Half an hour before Saturday’s Super Late Model feature race at the Magnolia State Cotton Pickin’ 100, Chris “Smokey” Madden and Magnolia Motor Speedway’s Ben Shelton were joking around in the pit area when Madden made a sudden prediction.
“I’m going to win this damn race tonight,” Madden told Shelton.
The Gray Court, South Carolina, driver backed up his words.
He passed Tyler Erb for first place on the 23rd lap and never relinquished the lead, winning the 70-lap feature race and claiming a $12,000 prize. Madden, who won the 2016 edition of the event, said he “absolutely” remembered how to pick cotton — a ceremonial task for each year’s winner.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Madden said of his win. “It’s going to be a big, exciting year for us, and hopefully we keep it rolling.”
Erb, of St. Marys, Ohio, and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, New York, were first and second before Madden made his move a couple laps after a restart.
“Obviously, I was behind those guys, and I was able to judge where I needed to be at on the racetrack,” Madden said.
Even cautions on the 34th and 57th laps couldn’t detract from Madden’s skill Saturday. After the final restart, his lead over the field only got bigger. He cruised to a victory by several seconds to capture the checkered flag.
McCreadie finished second after winning Friday’s Super Late Models feature race, acknowledging his car didn’t have what it needed and that Madden was too tough to beat.
“I could almost run with them for about six laps, and then I just get too tight — just so tight,” McCreadie said. “We weren’t very maneuverable like last night. That’s part of it, though: Chris and them guys went to work, and hats off to them. It just wasn’t enough.”
Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, Arkansas, finished third Saturday. He said a better performance in qualifying could have given him a shot at the victory, though it still might not have mattered.
“If I could have started up front, I might have at least had a shot to try,” Moyer Jr. said. “… I don’t think we were on them guys’ level.”
Chris Ferguson of Mount Holly, North Carolina, and Erb rounded out the top five. No local racers competed in the 24-car event.
The Mag’s next event will be the Possum Town Grand Prix from Nov. 26-28.
Results from Saturday’s other feature races are below.
Late Models
Jeremy Shaw of Millport, Alabama, won Saturday’s Crate Racin’ USA Late Models feature.
Randall Beckwith, Monte Skinner, Ritchie Stephens and Evan Ellis rounded out the top five.
Jamie Pickard of Columbus was the only local racer to compete in the event. He finished 23rd in the 24-car field.
Sportsman
Brett White of Kosciusko was victorious again in the Glenn’s BBQ and Fish Sportsman division.
White beat Tyler Burgess of Quitman to win Saturday’s feature race. Morgen Lambert, Nick Thrash and Russ Brasel rounded out the top five.
Chace Pennington of Steens finished 10th. Colby Ponds of Caledonia was 16th.
Factory Stocks
Scooter Ware of West Point navigated a dangerous crash to win the Ranch House Diner Factory Stocks race on Saturday.
Ware took over first place when leader John Johnson IV and Hunter McIntyre both flipped their cars, drawing a red flag. Both drivers climbed out of the wreck and were walking around.
After a restart, Ware held off Johnny Pannell to win the race. Blaine Davis of Columbus, Chad Tice and Bryan Fortner rounded out the top five.
Daniel Wiggins of Starkville was 10th. Tyler Beard of Columbus was 15th, Brad Fortner of Steens was 20th, and Lawrence Hutchinson of Sturgis was 23rd.
Street Stocks
Justin McRee of West Blocton, Alabama, won the Three Star Tire and Auto Street Stocks division.
Jason Hollis, TJ Herndon, Hayden Matthew Moran and Hunter Runions rounded out the top five.
Shay Knight of Steens was seventh, Lee Ray of Columbus was 10th, and Dewayne Estes of Sturgis was 11th. The Mag promoter Johnny Stokes finished 16th.
Modifieds
Rusty Duncan of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, won The Eaton Clinic Modified Sportsman feature.
Shane Stephens, Billy Tedford, Shane Burns and Seth Johnston rounded out the top five.
Jimmy Anderson of Columbus was sixth, and Brent Burns of Steens was seventh.
Judd Murphy of Columbus finished 10th, and Jeremy Reedwood of Columbus was 14th.
Hot Shots
Lee Hutchinson of Montgomery, Alabama, won Saturday’s Hot Shots race.
Isaac Gipson, Randall Cromwell, Kameron Busby and Derek Holley rounded out the top five.
Brandon Glenn and Blayne Glenn, both of Steens, were 11th and 13th, respectively.
Taylor Murphy of Columbus finished 14th, Daylan Hairston of Crawford was 20th, and Chance Cockrell of Columbus was 27th.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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