Here is what drivers had to say following Sunday night’s Southern All Stars’ Blue Gray 100 at Cherokee Speedway: 

Jonathan Davenport — Winner: “We started fourth there, got to third, and we were just kind of riding. And then I saw an opportunity to get by Gustin so I went ahead and took it ’cause we was just really kind of pacing ourselves, but I wanted to go ahead and try and be in second [so] once we caught lap cars maybe I could make a move on the leader at that point. But I was just really riding, saving my tires the whole time.

This thing was almost perfect really in the rubber. I never really turned right. I never slipped a wheel all the way through the race to the very end. Honestly, ’til I got the lead, was the only time I had any trouble really, Other time I was just pacing myself. Like I said, just saving my tires. 

We really hurt tires in the heat race so I didn’t really think anybody was going to make it But we ended up making it anyway. But I knew, like when Tyler [Erb] came by me and then I saw Ross, and then Trent Ivey also. They were racing and going pretty hard, I thought, at that time. So I was just not quite keeping pace with them. I just let them kind of go. Once we got to lap traffic, I could close right back up, but still keep the same pace. I felt like I knew I had better tires than all those guys. 

And then I don’t know what happened to Tyler there. I saw his hood blowing up. So he must have got in the back of somebody, and then Trent missed the line one time in three and I got under him.

And then, that’s just unfortunate for Ross. His right rear spring steel broke that holds his door on. That’s what was making all the sparks. He was pretty slick at that point. That was eight to go, and I had a lot of tire left at that point. I felt like anyway. My crew was telling me I was good to go at that point. And I could see Ross’, he had no circumference screws in his right rear or anything. I don’t know if he would’ve made it, but he may have. But I feel like I could have pressured him pretty hard right there in the closing laps. I just hate it for him. 

Circumstantial, I think race control and then the flagman was kind out of sync there a little bit. I know it was for one restart on me. And then when he throwed the caution—. The flagman, I think, throwed the caution lights on. And, you know, we really didn’t know what to do at that point before race control yelled caution. It sucks, but it’s just part of racing. I really hate it for Johnny and Ross and all those guys. 

Thankful for my guys giving me just an awesome race car again. This week has been almost like a Hell Tour because we tested two nights at Charlotte and then raced four nights. So these guys here have been really busy. After our test in Charlotte, we really found some things with this car and it’s really starting to pick up the pace. So got to give a shout out to my buddy Barry Wright. I brought him to the second test with me and he just reminded me of a few old school things and that’s what really brought this thing to life. Tyler and Cory have been doing an excellent job on this thing. 

I can’t thank all of our sponsors enough: Ace Doran, Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Bilstein, Longhorn, all the guys back there for sure.

The fan support I get [in the South], I can see it in the crowd and then last night when I rode around afterwards, you know, a lot of people was here. And I don’t know if somebody was behind me or was hearing that or what, but anyway it was pretty cool. We like running close to home. Normally, when I run a series, after March, you know, we’re not in the South anymore until the very end. Hopefully, the national tours will start coming a little bit more towards the South here in the mid-part of the Summer.”

Chris Madden — Finished 2nd: “We had a really good car tonight. Actually, I had planned on pitting because I was starting seventh. So I was just going to run, and then maybe 20 or 30 laps and come in and get some more tires. So, actually went on some tires that I had grooved up for a short mileage and then I was able to get myself in a good position and not use any of my stuff up. So, when I got there I was like, ‘I guess we’ll just hang out here and ride and see what happens at the end. See if we can make it.’ That’s what we did. And we wound up with a good night.

We’ve been fighting an issue. This is a brand new car. We’ve got an ignition or wiring problem. We’ve got something going on. Got a ghost in it and we can’t seem to find it, but no we didn’t [have anything for Jonathan Davenport]. I passed him that one time on the start. Heck, I was wide open down there when he drove back by me. I don’t have all my power that I need to finish the corner down there and he was able to go back by us down there.

Overall, we’re pleased to finish, even finish second. Hats off to my guys. Hats off to JD and his guys for their hard work. We’ve been up-and-down the road since Tuesday. So it’s a good way to finish the weekend.”

Ben Watkins — Finished 3rd: “It’s kind of funny, I get a rap sometimes or I used to about not being able to keep tires under me, but coming to the Blue Gray every year for awhile now has definitely helped me figure out how to do that. And running behind Madden several times here has definitely taught me how to conserve tires. 

We had a good car. Obviously, a great rebound for us. We were down in the dumps after going to Modoc. Just couldn’t line up. Came back here in the red dirt where we’re a little more used to and had some speed and was able to capitalize on it. 

The thing about it was, I knew when we started out if the car felt pretty balanced, I knew I needed to pace myself. So kind of early on I seen some guys fly by me. I didn’t get excited and let them go and I think they ended up probably blowing tires. And then getting to one or two of those guys in front of me, I wanted to push, but had to be pretty disciplined to make sure I didn’t get too excited and that way I could have some tires and not blow them out there at the end. 

But all-in-all, we’re super happy with a third place finish.”

Zack Mitchell — Finished 4th: “I felt like we had a good car. We’re a little on the tight side, but I feel like there’s a few things we could have done a little bit different and I could have done a little bit different. Probably could have got us a couple more spots or at least contended for the win, but we didn’t. Overall, we brought home a fourth place, won a little money.

When I come off turn 2 after the checkered I swerved it back-and-forth and I I felt the right rear. It was flat. I don’t know how long it was running like that, but we just barely got by the skin of our teeth. 

We were a little too tight. I feel like I probably could have been a little bit more aggressive there at the first of the race. Kind of lost a couple spots that I probably shouldn’t have. But, all-in-all, we had a good night. Had a lot of fun. Like I said, brought it home fourth, brought home a little money. See if we can get it next year.”

Tyler Erb — Finished 5th: “When Gustin broke, I ass-packed him and the hood was flopping and then just it finally folded straight up and I couldn’t see. Not ideal. So we come in and got tires. I didn’t have a flat. He’s disappointed right now. It was fine. When the hood come up, it was like a parachute.

I was able to pass however many of them back and got to fifth. There’s only so much race track to pass on and to be able to get the lead early— I think I got the lead on like lap 37 right past halfway so I was like, ‘Okay, that’s all right.’ 

Well, I tried to pass him once and it got a little tight on the back straightaway. And I don’t even know if he seen me, but he smashed me pretty good. Just had to back up and punt and then was able to just get a run and get underneath him. Then from there it’s just a matter of trying to set a pace. The lap cars are not doing anything wrong. In 3 and 4, there’s no option to drive around the outside of them. It’s just kind of what puts you in a bind there.

Maybe I was trying too hard to get around the lap cars and the hood was sitting there flounder and then it finally popped up and that was that. 

Oh well, it was my best Cherokee run ever, of all time. Really good night, start to finish. Just can’t thank my guys enough. Sammy came with us this weekend and helped a little bit. Everybody at Keyser, Integra, Rocket Chassis. Scott Bailey engine ran great. All my awesome sponsors. 

We’ll go to Portsmouth next week and see what we got. Our car’s really fast. We led last night. Got smashed there. Thanks, Cody. Tonight, I felt like I did everything right to get the lead. It’s rubbered. You can’t do much else. 

Just taking a different approach. Trying to be good at everywhere. Obviously, this isn’t my favorite place, but it was fun. What better way to spend 9 hours of your Sunday than at the “Place Your Mama Warned You About.”

Just do everything you can do down the front straight away and then hope and pray the guy in front of you turns to the bottom and then I could get a big run on the top. Or if I was close enough I could slide him, but you only have one end to really make speed and pass somebody. I was petered out.

I seen Zack had a flat. His tires was going flat the last two laps and I was like, ‘Well, maybe he’ll have a flat and give me one more restart.’ The restart that Ross broke I passed Zack and was next to Ben Watkins. So I was like, ‘All right, I’ll be behind Madden and JD. [Crap’s] going to get real.’ But it didn’t pan out so it just wasn’t my day.”

Carson Ferguson — Finished 6th: “I didn’t really feel like we were that bad. Just kind of playing the tire game. We went hard a few laps and picked a few off after we lost a few on the original start. And then the first restart we had, just the whole inside row kind of got jumbled up and the guys on the outside were able to drive around us, even a few rows back. That part kind of sucked. Just losing all the spots we had gained. Like I said, you try to get up top and steer the car straight, not abuse your tires and get straight launches off the corner.

I feel like the car was pretty balanced. I wasn’t overworking one tire more than the other. At the end, there was a caution so we just came down and just tried a last ditch effort to try to come up through there. 

Really, we were hoping there was going to be a caution right before halfway. Kind of judge what the car felt like before that, how I felt like I was abusing my tires. Just back there in dirty air, it’s kind of hard to. If you’re not able to get a clean groove it’s hard to manage your tires. But luckily the top was able to get cleaned and momentum enough where you kind of disperse laps on putting it on the right front versus the right rear. And then got to a point where I realized we were needing a caution so you just go hard trying to blow a right rear just to bring a caution out and come and get some fresh tires. 

All-in-all, solid night. I really buried us in qualifying, messing up my first lap off of four. Killed both laps and then just missed the balance a little bit, but in the heat race we were pretty good. Just really hard to pass.” 

Trent Ivey — Finished 7th: “We just come in and changed it. That was our whole game plan. I think it was right, but we come in and put the wrong tires on and that was the wrong move.

We were having some car problems like I said earlier. I think I finally fixed them. Nothing’s tore up. We got seventh. I let Carson by me right there at the end trying to pass Terbo. Everything’s good, man. That was a good run. It ain’t like top two or three like we wanted or like we were running.

Hate to see that happen to Ross. That sucks. 

Clements Engine ran good. Thank you Glenn, Luke, Tony. 88 is back. 

There was a lot of brown out there, but it was kind of mischievous the way you had to hit it. Couldn’t hit it too fast. Couldn’t hit it too slow. You just had to it hit it just right. I come through there one lap it’d be clean, I could hit it good. It must have just been me and maybe a car or two up there, but I come through and it was dirty and like you said I fell back, but hell I had to try something to try to get up through there. 

JD won, but I passed his ass. That’s all I really care about.

We snookered [Ross Bailes] in lap traffic around the top. He was really good. Ross and Terbo was. He was kind of really searching. He was in the worst spot. Terbo had a good car. They raced pretty hard right there. I thought it was going to get in my favor, but we had to come in and pit so it didn’t matter. Good run to him. I know you don’t see him much around. So that’s cool for him to come here and have a good run.

Cherokee’s in good shape. That was a good race, I think.”

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