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.
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]
[Read More]| POS | Start | +/- | # | Driver | Laps | Behind | Led | Status | Points | Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | +2 | 44 | Chris Madden | 50 | 0.000 | 48 | Running | 150 | $25,000 |
| 2 | 1 | -1 | 20RT | Ricky Thornton Jr. | 50 | -2.820 | 2 | Running | 146 | $12,000 |
| 3 | 8 | +5 | 157 | Mike Marlar | 50 | -3.401 | Running | 144 | $6,500 | |
| 4 | 10 | +6 | 6 | Jonathan Davenport | 50 | -3.977 | Running | 142 | $5,250 | |
| 5 | 6 | +1 | 18D | Daulton Wilson | 50 | -5.084 | Running | 140 | $4,500 | |
| 6 | 11 | +5 | 9 | Nick Hoffman | 50 | -5.444 | Running | 138 | $400 | |
| 7 | 5 | -2 | 7 | Drake Troutman | 50 | -6.375 | Running | 136 | $3,500 | |
| 8 | 13 | +5 | 3S | Brian Shirley | 50 | -6.821 | Running | 134 | $3,250 | |
| 9 | 14 | +5 | B5 | Brandon Sheppard | 50 | -7.584 | Running | 132 | $3,000 | |
| 10 | 15 | +5 | 111 | Max Blair | 50 | -8.121 | Running | 130 | $2,800 | |
| 11 | 12 | +1 | 17M | Dale McDowell | 50 | -8.868 | Running | 128 | $2,500 | |
| 12 | 7 | -5 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | 50 | -9.776 | Running | 126 | $2,300 | |
| 13 | 24 | +11 | 8 | Kyle Strickler | 50 | -10.728 | Running | 124 | $2,200 | |
| 14 | 9 | -5 | 74X | Ethan Dotson | 50 | -11.374 | Running | 122 | $2,100 | |
| 15 | 18 | +3 | 88 | Trent Ivey | 50 | -12.164 | Running | 120 | $2,000 | |
| 16 | 19 | +3 | 96 | Tanner English | 50 | -12.179 | Running | 118 | $1,900 | |
| 17 | 2 | -15 | 32 | Bobby Pierce | 50 | -13.060 | Running | 116 | $1,850 | |
| 18 | 29 | +11 | 22* | Max McLaughlin | 50 | -13.485 | Running | 114 | $110 | |
| 19 | 28 | +9 | 19 | Dustin Sorensen | 50 | -14.032 | Running | 112 | $110 | |
| 20 | 27 | +7 | 28 | Dennis Erb Jr | 50 | -14.397 | Running | 110 | $110 | |
| 21 | 17 | -4 | 71 | Hudson O'Neal | 50 | -14.765 | Running | 108 | $1,750 | |
| 22 | 22 | 0 | 57 | Zack Mitchell | 50 | -14.887 | Running | 106 | $1,750 | |
| 23 | 16 | -7 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | 50 | -15.565 | Running | 104 | $1,750 | |
| 24 | 4 | -20 | 97 | Cade Dillard | 50 | -15.609 | Running | 104 | $1,750 | |
| 25 | 23 | -2 | 8M | Dillon McCowan | 50 | -15.935 | Running | 104 | $1,750 | |
| 26 | 25 | -1 | 19R | Ryan Gustin | 42 | -8 Laps | DNF | 104 | $1,750 | |
| 27 | 26 | -1 | 16 | Tyler Bruening | 40 | -10 Laps | DNF | 104 | $1,750 | |
| 28 | 20 | -8 | 11 | Austin Smith | 18 | -32 Laps | DNF | 104 | $1,750 | |
| 29 | 21 | -8 | 58V | Tim McCreadie | 14 | -36 Laps | DNF | 104 | $1,750 | |
| 30 | 30 | 0 | B1 | Brent Larson | 7 | -43 Laps | DNF | 104 | $110 |
| POS | Start | +/- | # | Driver | Laps | Behind | Led | Status | Points | Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 96 | Tanner English | 10 | 0.000 | 10 | Running | 0 | $0 |
| 2 | 3 | +1 | 57 | Zack Mitchell | 10 | -1.612 | Running | 0 | $0 | |
| 3 | 2 | -1 | 28 | Dennis Erb Jr | 10 | -2.476 | Running | 0 | $0 | |
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 97JR | Cody Overton | 10 | -3.575 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 5 | 5 | 0 | 93 | Carson Ferguson | 10 | -5.112 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 6 | 7 | +1 | 55 | Benji Hicks | 10 | -6.044 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 7 | 8 | +1 | 51 | Logan Seavey | 10 | -6.373 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 8 | 6 | -2 | 49 | Luke Morey | 10 | -9.440 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 9 | 11 | +2 | 4S | Danny Snyder | 10 | -10.625 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 10 | 10 | 0 | L114 | Evan Koehler | 10 | -11.690 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 11 | 15 | +4 | 24 | Tyler Wyant | 10 | -13.088 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 12 | 16 | +4 | 17Z | Seth Zacharias | 10 | -15.601 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 13 | 14 | +1 | 93C | Cory Crapser | 9 | -1 Laps | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 14 | 13 | -1 | 28B | Carson Brown | 9 | -1 Laps | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 15 | 12 | -3 | 219 | Gavin Cowan | 9 | -1 Laps | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 16 | 9 | -7 | F1 | Payton Freeman | 0 | -10 Laps | DNS | 100 | $0 |
| POS | Start | +/- | # | Driver | Laps | Behind | Led | Status | Points | Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | +2 | 11 | Austin Smith | 10 | 0.000 | 10 | Running | 0 | $0 |
| 2 | 4 | +2 | 8M | Dillon McCowan | 10 | -2.913 | Running | 0 | $0 | |
| 3 | 2 | -1 | 16 | Tyler Bruening | 10 | -5.987 | Running | 0 | $0 | |
| 4 | 5 | +1 | 19 | Dustin Sorensen | 10 | -6.585 | Running | 0 | $0 | |
| 5 | 7 | +2 | 3 | Brent Robinson | 10 | -6.827 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 19R | Ryan Gustin | 10 | -7.991 | Running | 0 | $0 | |
| 7 | 13 | +6 | 8A | Austin Holcombe | 10 | -8.395 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 8 | 11 | +3 | 23 | Beckham Malone | 10 | -10.587 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 9 | 12 | +3 | 75 | Daniel Adam | 10 | -11.675 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 10 | 9 | -1 | 119 | Bryan Bernheisel | 10 | -12.964 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 11 | 10 | -1 | 14C | Haiden Cowan | 0 | -10 Laps | DNS | 100 | $0 | |
| 12 | 8 | -4 | 22 | Chris Ferguson | 0 | -10 Laps | DNS | 100 | $0 | |
| 13 | 1 | -12 | 114 | Jordan Koehler | 0 | -10 Laps | DNS | 100 | $0 | |
| 14 | 15 | +1 | 07 | Brian Ledbetter | 0 | -10 Laps | DNS | 100 | $0 | |
| 15 | 14 | -1 | 18P | Gray Parton | 0 | -10 Laps | DNS | 100 | $0 | |
| 16 | 16 | 0 | 618 | Kevin Wilson | 0 | -10 Laps | DNS | 100 | $0 |
| POS | Start | +/- | # | Driver | Laps | Behind | Led | Status | Points | Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | +1 | 58V | Tim McCreadie | 10 | 0.000 | 10 | Running | 0 | $0 |
| 2 | 1 | -1 | 8 | Kyle Strickler | 10 | -1.249 | Running | 0 | $0 | |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 16W | Ben Watkins | 10 | -3.088 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 4 | 5 | +1 | 09 | Michael Leach | 10 | -4.830 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 5 | 8 | +3 | 15K | Wil Herrington | 10 | -6.447 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 6 | 7 | +1 | 87 | Ross Bailes | 10 | -7.042 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 7 | 9 | +2 | 15 | Ethan Wilson | 10 | -9.190 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 8 | 11 | +3 | 215 | Jamison McBride | 10 | -10.820 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 9 | 16 | +7 | 14W | Dustin Walker | 10 | -11.451 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 10 | 12 | +2 | 20TC | Tristan Chamberlain | 10 | -12.147 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 11 | 10 | -1 | 7J | Dalton Jacobs | 10 | -12.617 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 12 | 13 | +1 | 4 | Kale Green | 10 | -17.408 | Running | 100 | $110 | |
| 13 | 4 | -9 | 22* | Max McLaughlin | 4 | -6 Laps | DNF | 0 | $0 | |
| 14 | 6 | -8 | 421 | Anthony Sanders | 2 | -8 Laps | DNF | 100 | $110 | |
| 15 | 14 | -1 | B1 | Brent Larson | 2 | -8 Laps | DNF | 0 | $0 | |
| 16 | 15 | -1 | 42 | Hardy Youmans III | 0 | -10 Laps | DNS | 100 | $110 |
| Pos. | Start | +/- | # | Driver | Laps Completed | Behind | Laps Led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | +1 | 20RT | Ricky Thornton Jr. | 0 | 0.000 | Running | |
| 2 | 1 | -1 | 32 | Bobby Pierce | 0 | -1.991 | Running | |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 44 | Chris Madden | 0 | -2.698 | Running | |
| 4 | 5 | +1 | 97 | Cade Dillard | 0 | -3.410 | Running | |
| 5 | 6 | +1 | 7 | Drake Troutman | 0 | -4.241 | Running | |
| 6 | 7 | +1 | 18D | Daulton Wilson | 0 | -5.072 | Running | |
| 7 | 8 | +1 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | 0 | -5.664 | Running | |
| 8 | 4 | -4 | 157 | Mike Marlar | 0 | -6.721 | Running | |
| 9 | 9 | 0 | 74X | Ethan Dotson | 0 | -7.756 | Running |
World of Outlaws World Finals
Wednesday, November 6th to Saturday, November 9th
5500 Concord Parkway S
Concord, North Carolina, 28027
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.
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
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
5500 Concord Parkway S
Concord, North Carolina, 28027
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. **
2025 SCHEDULE: 90-Night Calendar Takes World of Outlaws to 41 Tracks in 21 States, Two Countries
2024 WORLD CHAMPIONS: Gravel, Sheppard, Williamson Claim Championships at World of Outlaws World Finals
SUNSHINE IN CHARLOTTE: Tyler Courtney Holds Off Gravel to Top World of Outlaws Season Finale
GIVING HIS ALL: Carson Macedo Out-duels Kofoid for Charlotte Win, Gravel Locks Up Title
MAN ON A MISSION: Gravel Goes Flag to Flag to Top World Finals Opener
World Finals Roster, Heat Race Lineups for Thursday, Friday
LAYIN’ DOWN A LAP: Qualifying Night Sets the Stage for World Finals Racing
