Lancaster Speedway
Notes: Davenport back in form with AES Racing
By Joshua Joiner
DirtonDirt.com staff writer
Jonathan Davenport won a career-high $30,000 at Lancaster. (DirtonDirt.com)
LANCASTER, S.C. (March 30) — After a disappointing 2012 season that left Jonathan Davenport without a ride following just one year with Clint Bowyer Racing, few could have expected the Blairsville, Ga., driver to bounce back the way he has so far in 2013.
In a little more than four months since landing with Steve Cooke’s AES Racing, Davenport has recovered from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs, claiming a career-high $30,000 victory in Saturday night’s Carolina Crown main event at Lancaster Speedway. | Davenport to make first NASCAR truck start
Even Davenport himself could hardly believe his early success with his new team.
“I never would’ve believed we’d get on a roll like this, this soon,” said Davenport, who earned his third victory in as many weeks at Lancaster’s unsanctioned special event. “I always try to stay confident in myself and I knew I could do it. But it definitely gets you down. This sport is the most humbling sport in the world. I can win this $30,000 and go next week and not make the show at a $4,000-to-win race. But we’re gonna ride this as long as we can for sure.”
Davenport’s quick revival with AES could be a bad sign for his competitors. The 29-year-old racer believes he has recovered completely from his dismal 2012 season, returning to the same level of performance he reached when he became one of the sport’s hottest up-and-comers while claiming win after win in the Barry Wright Race Cars house car in 2010 and 2011.
“I really feel like I’m back to where I need to be,” Davenport said. “I’ve got the car driving the way I wanna drive instead of trying to search around. I’m not making many changes; I’ve got back to what I know is good with my motor program and throughout the whole car. Everything just falls together when you’re running good.”
Redemption is sweet for Davenport, who is happy to have proven wrong anyone who doubted him after last season.
“I just can’t thank Steve enough for giving me this opportunity when a lot of people wrote me off last year,” Davenport said. “Some people thought I couldn’t get it done anymore, but now we know I still can.”
Autry’s strong run
With Scott Autry sneaking into contention late in the race, Saturday’s second annual Carolina Crown main event briefly appeared as though it might play out a lot like the inaugural event in 2012. But Autry, who came from seemingly nowhere after starting last to win last year’s race in one of the sport’s biggest surprise victories, fell just a few positions short this time around, finishing third behind Davenport and Steve Shaver.
“I got up there to fifth place and I thought ‘man, what if all this happens all over again?’ I was starting to think it was possible cause we were racing those guys and passing a few of them,” said Autry, who started 16th in the 60-lap race. “They stopped us for the 10-lap shootout and I was sitting there about third or fourth. I was thinking ‘man, a little bit of fortune and we could end up alright.’”
Though it wasn’t as thrilling as last year’s victory, and it certainly didn’t pay as much, Autry was more than happy with his solid performance Saturday night.
“I don’t get to race with this type crowd much, but we came home third with the car in one piece and without one scratch on it,” Autry said. “I’m very happy. Of course I would’ve loved to have won $30,000 for the car owner ... but third place will help pay some bills for a little bit.”
Madden falls short
Starting from the outside pole of Saturday’s 60-lap feature, Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., thought his hard-compound tire selection would be the difference with most of the rest of the field running softer tires.
That plan backfired, and Madden was never a factor, quickly dropping back to fifth in the race’s opening laps and eventually finishing seventh after pitting for a softer tire late in the race.
“We went with a different tire combination than those guys did.” Madden said. “We were holding are own there and I thought it was gonna come in, but we kept having those cautions and that didn’t help.
“We kept getting stuck on the inside (on restarts). We were actually reeling those guys in. I don’t think we could’ve won the race, but we could’ve probably moved back up a few spots at least.”
The disappointing finish was a missed opportunity of Madden, who’s still looking for his first victory of the season and looking for a boost for his program.
“It gets ya frustrated to miss one. Sponsorship’s hard to get and money gets tight,” said Madden, who’s been cold since going on a hot streak last summer. “But when we got the first one out of the way last year, we went on a streak and knocked a few more off. Maybe we can do that again this year.”
