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Kelley Carlton
GAFFNEY, S.C.. (August 17) - Chris Madden has just served notice to his foes and fans. The message? I am back! In a season that Madden has dealt with several stumbling blocks and personal tragedies it appears that he has returned to form. Madden led all forty laps in Sunday afternoon's Pop Pursley Memorial at Cherokee Speedway garnering the Gray Court, SC drive $5000 for his efforts. Madden's win increased his win streak to three in a row on the O'Reilly Southern All Stars East tour and edged him ever closer to leader Casey Roberts in the season points standings.
On Saturday night the drivers took to the speedway for two timed laps in Bearden Oil Company Qualifying. Madden bested the twenty-three car field in time trials with his lap of 15.429 seconds around the 3/8ths of a mile Gaffney, SC oval. John Pursley, whose father was the namesake of the event, captured the outside pole with a lap just a tick slower than Madden's at 15.435 seconds. Multi-time Cherokee Speedway Champion Ricky Weeks made his return and turned in third quick time. Two-time OSAS-East Champion Dennis Franklin was fourth and Jonathan Davenport rounded out the top five in qualifying.
Two last chance heat races were set to determine starting positions eleven through twenty-two. Jeff Smith blasted to the lead early on and never looked back in taking the win the first heat. Smith was followed to the line by 2007 OSAS-East Rookie of the Year Monk Gulledge and China Grove, NC's Kelly Thacker. In the second heat Anthony Sanders grabbed the lead from the outside pole with Johnny Pursley and Furman Parton in tow. However just three laps into the heat the skies opened up and forced the halting of racing action for the night.
The completion of the event was postponed until Sunday afternoon when the second heat resumed with three laps complete. Sanders, who was the leader when the rains came, was unable to make the grid for the restart after suffering mechanical woes in hot laps. This handed the lead over to Pursley. Pursley took the win over Chris Hargett and Chad Paxton. Furman Parton, who was scheduled to restart third, withdrew from the event. Steve Blackburn who was set to start nineteenth also withdrew from the event.
The field rolled off the grid in the "missing man" formation allowing for Pursley to have the front row alone on the parade lap in honor of his late father. The field came up to full song with Pursley nosing ahead of Madden into turn one but Madden battled back and pulled even as they spilled onto the back straightaway. Madden pulled ahead as the leaders entered turn three. Pursley fell into second but immediately began to feel pressure from Dennis Franklin.
Franklin bypassed Pursley just two laps in and set after Madden. The field was slowed early on when Randle Chupp spun in turns one and two. Chupp tagged the tail of the field in sixteenth. Madden powered back to a two car length advantage once the field went back to green. But as Madden caught up to back-marker traffic Franklin closed in. When Madden reached Jeff Smith's rear deck Franklin was looming waiting for an opening. For the better part of three laps Madden trailed Smith with Franklin taking several peeks on the low-side.
On lap thirty-one, Madden finally slipped past Smith bringing Franklin along with him. But as the laps waned, everyone's attention turned to tires or more appropriately flat tires. Driver after driver fell victim to flat tires. Finally with only three laps remaining the final caution waved when Keith Stone lost a right rear in turn four. During the caution period Franklin pitted for a tire change after he had fell back to fourth on the previous restart. Franklin rejoined the field in ninth as the last car on the lead lap.
The race for second heated up when the field went back to green. Randle Chupp, who had now moved all the way back up to second, found himself faced with an onslaught from former Cherokee Speedway champion Petey Ivey. Ivey work the low groove while Chupp hugged the middle just below the cushion. Ivey was able to power by Chupp coming to the white flag. But Ivey was unable to make up any ground on Madden who flashed across the line six car lengths ahead of the Union, SC driver.
The victory was Madden's third in a row with the O'Reilly Southern All Stars East Series. Madden gave his winners interview in victory lane surrounded by family and friends. "It is always good to win in front of the home crowd. We really didn't run the car hard trying to be easy on the tires. But with five to go we were ready to run a little harder but I couldn't get going because of all the cautions. This is the same car that we won the USA 100 at Virginia Motor Speedway with last week and it was just perfect. I need to thank my family and all these guys and our car owner Kelly Hamrick for everything." Madden said.
Madden's Bloomquist Chassis Ford Fusion has a Cornett Thunder Race Engine and is sponsored by Hamrick's Family Clothing, Century Plastics, Freeman Plumbing, Henderson Amusement, Xtreme Custom's and Cycles, Swiftco Supply, Cushman Body Shop, Pancake House, Time Out Family Restaurant, Big A's Custom Graphics, Ohlins, Allstar Performance, Eibach Springs, K-B Carbs, VP Race Fuels, Brinn, Quarter Master, Peterson Fluid Products and Delph Communications.
Official Finish
1 - 44 Chris Madden - Gray Court, SC
2 - 6 Petey Ivey - Union, SC
3 - 22 Randle Chupp - Troutman, NC
4 - 9 John Pursley - Clover, SC
5 - 116 Randy Weaver - Crossville, TN
6 - 101 Casey Roberts - Toccoa, GA
7 - 2 Dennis Franklin - Gaffney, SC
8 - 75 Jonathan Davenport - Blairsville, GA
9 - 25 Ricky Weeks - Rutherfordton, NC
10 - 09 Johnny Pursley - Clover, SC
11 - 93 Trey Baucom - Concord, NC
12 - 104 Monk Gulledge - Batesburg, SC
13 - 70 Jeff Smith - Dallas, NC
14 - 02 Keith Stone - Elkin, NC
15 - F1 Mike Duvall - Cowpens, SC
16 - 22 Chris Ferguson - Charlotte, NC
17 - V8 Kelly Thacker - China Grove, NC
18 - 16 Chad Paxton - Troutman, NC
19 - 89 Chris Hargett - Monroe, NC
20 - 421 Anthony Sanders - Spartanburg, SC
DNS: Furman Parton and Steve Blackburn
Upcoming OSAS-East events:
August 29 - Lavonia Speedway - Lavonia, GA - $3000
August 30 - Hartwell Speedway - Hartwell, GA - $4000
August 31 - Cherokee Speedway - Gaffney, SC - $10,000
September 1 - Travelers Rest Speedway - Travelers Rest, SC - $3000
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