PHENIX CITY, Ala. (Nov. 2) — After winning Sunday night’s 40th annual National 100, Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., couldn’t help raving about East Alabama Motor Speedway.

And why not? The $20,000 victory added to his recent success at a 3/8-mile oval where over the last six years he’s captured the National 100 three times and the Alabama State Championship twice.

“This place has just been tremendously good to me,” said Davenport, who since 2009 has also won two Southern Nationals Series events and one Southern All-Star Series feature at the Thomas family’s high-banked track. “For some reason, I just get around this place. I wish we raced down here every week.”

Not even a slight reconfiguring of the EAMS layout in 2014 could dull Davenport’s mastery of the speedway. He steered his brand-new K&L Rumley Longhorn machine forward from the seventh starting spot to grab the lead from race-long pacesetter Dennis Franklin of Gaffney, S.C., on lap 52 and controlled the remainder of the distance, turning back second-half threats from Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., to secure the $20,000 top prize.

“They’ve straightened the back straightaway out and cut the banking some,” said Davenport, who also drove an AES Racing car to a $5,000 triumph in Sunday afternoon’s 50-lap Crate Late Model feature that highlighted the National 100 undercard. “It’s not as top (groove) dominant for as long as it used to be, so it’s definitely a little bit different. But the results are the same — I still love this place.”

Racing just two days after celebrating his 31st birthday, Davenport kept the 39-year-old Madden at bay over the final 20 laps. He beat the 2007 National 100 winner to the checkered flag by several car lengths.

Bloomquist, 50, finished third, snapping the red-hot driver’s streak of at least one feature win for four straight weekends. The eight-time National 100 champion reached second place on lap 53 and challenged Davenport several times but ultimately lost the $10,000 runner-up spot to Madden — who campaigns a Sweet-Bloomquist car — on a lap-80 restart.

Completing the top five was Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., who quietly worked his way forward from the 19th starting spot in his Clint Bowyer Racing mount, and three-time National 100 winner Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who recovered from a lap-80 pit stop to change a cut right-rear tire on his Eric Jacobsen-fielded car.

Davenport’s weekend didn’t begin in impressive fashion when he struggled in Friday night’s Race of Champions, but he improved with a second-place finish in a 15-lap heat on Saturday night and was fully on his game when the big money was on the line Sunday.

“It was a brand new car and we hurried to put it together,” Davenport said of his subpar performance at the start of the marathon National 100 meet. “We just missed a couple of things putting it together — an eighth-inch here, a 16th there — but me and (crew chief) Kevin (Rumley) put our heads together and really went over it and found some stuff.

“I think this is better than our older cars now, so I think we’re gonna be just fine.”

Davenport made several strong outside moves early in the feature to emerge as a contender. He outdueled Randy Weaver of Crossville, Tenn., to gain control of second place on a lap-37 restart and proceeded to snatch the lead from Franklin with an inside thrust moments before the racetrack took a turn for the worse.

“We got there (to the lead) just in time,” Davenport said. “Just as I saw it start cleaning up down there (on the inside) I went for it, and that’s when the top slowed down. Usually the top’s more dominant for longer in the race here … I don’t know if somebody who was running down there was leaking oil or something, but it cleaned up and took rubber just immediately. As soon as I got by Rambo (Franklin) there, I run down there for like two laps and I started feeling it then.

“I just tried to keep it straight the rest of the way, drive off the right front. I guess all my years in asphalt, that experience paid off.”

Davenport did survive at least one anxious moment. Following the race’s final restart, on lap 96 after Weaver slowed with a right-rear flat tire while running in fourth place, Davenport bobbled slightly between turns one and two.

“During the caution I was looking at the racetrack trying to look for any rocks so I wouldn’t run over anything stupid like that,” Davenport said. “I just couldn’t keep my right front warm enough while I was doing that so I shoved a little bit (on the restart), but I just kept my cool. I didn’t just run wide-open on the gas. I just tried to keep my head in the game, smash the brake pedal, get back in the rubber and keep going.”

Madden noticed Davenport’s miscue, but he couldn’t take advantage of the situation. He was too busy trying to nurse his underpowered car to the finish line.

“We lost a cylinder about 10 laps into the race,” said Madden, who started fourth but was shuffled back to eighth when he was nudged high in turn four on lap 19. “It wasn’t bad. Through the middle stages I got back by some of those guys who passed me when Mr. Nice Guy Dennis Erb knocked me off the racetrack, but then when (the track surface) rubbered up it really hurt me. I couldn’t get down the straightaways with Jonathan like I needed to be able to even get in position to try and pass.

“It was rubbered anyway, so it would’ve been hard to pass unless he absolutely messed up. He did push a couple times across the center of the corner, but I wasn’t close enough to do anything.”

Being in the rubber racing down the homestretch on the lap-80 restart allowed Madden to steal second from his mentor Bloomquist, who struggled throughout the century grind due to an incorrect tire choice.

“We run a little harder right-front tire (compound) than the rest of them and (after) the cautions when you’d fire off you didn’t know if it was gonna steer or not,” said Bloomquist, who was seeking his first National 100 victory since 2003. “I had to run the car a lot more sideways than I’d like to just to not push.

“The racetrack was just a little bit different tonight. It caught us a little off guard. We should’ve went a little bit softer (on tires). I’ll make some good notes because, really, this place has given us fits on tire selection the last few years.”

Davenport had no such trouble figuring out EAMS — and as a result, he was able to enjoy a satisfying major-event triumph over the sizzling Bloomquist to cap what has been a very strong season for the fast-rising young star.

“This feels really good,” said Davenport, who pushed his 2014 feature-win total to 23. “Finally, somebody beat that zero car (Bloomquist). It’s been a long time coming. I think we might have something for him now with this new car.

“He’s found something … he’s done his homework, and he’s been really good. I hate to blow his head up too much, but he’s been really fast. We’ve definitely been working really hard too trying to catch up to him, though, and I think this shows how far we’ve come.

“This will help get us through the winter,” he added. “The money’s pretty good down here — it’s about the last big-money race of the year down here (in the Southeast), so you like to come here and try to get you some Christmas money.”

Notes: Davenport’s previous National triumphs came in 2009 and 2011. He didn’t enter the 2010 event due to the death of his grandfather nor the ’12 affair because his girlfriend was giving birth to their son. … After leading laps 1-51, Franklin was running fourth on lap 93 when he slowed and retired due to a broken rearend. He said he felt his car “shaking from lap 35” so he “knew something was going bad but just didn’t know what.” ... A total of 12 caution flags slowed the 100-lapper, which took just over 1 hour, 10 minutes to complete. … Eric Jacobsen of Rio Del Mar, Calif., triggered the first caution period on lap three when he went over the turn-two bank and later pitted to change a flat right-rear tire on lap 96, but he salvaged a 10th-place finish. … Chase Junghans of Manhattan, Kan., slid off the backstretch to bring out a caution flag on lap 29 but rallied to finish seventh in his first-ever National 100 start. … Anthony Burroughs of Minden, La., pulled off the track under green-flag conditions with a right-rear flat tire on lap 94, but he was saved when Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., stopped with a flat tire of his own to bring out a caution flag. Both Smith and Burroughs returned for the restart and finished eighth and ninth, respectively. … Veteran Ronnie Johnson of Chattanooga, Tenn., who competed in all four Late Model-type features during the weekend, slowed to bring out a caution on lap 78 but completed the distance, finishing 11th. … Among the early retirees from the 100 were Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who sat at the back end of the top 10 when he went pitside on lap 29; Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., who was running fourth when he pulled off on lap 45; and Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who slowed on lap 80 and didn’t return after driving into the pits. … Francis’s weekend took a bad turn during Saturday's first heat when he slid high between turns one and two when Bloomquist ducked underneath to grab second place on a lap-nine restart. After falling back to sixth, Francis recovered to place fifth and transfer to the feature — and following the race he expressed anger toward Tom Maddox of Centre, Ala., by bumping the left-rear corner of Maddox's car on the backstretch. ... Jake Knowles of Tyrone, Ga., joined the Super Late Model field with his 525 machine on Sunday and came from the rear of the 15-lap B-Man to transfer, but he decided to surrender his starting spot to fifth-place finisher Brian Reese of Sharpsburg, Ga. ... Ryan Gifford of Welcome, N.C., who works on McDowell’s Team Dillon race cars, passed Madden for the lead on lap 16 and marched on to bag the $3,000 top prize for winning Saturday's 30-lap CT 525 Late Model feature. ... Thomas Lewis of Hamilton, Ga., kept veteran Bobby Thomas of Phenix City, Ala., at bay from start-to-finish to win Sunday's 50-lap Limited Late Model (Sportsman) feature and a $5,000 prize. ... Bloomquist rallied from 11th to win Friday's Super Late Model Race of Champions. ... A total of 300 cars spread over 10 divisions signed in for the weekend’s competition.

Heat results

First heat finish (15 laps; top 5 transfer to feature): Dennis Franklin, Scott Bloomquist, Rick Eckert, Anthony Burroughs, Steve Francis, Tom Maddox, Kyle Pierce, Chad Marchman.

Second heat finish (15 laps; top 5 transfer to feature): Dale McDowell, Dennis Erb Jr., Chase Junghans, Eric Cooley, Clint Smith, Kenny Collins, Brian Reese, Scott Groves.

Third heat finish (15 laps; top 5 transfer to feature): Randy Weaver, Jonathan Davenport, Shane Clanton, Ronnie Johnson, Eric Jacobsen, Randle Chupp, Cory Hedgecock, Ivedent Lloyd Jr., Bubba Russell.

Fourth heat finish (15 laps; top 5 transfer to feature): Chris Madden, Don O’Neal, Tim McCreadie, Austin Smith, Terrance Nowell, Kelly Guy, Cecil Eunice, Bo Eaton.

Super Late Model consolation finish (15 laps; top 4 transfer to feature): Kelly Guy, Randle Chupp, Kenny Collins, Jake Knowles, Brian Reese, Chad Marchman, Kyle Pierce, Cecil Eunice, Ivedent Lloyd Jr., Tom Maddox, Bubba Russell.

Time trials

Dennis Franklin (2), Gaffney, S.C., 15.03
Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 15.15
Jonathan Davenport (6), Blairsville, Ga., 15.15
Chris Madden (44), Gray Court, S.C., 15.23
Steve Francis (15), Ashland, Ky., 15.29
Dale McDowell (17M), Chickamagua, Ga., 15.29
Randy Weaver (116), Crossville, Tenn., 15.31
Don O'Neal (5), Martinsville, Ind., 15.36
Scott Bloomquist (0), Mooresburg, Tenn., 15.43
Chase Junghans (18), Manhattan, Kan., 15.43
Shane Clanton (25), Zebulon, Ga., 15.47
Austin Smith (11), Cedartown, Ga., 15.47
Rick Eckert (24), York, Pa., 15.5
Eric Cooley (33B), Fulton, Miss., 15.58
Ivedent Lloyd Jr. (21), Ocala, Fla., 15.62
Tim McCreadie (39), Watertown, N.Y., 15.64
Anthony Burroughs (1), Athens, Ala., 15.68
Clint Smith (44), Senoia, Ga., 15.7
Randle Chupp (2), Troutman, N.C., 15.74
Kelley Guy (28), Thomson, Ga., 15.75
Tom Maddox (43), Centre, Ala., 15.79
Kenny Collins (1), Colbert, Ga., 15.82
Ronnie Johnson (5), Chattanooga, Tenn., 15.9
Terrance Nowell (55), Phenix City, Ala., 15.93
Kyle Pierce (281), Statesville, N.C., 16.04
Brian Reese (33), Sharpsburg, Ga., 16.04
Cory Hedgecock (23), Loudon, Tenn., 16.27
Cecil Eunice (22), Blackshear, Ga., 16.61
Chad Marchman (6), Lagrange, Ga., 16.89
Scott Groves (311), Canton, Ga., 17.23
Eric Jacobsen (5), Rio Del Mar, Calif., 17.25
Bo Eaton (3x), Blue Ridge, Ga., 17.98
Bubba Russell (32), Comer, Ga., N/T

Other feature finishes

Limited Late Model Model/Sportsman feature finish (50 laps): Thomas Lewis, Bobby Thomas, Ricky Culpepper, Tyler Crowder, Larry Harrod, Chaz Haskins, Kelly Walker, Ronnie Johnson, Jimmy Sharpe, Matt Dooley, Mike Nasworthy, Clifton Moran, Wil Herrington, Jack Mills, Andy Morris, Jim Rogers, Matt Perry, Cecil Eunice, Jimmy Price, Tod Darda, Joey Armistead, Stacey Roberts, Jeff Culpepper, Dennis Hale.

Crate Late Model feature finish (50 laps): Jonathan Davenport, Montana Dudley, Ronnie Johnson, Chase Edge, Terrance Nowell, Cla Knight, Corey Hedgecock, Matt Henderson, Jimmy Thomas, David McCoy, Mike Head, Bobby Mills, Damon Flowers, Dana Eiland, Jason Britton, Monte Skinner, Steve Segars, Steven Roberts, Jimmy Feltman, Tim McKeehan, Taylor Mitcham, Andrew Adams, Rodgerick Dykes, Dillon Brown.

CT 525 Late Model feature finish (30 laps): Ryan Gifford, Chris Madden, Montana Dudley, Lavon Sparks, Jake Knowles, Steven Bloodworth, Ronnie Johnson, Tyler Crowder, Cecil Eunice, Mario Gresham, J.R. Moseley, Dana Eiland, Blake Shapiro, Cruz Skinner, Jimmy Ivester, Glenn Brewer, Matthew Widener.