Chris Madden (left) and Dale McDowell (right) scored wins on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway over the weekend. Photos: Bristol Motor Speedway
Chris Madden and Dale McDowell closed out the Bristol Dirt Nationals with victories over the weekend.
Madden took his second event win on Friday night, while McDowell topped the weekend with the Saturday night victory.
On Friday, Madden led every lap en route to the win and the $50,000 payday at the ½-mile dirt covered track.
The Gray Court, South Carolina racer started the day by setting a track record at 14.950 seconds at 128 mph in qualifying. Madden then led all 50 laps from the pole and claim his second win in the four-race series over the two-week event.
“Its pretty awesome, what a phenomenal race car, we had some mishaps last Saturday, but we recovered well,” said Madden, who won last Friday night’s race in similar dominating fashion. “It’s awesome to be at Bristol and see all the fans out and appreciate all their support.”
Chris Ferguson made a late race charge to finish second and was followed by Devin Moran in third. NASCAR Cup champ Kyle Larson finished fourth, with Ricky Weiss in fifth.
On Saturday night, veteran racer Dale McDowell earned the $50,000 payday with the win in the 50-lap feature.
It was the second Bristol victory for the Chickamauga, Georgia driver, as he also claimed the 2000 Super Late Model victory the first time BMS was converted to a dirt track.
“It’s unbelievable, we’ve had a really good year,” McDowell said. “I can’t thank the guys who work on this thing enough because they made my job easier. This one is for the old guys. It’s awesome to be back here at Bristol 22 years later. We had a little misfortune and had to change front pinons while the B-Main was going on. I’ve got to thank the good Lord above for making all this possible.”
Chris Madden finished in second, which was all he needed to claim the $100,000 XR Super Late Model Series bonus for earning the most points during the four-race, two-weekend event. With his two victories, runner-up finish, 12th place finish and the series bonus it brings Madden’s total two-week earnings to more than $230,000.
Madden won his heat race but was penalized two spots for an infraction that was discovered during post-race inspection. He started 12th in the feature and had to work his way to the front to secure the $100,000.
“It’s pretty awesome, we overcame a mountain tonight and we came back and did what we had to do to get the bonus,” Madden said. “We had to take a two-spot knock and start 12th and it says a lot about my team and how we can bounce back. Our car was good enough to get us back in it and it says a lot for our team. I never doubted us being able to do it. Our car, our team is in a great position to be able to win some races and get some things done.”
Chris Ferguson finished third, with Scott Bloomquist in fourth, and Jimmy Owens in fifth.
Dirt racing action continues at BMS during the month of April with the return of NASCAR to the dirt with the running of the Food City Dirt Race under the lights on Easter Sunday, April 17, and the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt on Saturday night, April 16. For more information, visit BristolMotorSpeedway.com.
Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, TN
Bristol Dirt Nationals – April 1, 2022
1. Chris Madden
2. Chris Ferguson
3. Devin Moran
4. Kyle Larson
5. Ricky Weiss
6. Scott Bloomquist
7. Dale McDowell
8. Jonathan Davenport
9. Brandon Sheppard
10. Earl Pearson Jr.
11. Kyle Strickler
12. Jimmy Owens
13. Kyle Bronson
14. Brandon Overton
15. Ricky Thornton Jr.
16. Darrell Lanigan
17. Dakotah Knuckles
18. Joseph Joiner
19. Ashton Winger
20. Garrett Smith
21. Mike Marlar
22. Mark Whitener
23. Shane Clanton
24. Ross Bailes
Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, TN
Bristol Dirt Nationals – April 2, 2022
1. Dale McDowell
2. Chris Madden
3. Chris Ferguson
4. Scott Bloomquist
5. Jimmy Owens
6. Earl Pearson Jr.
7. Darrell Lanigan
8. Ross Bailes
9. Garrett Smith
10. Ricky Weiss
11. Brandon Sheppard
12. Kyle Bronson
13. Mark Whitener
14. Kyle Strickler
15. Ricky Thornton Jr.
16. Dakotah Knuckles
17. Jonathan Davenport
18. Devin Moran
19. Joseph Joiner
20. Jason Papich
21. Kyle Larson
22. Brandon Overton
23. Shane Clanton
24. Mike Marlar
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