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World of Outlaws World Finals
The Dirt Track at Charlotte | Concord, North Carolina
Saturday, November 09, 2024
Race Recap  

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 

 

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. 

READ MORE: 2024 WORLD CHAMPIONS: Gravel, Sheppard, Williamson Claims Championships at World of Outlaws World Finals 

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.” 

Chris Madden
Chris Madden rips around the Dirt Track at Charlotte (HHP/Chris Owens)

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] 

[Read More]
Results  
Feature Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
13+244Chris Madden 500.00048Running150$25,000
21-120RTRicky Thornton Jr.50-2.8202Running146$12,000
38+5157Mike Marlar 50-3.401Running144$6,500
410+66Jonathan Davenport 50-3.977Running142$5,250
56+118DDaulton Wilson 50-5.084Running140$4,500
611+59Nick Hoffman 50-5.444Running138$400
75-27Drake Troutman 50-6.375Running136$3,500
813+53SBrian Shirley 50-6.821Running134$3,250
914+5B5Brandon Sheppard 50-7.584Running132$3,000
1015+5111Max Blair 50-8.121Running130$2,800
1112+117MDale McDowell 50-8.868Running128$2,500
127-540BKyle Bronson 50-9.776Running126$2,300
1324+118Kyle Strickler 50-10.728Running124$2,200
149-574XEthan Dotson 50-11.374Running122$2,100
1518+388Trent Ivey 50-12.164Running120$2,000
1619+396Tanner English 50-12.179Running118$1,900
172-1532Bobby Pierce 50-13.060Running116$1,850
1829+1122*Max McLaughlin 50-13.485Running114$110
1928+919Dustin Sorensen 50-14.032Running112$110
2027+728Dennis Erb Jr50-14.397Running110$110
2117-471Hudson O'Neal 50-14.765Running108$1,750
2222057Zack Mitchell 50-14.887Running106$1,750
2316-720Jimmy Owens 50-15.565Running104$1,750
244-2097Cade Dillard 50-15.609Running104$1,750
2523-28MDillon McCowan 50-15.935Running104$1,750
2625-119RRyan Gustin 42-8 LapsDNF104$1,750
2726-116Tyler Bruening 40-10 LapsDNF104$1,750
2820-811Austin Smith 18-32 LapsDNF104$1,750
2921-858VTim McCreadie 14-36 LapsDNF104$1,750
30300B1Brent Larson 7-43 LapsDNF104$110
FOX Factory Hard Charger: Kyle Strickler
Last Chance Showdown 1 Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
11096Tanner English 100.00010Running0$0
23+157Zack Mitchell 10-1.612Running0$0
32-128Dennis Erb Jr10-2.476Running0$0
44097JRCody Overton 10-3.575Running100$110
55093Carson Ferguson 10-5.112Running100$110
67+155Benji Hicks 10-6.044Running100$110
78+151Logan Seavey 10-6.373Running100$110
86-249Luke Morey 10-9.440Running100$110
911+24SDanny Snyder 10-10.625Running100$110
10100L114Evan Koehler 10-11.690Running100$110
1115+424Tyler Wyant 10-13.088Running100$110
1216+417ZSeth Zacharias 10-15.601Running100$110
1314+193CCory Crapser 9-1 LapsRunning100$110
1413-128BCarson Brown 9-1 LapsRunning100$110
1512-3219Gavin Cowan 9-1 LapsRunning100$110
169-7F1Payton Freeman 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
Last Chance Showdown 2 Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
13+211Austin Smith 100.00010Running0$0
24+28MDillon McCowan 10-2.913Running0$0
32-116Tyler Bruening 10-5.987Running0$0
45+119Dustin Sorensen 10-6.585Running0$0
57+23Brent Robinson 10-6.827Running100$110
66019RRyan Gustin 10-7.991Running0$0
713+68AAustin Holcombe 10-8.395Running100$110
811+323Beckham Malone 10-10.587Running100$110
912+375Daniel Adam 10-11.675Running100$110
109-1119Bryan Bernheisel 10-12.964Running100$110
1110-114CHaiden Cowan 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
128-422Chris Ferguson 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
131-12114Jordan Koehler 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
1415+107Brian Ledbetter 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
1514-118PGray Parton 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
16160618Kevin Wilson 0-10 LapsDNS100$0
Last Chance Showdown 3 Results
POSStart+/-#DriverLapsBehindLedStatusPointsMoney
12+158VTim McCreadie 100.00010Running0$0
21-18Kyle Strickler 10-1.249Running0$0
33016WBen Watkins 10-3.088Running100$110
45+109Michael Leach 10-4.830Running100$110
58+315KWil Herrington 10-6.447Running100$110
67+187Ross Bailes 10-7.042Running100$110
79+215Ethan Wilson 10-9.190Running100$110
811+3215Jamison McBride 10-10.820Running100$110
916+714WDustin Walker 10-11.451Running100$110
1012+220TCTristan Chamberlain 10-12.147Running100$110
1110-17JDalton Jacobs 10-12.617Running100$110
1213+14Kale Green 10-17.408Running100$110
134-922*Max McLaughlin 4-6 LapsDNF0$0
146-8421Anthony Sanders 2-8 LapsDNF100$110
1514-1B1Brent Larson 2-8 LapsDNF0$0
1615-142Hardy Youmans III0-10 LapsDNS100$110
Non-Qualifier B Results
Pos.Start+/-#DriverLaps CompletedBehindLaps LedStatus
12+120RTRicky Thornton Jr.00.000Running
21-132Bobby Pierce 0-1.991Running
33044Chris Madden 0-2.698Running
45+197Cade Dillard 0-3.410Running
56+17Drake Troutman 0-4.241Running
67+118DDaulton Wilson 0-5.072Running
78+140BKyle Bronson 0-5.664Running
84-4157Mike Marlar 0-6.721Running
99074XEthan Dotson 0-7.756Running
DIRTVision Highlights  
Event Info  

World of Outlaws World Finals

Wednesday, November 6th to Saturday, November 9th

The Dirt Track at Charlotte

5500 Concord Parkway S

Concord, North Carolina, 28027

Event Description

The most prestigious dirt racing event in the country lights up The Dirt Track at Charlotte with four days of heart-pounding, clay-slinging action on the lightning-fast, four-tenths mile oval. The World of Outlaws World Finals brings together the top series in the sport, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series and the Super DIRTcar Series, for four full days of racing, culminating in the crowning of all three series champions.

Series Racing
Super DIRTcar Series, World of Outlaws Late Model Series, World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series

Event Schedule


Tuesday
3pm-7pm: Pit Pass sales begin (Gate 2)
4pm-6pm: Hauler Parade


Wednesday
9am: Pit Pass sales begin
11am: Pit Gates Open
12pm: Display & Souvenir Areas Open
3pm: Main Gates Open
4:45pm: Opening Ceremonies

Thursday
9am: Pit Pass sales begin
11am: Pit Gates Open
12pm: Display & Souvenir Areas Open
3pm: Main Gates Open 
4pm: Opening Ceremonies

Friday
9am: Pit Pass sales begin
11am: Pit Gates Open
12pm: Display & Souvenir Areas Open
3pm: Main Gates Open 
4pm: Opening Ceremonies

Saturday
9am: Pit Pass sales begin
11am: Pit Gates Open
12pm: Display & Souvenir Areas Open
3pm: Main Gates Open 
4pm: Opening Ceremonies

*Subject to Change

*All times Eastern

Event Hashtag
#AllDirtRoads
Ticket Options  
Ticket Phone
800-455-3267
Options And Prices

Wednesday:
General Admission: $45
Pit Pass: $30
Thursday:
General Admission: $65
Pit Pass: $50
Friday:
General Admission: $65
Pit Pass: $50
Saturday:
General Admission: $65
Pit Pass: 450

Grandstand Type
Bleacher with backs
Family Section Location
n/a
Handicapped Seating Location
Lower level and Second level - Reserved seating required - Companion seating is available
Pit Age Requirement
All ages allowed. Minors ages 17 and under must have a signed waiver sheet. ONE parent must be present OR waiver should be notarized with the required ONE parent signature. Call 1-800-455-FANS with questions.
Pit Gate Location
Pit gate is located at Gate 2 of the zMax Dragway
Parking Cost
FREE
Handicapped Parking Location
Designated handicap parking between the dirt track and zMax dragway
Camping Availability
electric hookup, non-electric, onsite, showers, waste services
Camping Cost
Contact the track for pricing
Frequently Asked Questions  
Type of Grandstand
Bleacher with backs
Stadium Seating
Not allowed
Handicapped Seating
Lower level and Second level - Reserved seating required - Companion seating is available
Handicapped Parking
Designated handicap parking between the dirt track and zMax dragway
Pit Age Limit
All ages allowed. Minors ages 17 and under must have a signed waiver sheet. ONE parent must be present OR waiver should be notarized with the required ONE parent signature. Call 1-800-455-FANS with questions.
Pit Gate Location
Pit gate is located at Gate 2 of the zMax Dragway
Personal Coolers
Fans can bring in a soft-sided cooler no bigger than 14x14x14 and a bag/backpack no bigger than 18x18x14. Hard coolers are not allowed through the gates. Coolers are not allowed in Suites.
ATMs
1
Alcohol Sales
Alcohol is also sold at the track
Smoking Policy
designated smoking areas only
Family Section
n/a
Parking Cost
FREE
Camping Availability
electric hookup, non-electric, onsite, showers, waste services
Camping Cost
Contact the track for pricing
Track Info  

The Dirt Track at Charlotte

5500 Concord Parkway S

Concord, North Carolina, 28027

Track Phone
(704) 455-3200
Ticket Phone
800-455-3267
Track Size
0.4
Track Type
semi banked
Closest Airport
Concord-Padgett Regional Airport
Other Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Pit Gate Location
Pit gate is located at Gate 2 of the zMax Dragway
Track Map
Competitor Info  
Tire Rules

Left Front Tire: Hoosier (Open)

Left Rear & Right Front Tire: Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3 

Right Rear Tire: Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4

** Grooving and siping will be allowed. **

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