Chris Madden
One of the most talked about stories in the world of Dirt Late Model racing over this past summer was the absence of Chris Madden from competition. The Gray Court, SC driver had struggled through an early part of the season that had seen him experience a very uncharacteristic winless streak in both his familiar No. 44 Bloomquist Race Car and a No. 6 Barry Wright Race Car that he experimented with at times.
Eventually the five time Southern Nationals champion opted to take some time off in order to regroup and bring new equipment into his stable. A partnership with Crowder Trucking has afforded Madden the opportunity to change chassis brands for a late season charge.
“We were struggling really bad there so as a team we decided it was best to take some time off to regroup and freshen ourselves back up and freshen our stuff back up,” Madden explained in an interview with InsideDirtRacing.com. “My kid was playing travel ball so we were going to games every weekend and every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night. That had me wide open with him. So basically we took some time off and did all that.”
But the 40-year-old driver did not simply rest on his laurels during his time away from the sport. He and his team have been working hard to bring a new car to life in an effort to find the type of results they had become accustomed to in the past.
Madden struggled early this year.
“We’ve got a new motor and these Crowder boys bought a new Longhorn car so we put that deal together with them,” Madden said. “We’re going to finish out the year with them guys.”
The driver sometimes known as ‘Smokey’ believes his time away from racing will ultimately prove to have been for the best.
“That’s really the first time I’ve just shut it down,” he said. “I’ve been racing for over twenty years and really never just walked away and regrouped like we did. I think it was for the good, and now we’re definitely full speed ahead for the rest of the year.”
This Saturday night Madden will compete in the Southern All Stars event at the Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tenn. He has had his share of success on the 4/10 mile clay oval and that gives him confidence despite the fact that there are so many new variables in place.
Madden and his team had been frequent visitors to Victory Lane prior to 2015.
“For sure,” Madden declared. “Coming to somewhere that I know is good, but I’m not going to be there just trying to win the race. We’re going to be there testing stuff to get ready for the bigger races coming up. We’ve got Phenix City coming up next week then we’ve got the two Lucas races(Dixie and Rome) after that. And of course, there’s Charlotte and a few more. We’re throwing things at this car to see what it likes and what it doesn’t like so we can get ready for the bigger shows.”
And Madden believes he and his team have the right pieces in place to succeed.
“There’s definitely going to be a little learning curve, but we’re all over the top of it for sure. We’ve got a good group of guys. Ronnie Crooks and the guys at Penske Shocks are really sharp people. We’re on top of this thing and we’re close, we’re very close.”
