East Alabama Motor Speedway
Davenport edges Ogle, collects $3,500 at EAMS
Jonathan Davenport visits victory lane. (Heath Lawson)
PHENIX CITY, Ala. (July 18) — Pole-starting Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., regained the lead from fellow front-row starter Billy Ogle Jr. of Knoxville, Tenn., with three laps remaining Thursday at East Alabama Motor Speedway for his first Schaeffer Oil Southern Nationals victory of the season. | Video| Slideshow
Davenport notched his sixth career victory on the Ray Cook-promoted tour, and second at East Alabama while pocketing $3,500.
“I just kept slowing down, saving my tire there to make one run down at the end, and everything worked out," Davenport said. "He messed up a little bit on them lapped cars ... it’s hard to pass in the rubber like this.”
Ogle settled for second while four-time champion Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., finished third ahead of hometown driver William Thomas and Jason Hiett of Lincoln, Ala., the second-row starters in the 35-lap main event, the tour’s only Alabama race. Davenport moved past Madden into the series points lead.
Davenport took the lead at the outset, but Ogle slipped past to take control on the third lap and led until Davenport regained the lead on lap 32. Ogle got a final shot at Davenport with a green-white-checkered finish after a late caution, but Davenport held on to complete his victory.
“I think really I just made a decision and tried to roll by (the lapped car) on the top and got my tires in some of the loose dust we were throwoing up there, and that gave Jonathan what he needed to get by me," Ogle said. "By the time I had got back down, he had already got the lead.”
Two cautions slowed the action. Tom Maddox spun to draw a lap-17 yellow and Stacy Boles slowed with a flat tire on lap 33.
Notes: Davenport’s AES Racing Barry Wright Race Car is sponsored by En Compass Solutions, Mega Plumbing and Mega Electric, Ohlins Shocks and Hoosier Tire. ... Davenport tied his AES Racing teammate Dennis Franklin for third on the series' all-time wins list; Madden tops the list with 22 career victories. ... Drivers failing to make the feature lineup: Cale Simons, J.R. Mosley, Jason Williams and Bret Holmes. ... Thursday's stop at EAMS was the third of 10 events in four states over 13 nights. ... The miniseries moves to Swainsboro (Ga.) Speedway on Friday for a 53-lap, $5,300-to-win event.
Schaeffer Oil Southern Nationals @ East Alabama: (1) Jonathan Davenport, (2) Billy Ogle Jr., (3) Chris Madden, (4) William Thomas, (5) Jason Hiett, (6) Jake Knowles, (7) Clint Smith, (8) Vic Hill, (9) Dennis Franklin, (10) Chip Brindle, (11) Brian Reese, (12) Brent Dixon, (13) Eric Jacobsen, (14) Joey Coulter, (15) Tony Knowles, (16) Stacy Boles, (17) Laddie Fulcher, (18) Ivedent Lloyd Jr., (19) Bubba Russell, (20) Tom Maddox, (21) Shane Fulcher, (22) Brandon Kinzer. Fast qualifier (among 26 cars): Ogle, 15.438 seconds. Dash winner: Davenport. Consolation race winners: Madden, Lloyd. Provisional starters: Russell, Fulcher.
Correction: Fixes Davenport as new series points leader.
