct. 11, 2014
POS STRT CAR # DRIVER HOMETOWN LAPS $ WON
1. 4 6 Chris Madden Laurens, SC 100 $6,000
2. 9 15 Tim Busha Boaz, AL 100 $1,500
3. 1 5 Ronnie Johnson Chattanooga, TN 100 $1,000
4. 12 47c Tyler Crowder Lamont, FL 100 $850
5. 15 6r Tim Roszell Anniston, AL 100 $750
6. 17 10 Matthew Turner Dawsonville, GA 100 $700
7. 7 93 Donald Bradsher Burlington, NC 100 $650
8. 22 110 Brent Barrett (R) Cleveland, MS 100 $600
9. 13 99s Terry Smith Oxford, AL 99 $550
10. 19 101 Forrest Trent Talbott, TN 97 $500
11. 23 J8 Jadon Frame (R) Winchester, TN 96 $475
12. 8 11 Lavon Sparks Phenix City, AL 90 $450
13. 21 55 Ryan King Anniston, AL 82 $425
14. 5 747 Brad Hall Knoxville, TN 79 $400
15. 14 47a Adam Martin (R) Talladega, AL 59 $375
16. 6 4 Brian Ligon Augusta, GA 57 $350
17. 24 88d Mark Dowdy Waterloo, AL 57 $325
18. 18 6 David Earl Gentry Murfreesboro, TN 54 $300
19. 2 17s Jeff Smith Chatsworth, GA 53 $300
20. 20 41 Ted Lackey Munford, AL 33 $300
21. 10 66 Jake Knowles Tyrone, GA 28 $300
22. 3 75 Ross Bailes Clover, SC 28 $300
23. 11 99g Jacob Grizzle Blairsville, GA 28 $300
24. 16 18 Brett Hamm Newberry, SC 28 $300
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