SMOKEY’S RETURN: Chris Madden Wins World Finals Finale; Brandon Sheppard Wins Fifth Series Title
The South Carolinian commanded the remaining 48 laps for his 39th World of Outlaws win
CONCORD, NC (November 9, 2024) – Chris Madden’s win at the World of Outlaws World Finals finale came with mixed emotions.
After health issues sidelined the Gray Court, SC driver from competing for a Series title in his final full-time season, Madden passed Rick Eckert for sixth in all-time World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models wins with a dominating performance at The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Saturday night.
While “Smokey” celebrated his victory, New Berlin, IL driver Brandon Sheppard earned the honor of winning his record-breaking fifth Series title in his final race with the Sheppard Riggs Racing Longhorn Factory Team.
Starting the night from the bottom of Row 2, Madden had to battle Ricky Thornton Jr. and Bobby Pierce to take the lead early by using the bottom lane to muscle his way around the two drivers to take the top spot.
Pierce, of Oakwood, IL, took second early as he was focused on finishing the night with a Series championship as he contended with Madden for the lead.
The two drivers ran close by each other as they approached lap traffic, but the challenges of saving tire wear became the name of the game as multiple drivers dealt with wearing tires around the 4/10-mile facility.
Pierce became a victim of his right rear tire popping on Lap 29 which led to the end of his hopes for a second consecutive title.
That left Madden, Thornton and Winfield, TN native Mike Marlar to duke it out for the remaining 21 laps to leave Charlotte with the $25,000 check.
On Lap 32, Thornton sailed his No. 20RT in the corner and made contact with Madden, which gave an opening for Marlar to contend with the two drivers for the lead until the caution flag waved for Hudson O’Neal’s tire going down.
The ensuing restart saw Madden pull away from the field as Thornton worked to chop the distance between himself and “Smokey” with laps ticking down.
While Marlar had to defend his position from Blairsville, GA driver Jonathan Davenport, that left Thornton one final opportunity to catch Madden and win the 50-lap finale.
The efforts from “RTJ” came up short as Madden drove to his third World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win in 2024 – his first since May 18 at Marion Center Raceway.
“It’s very special to win here,” Madden said. “This is kinda home, so awesome place and atmosphere, fans, friends, family that come here to watch us. To put a little small team here and compete here says a lot to us. I think we had a good shot last night, but this is a big thanks to everyone that’s worked hard to get us here.
“I knew I was stuck pretty good (with tires). My main concern was lap traffic and a lot of loose dirt flying around me. I knew I was gonna get loose when I got to (lap traffic), but we did what we had to do to end the night.”
Thornton finished his weekend in Charlotte with a second-place result and ended his time at World Finals with three consecutive top-five finishes at the November finale.
“I guess quit throwing cautions or whatever the hell they were doing on the top,” Thornton said. “I don’t know if they were blowing tires, but I felt like every time we’d get a little bit of a run, we’d get a yellow when we got to lap traffic.”
Marlar rounded out the night’s podium, his second consecutive on the weekend. This was his final race of 2024 and is looking forward to enjoying the offseason on a successful note.
“It was a lot of fun,” Marlar said. “I’m always happy to come down here with a huge crowd, I don’t know how they keep fitting more people in here every year, but they do it. It was a fun race. We had a really good car from starting eighth. I needed that caution not to come out when Chris and Ricky got together. It’s a good feeling going into the winter with our feet up and get a little stress off.”
Davenport finished fourth, and Fayetteville, NC driver Daulton Wilson bookended the World Finals weekend with a fifth-place result.
Sheppard finished ninth, while Pierce finished 17th, leading to Sheppard clinching the title by 38 points.
RECAP NOTES
SRI Performance Dash Winners: Ricky Thornton Jr., Jonathan Davenport
Last Chance Showdown Winners: Tanner English, Austin Smith, Kyle Strickler
Fox Factory Hard Charger: Kyle Strickler (+11)
UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series will start its 2025 season at Volusia Speedway Park during the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals, Jan. 22-25. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
FEATURE RESULTS
CASE Late Model Feature (50 Laps): 1. 44-Chris Madden[3]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[8]; 4. 6-Jonathan Davenport[10]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[6]; 6. 9-Nick Hoffman[11]; 7. 7-Drake Troutman[5]; 8. 3S-Brian Shirley[13]; 9. B5-Brandon Sheppard[14]; 10. 111-Max Blair[15]; 11. 17M-Dale McDowell[12]; 12. 40B-Kyle Bronson[7]; 13. 8-Kyle Strickler[24]; 14. 74X-Ethan Dotson[9]; 15. 88-Trent Ivey[18]; 16. 96-Tanner English[19]; 17. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 18. 22*-Max McLaughlin[29]; 19. 19-Dustin Sorensen[28]; 20. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[27]; 21. 71-Hudson O’Neal[17]; 22. 57-Zack Mitchell[22]; 23. 20-Jimmy Owens[16]; 24. 97-Cade Dillard[4]; 25. 8M-Dillon McCowan[23]; 26. 19R-Ryan Gustin[25]; 27. 16-Tyler Bruening[26]; 28. 11-Austin Smith[20]; 29. 58V-Tim McCreadie[21]; 30. B1-Brent Larson[30]