Chris Madden
Chris Madden ranked 12th in the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series points coming into the race held at Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, TN on March 6th. The Gray Court, SC racer had failed to start two early-season features at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park which had buried him deep in the standings. Now, things are looking much different for the veteran driver.
Madden won that WoO Late Models event at Smoky Mountain and that victory provided momentum for the No. 44 Rocket Chassis team. Since then, the driver who has finished second(2017) and third(2018) in the final standings on that national touring series has risen all the way to second in the overall rankings just behind leader Brandon Sheppard.
A string of seven consecutive top-10 finishes in WoO points-paying races along with that SMS triumph have been responsible for Madden’s meteoric rise in the standings.
Momentum continued to be on Madden’s side as the No. 44 was dominant on Friday night at Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway. After leading his group in qualifying, ‘Smokey’ went on to win his heat race then draw the pole position in the WoO redraw. From there, the Drydene sponsored car went immediately to the race lead and held that position for all 40 laps of the feature to claim the $10,000 first prize.
“We just went home and tore everything down and rebuilt,” Madden explained of his team’s efforts during his post-race interview on Friday. “We picked up some new cars and just refurbished what we had. Steve and Ricky are great helpers, they’re probably the best I’ve ever had. They do a phenomenal job and I’m proud of them.”
Madden became the first driver to collect three World of Outlaws Late Model Series checkered flags in 2021 with his Port Royal victory. His crew’s efforts have paid off by having his car exactly how the driver likes it.
“We got it to where it’s really good right now, and it fits me,” Madden declared. “Obviously, we’ve found something here. We just have to stay on top of our game, doing the right things, and making the right calls.”
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