CONCORD, N.C. — Veteran late model driver Chris Madden will chase his first World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series title this season.
Madden, 48, has been runner-up in the series multiple times but never claimed the top prize.
Still, he knows his career is winding down.
“My time is numbered. I am one of the older guys,” Madden said during Media Day on Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “You see a lot of new faces coming in. I don’t know how long I will be doing it. I have a new grandbaby at home, and I don’t know how many years that I have left.
“I think this will be one of my best years and I think we will get it done.”
• The majority of the 22 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series drivers who will contest the full schedule this season were on hand for Thursday’s media sessions
With reigning series champion Bobby Pierce racing abroad, the group was headlined by four-time champion Brandon Sheppard, Madden, Jimmy Owens, Brian Shirley, Cade Dillard and Nick Hoffman.
• Brandon Sheppard is chasing his fifth World of Outlaws Late Model Series title this season, but he’s not particularly focused on that as he transitions to the Longhorn Chassis house car.
“I try not to think of it at all,” he said. “You try to keep the pressure off as much as you can. At the end of the day, you have to win races and you have to find that consistency to do that.”
• Tyler Bruening is returning to the World of Outlaws tour after a year away from it last year.
He explained his decision to return to the road.
“It was mixed decisions on stepping away and kind of jumping around and doing our own thing there,” explained the Decorah, Iowa, native. “Logistically and then with my kids growing up and doing stuff with them. Just needed a little bit of time away to regroup and do that kind of stuff. Super-excited to be back with the World of Outlaws.
“I think their team and their people are wonderful. The competitors are full class and our team is really looking forward to getting back on the road and showing everybody what we can do.”
• Multi-time DIRTcar modified champion Nick Hoffman, who was the World of Outlaws Late Model Series rookie of the year in 2023, explained the aggressiveness of late model racing in comparison to the modifieds where he cut his teeth.
“It is a different mindset. It is a slide or be slid mentality,” Hoffman said. “If I don’t make that move as fast as I can, I know there is a guy coming behind me who is going to make that move.”
• Dustin Walker, who was a rookie on the WoO LMS tour last year, will return for a second season. Once again, he will share his time on the road with his daughter Lacey, a recent high school graduate, working on the car.
“I think we spent 900 hours driving, so it was a lot of time on the road talking that we would have never gotten any other way,” Walker said. “She has been my racing daughter for years, just me and her going to the races. We enjoyed it and look forward to doing it again.”
• World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter and World of Outlaws Late Model Series director Steve Francis were among those walking the halls of the media center, chatting with drivers, media and others in attendance.
• This season marks the 20th year since the World of Outlaws Late Model Series returned to competition in 2004.
• There were plentiful memorable quotes during the two media question-and-answer sessions.
Here is a sampling:
- Nick Hoffman: “At the end of the day, if I suck, it’s my fault. I have to figure it out.”
- Max McLaughlin: “To me this is the Cup Series of dirt. I’ve run everything but late models, but late models is what I wanted to do as a career.”
- Parker Martin: “I don’t use iRacing. I’ve been banned from it like 18 times.”
- Chris Madden: “Talk to them, I ain’t doing no iRacing.”
- Steve Francis: “There are 22 guys signed up, I hope 17 to 20 of them get a feature win this season.”