Wythe Raceway
New car lifts Davenport to $4,000 Wythe victory
RURAL RETREAT, Va. (Sept. 24) — Scoring his first victory since mid-summer, Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., earned $4,000 Saturday night at Wythe Raceway after overtaking polesitter Chris Ferguson of Mount Holly, N.C., on lap four of the Ultimate Super Late Model Series main event.
The third-starting Davenport led the remainder of the 50-lap feature on his way to notching his third Ultimate Series win of the season. The Barry Wright Race Cars house car drive used a brand new race car to earn the victory.
“This is a brand new car; first time on the track was a couple of hours ago,” Davenport said in victory lane. “I’d like to thank Barry and Lance Wright for this brand new chassis. It was perfect all night long. Troy Baird our owner along with all our sponsors deserve this win. We have struggled some this year but tonight shows that Barry Wright builds an awesome car.”
After starting fourth, Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., moved by Ferguson for second late in the race. A restart with five laps remaining gave him a chance to challenge Davenport, but his bid to win his second-consecutive Ultimate event at Wythe fell short.
Madden settled for the runner-up finish, while Donald Bradsher made a late charge to finish in the third position. Ferguson was fourth at the finish with series points leader Chip Brindle of Chatsworth, Ga., rounding out the top five. Defending series champion Casey Roberts of Toccoa, Ga., was sixth.
Notes: Davenport's Barry Wright Race Car is sponsored by Mega Plumbing, En Compass Solutions, Elite Concrete, Baird Transports, Nicholls Plumbing and JRI Shocks. ... The victory is Davenport’s first on the Ultimate tour since he scored back-to-back victories at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, S.C., on March 13 and 311 Motor Speedway in Madison, N.C., on April 2. ... Davenport’s most recent victory before Saturday was a Southern Nationals event July 17 at Rome (Ga.) Speedway. ... Madden’s victory at Wythe came on Sept. 2. ... Zack Mitchell started second and ran among the top five before a tangle with Brindle knocked him out of the race. ... The series closes out its season with two visits to Cherokee Speedway. The 4/10-mile oval hosts the tour Oct. 1 for a $5,000-to-win event and Nov. 20 for a $10,000-to-win race.
Ultimate @ Wythe: (1) Jonathan Davenport, (2) Chris Madden, (3) Donald Bradsher, (4) Chris Ferguson, (5) Chip Brindle, (6) Casey Roberts, (7) Ricky Weeks, (8) Doug Sanders, (9) Kyle Pierce, (10) Zack Mitchell, (11) Travis Greer, (12) Ronnie Hoover, (13) Daniel Baggerly, (14) Kerry Jones, (15) Ross Bailes. Fast qualifier (among 15 cars): Ferguson, 16.242 seconds.
