East Alabama Motor Speedway
Clanton wins finale, Madden crowned state champ
By Jonathan Joiner
DirtonDirt.com correspondent
Shane Clanton takes the checkers at East Alabama. (Mitchell Jenkins)
PHENIX CITY, Ala. (Sept. 29) — Shane Clanton won the battle at East Alabama Motor Speedway, but Chris Madden won the war.
Rebounding from a disappointing sixth-place finish in the first leg of the 3/8-mile oval’s weekend doubleheader on Saturday, Clanton of Zebulon, Ga., led every lap of Sunday’s second round feature at the 35th annual Alabama State Championship to earn $4,000 for his first Southern All Star Series victory of the season. | Slideshow
But Madden, who bagged the $4,000 winner’s paycheck Saturday night, was crowned the 2013 Alabama State Champion and earned an extra $2,000 bonus after charging from 15th to fourth in Sunday’s 40-lap main event.
After powering to the lead down the front straightaway on the opening lap, Clanton fought back an early challenge from third-starting Ivedent Lloyd Jr. of Ocala, Fla., and cruised through the race’s late stages to claim the victory.
"After last night we struggled to run sixth. We made a lot of changes, and we had a pretty good car today," said Clanton, who cited outrunning Davenport to the first corner as the key to victory. "That’s the main thing getting a front-row starting spot. I don’t know if I went softer on left-rear tire than Davenport did, but I think that’s what got me the jump."
Lloyd, a two-time Southern All Stars champion, was forced to settled for second after letting Clanton slip away during the second half of the race. The runner-up effort backed up his third-place finish from Saturday night.
Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., was looking to claim his second Alabama State Championship title, but he couldn’t better his second-place finish from Saturday night in fading to third after starting from the pole of Sunday’s feature. Madden followed Davenport across the finish line with Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., rounding out the top five.
After running the event as a single, unsanctioned race in recent seasons, the Southern All Stars sanctioned the event for the first time this season with it split into a pair of events. A weekend points system was used to determine the Alabama State Champion with Alexanders Industrial Services sponsoring the $2,000 bonus for the champion, along with $1,000 for second and $500 for third.
The final tally of points left Madden in a tie with Lloyd and Davenport for the title. But Madden was declared the winner by virtue of his Saturday night victory when race officials decided to use drivers’ wins on the weekend as the tiebreaker.
"That’s big," Madden said of his first Alabama State Championship title. "It’s a good deal they put together this weekend. It’s always good to have two races. If a guy has a bad night he can rebound on the next night, you know. That’s a good deal."
Notes: Clanton’s Kennedy Motorsports Capital Race Car is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Core Construction, Keyser Mfg., and Ironco Enterprises. ... Clanton won for the second time in September; he also won a preliminary feature at Eldora Speedway's World 100 on Sept. 5. ... Madden earned his first Alabama State Championship title. ... Action returns to East Alabama Nov. 1-3 for the 39th annual National 100. The unsanctioned event pays $20,000 to the winner.
Alabama State Championship: (1) Shane Clanton, (2) Ivedent Lloyd Jr., (3) Jonathan Davenport., (4) Chris Madden, (5) Clint Smith, (6) Tyler Ivey, (7) Ray Cook, (8) Jason Hiett, (9) Gar Dickson, (10) Tyler Millwood, (11) Chris Jones, (12) Randy Weaver, (13) Joe Armistead, (14) Riley Hickman, (15) Joseph Joiner, (16) Bret Holmes, (17) William Thomas, (18) Tom Maddox, (19) Jody Knowles, (20) Russell Brown, (21)Jake Knowles, (22) J.R. Mosley, (23) Brian Reese, (24) Cale Simmons. Fast qualifier (among 40 cars): Clanton, 13.934 seconds. Consolation winners: Jones, Armistead.
Correction: Fixes Clanton's most recent victory to Sept. 5, sted June 1.
