By Kevin Kovac,
World of Outlaws Late Model Series P.R. Director

CONCORD, NC – Oct. 29, 2008 – Chris Madden thought he could cruise to victory in Wednesday night’s Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown presented by Ferris Commercial Mowers at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway.



The standout driver from Gaffney, S.C., ended up in a dramatic, down-to-wire dogfight instead.



After seeing his once-commanding lead in the 50-lap A-Main wiped out by several late caution flags, Madden had to hold off a stirring challenge from Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., to capture the first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series event run ‘topless’ – or more specifically, without roofs on the cars.



Madden, 33, beat Babb to the finish line by a scant 0.077 of a second and pocketed $16,150, including a $6,000 ‘passing’ bonus for winning from the sixth starting spot.



It was both Madden’s fourth career win on the WoO LMS and at The Dirt Track, which drew a massive 81-car field for the mid-week ‘topless’ special that was postponed by rain on its original Oct. 8 date.



Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., who started seventh, finished third in Sanford Goddard’s Warrior house car after racing in second place from lap 21 until Babb glided by on a lap-43 restart. It was the former tour regular’s second top-five finish in three 2008 WoO LMS A-Main starts.



Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., advanced from the 12th starting spot to place fourth in his Team Zero machine, while Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., made a steady march forward from the 21st starting spot to complete the top five in the RSD Enterprises Rocket.



Madden, who started sixth but was in the lead for good by lap five after overtaking early pacesetter Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., built a full straightaway edge during a green-flag stretch from laps 4-28. But five of the race’s six caution flags flew between laps 28 and 43, dulling Madden’s momentum and allowing Babb to mount a last-ditch bid.



“All those cautions killed us,” said Madden, who drove his familiar Clements-powered Bloomquist car. “I was hoping it was gonna stay green so we could keep our comfort zone. We had really gotten away from everyone – at one point I could even see Babb (on the same straightaway).



“But those double-file restarts (in place for the entire distance by event rules) just kept bunching us up.”



Madden soon found himself with company on his rear bumper in the form of Babb, who came alive after the halfway point. Babb, who started 14th in NASCAR Sprint Cup star Clint Bowyer’s Rocket car, blasted around the outside of the four-tenths-mile oval on a lap-42 restart to skip from fifth to third, and then he passed McDowell for second on another restart one circuit later.



“When I saw (Babb’s) number up on the (score) board, I knew he was gonna be up on the top (lane) and hammer-down,” said Madden. “The racetrack was good and wide, and I knew if he running up there it was gonna be a good race.”



The close of the race was almost too good for Madden’s liking.



On the final lap Babb charged inside of Madden exiting turn four and the two drivers raced side-by-side to the checkered flag. Madden crossed the finish line with a miniscule margin of victory while dodging the slowing car driven by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who was limping down the homestretch due to a dead battery.



“The last lap was awesome,” said Madden, whose last WoO LMS victory came on Aug. 23, 2007, at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. “I went into (turn) three and chose to run the middle of the racetrack. I was gonna come off on the top side because I knew (Babb) would be up there, so I thought I’d be able to take his line away off the corner.



“But when I went through there, there sat Chub. I didn’t know what he was doing, so I had to turn back left and that made me crack the throttle. I guess when I did that, Shannon turned left and come up under me, and then I turned left and we touched a little.



“I was looking dead out the door at (Babb) as we went down the homestretch,” he continued. “Then, just before the starter’s stand, I cranked the car to avoid (Chub). I know there wasn’t a foot on both sides of me. It was tight quarters, but we made it.”



Babb, 34, saw his hopes of winning the Showdown for the second consecutive year fall short in heartbreaking fashion. He also lost a chance at a $24,000 payday, since the race’s unique bonus system – if pre-entered by Sept. 13, the winner was eligible to receive a bonus equal to $1,000 multiplied by his starting position – would have added $14,000 to the base first-place purse of $10,000.



“If we would’ve made a zig and a zag at the right time, we would’ve been alright,” said Babb. “But I can’t really complain. We had a few lucky breaks to get us up there, like having the cautions come out to stick me where I needed to be.



“We were a long way back there at one time, so we made up a lot of ground. There just weren’t enough laps.”



Babb earned a hearty cheer from the Showdown’s chilled crowd for his effort.



“Madden was gonna be tough to beat no matter what – he’s good here,” said Babb. “But when we went into (turns) three and four the last time, he made a good corner but I ran right up on him, so I thought, ‘Man, maybe we are gonna beat him at the line here.’



“I think we were both leaning forward in our seats trying to get to the (finish) line.”



Madden’s victory continued his run of success at The Dirt Track, where he’s now tied with his mentor Bloomquist as the facility’s alltime winningest dirt Late Model driver.



“This racetrack suits me,” said Madden, who became the 20th different winner on the 2008 WoO LMS. “I love the big high-speed, momentum deal here. If we haven’t broke or gotten in a wreck, we’ve been in the top five every time we’ve been here.



“We actually shouldn’t have a tie (for the overall win lead) with Scott,” he added with a hint of a smile crossing his lips. “The Colossal (100) should’ve been mine two years ago. That double-file restart stuff cost me that race or we’d be out in front (on the win list).”



Finishing in positions 6-10 were Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who lost fifth to Clanton with five laps remaining; Davey Johnson of Latrobe, Pa., who drove the Tracy Seymour No. 17J; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Mike Knight of Ripley, N.Y.; and Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, Ky., who steered fellow Kentuckian Michael England’s second Bloomquist Chassis car.



The 21-year-old Knight had a memorable night in his first career visit to The Dirt Track. He received recognition during the program for winning the Alltel Ohio Speedweek All-Star on-line contest, and his ninth-place finish earned him the $500 ‘Bonus Bucks’ cash for being the highest-finishing driver who hasn’t won a WoO LMS A-Main and isn’t ranked among the top 12 in the points standings.



The fact that the Showdown offered only WoO LMS show-up points was a break for several tour regulars. Five of the race’s six caution flags were brought out by drivers who chase the series.



Points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., suffered just his second DNF in 41 A-Mains this season, slowing with a rare engine failure while running third on lap 34. He is in line to clinch his first career WoO LMS championship, however, by simply starting Friday night’s VAULT World Finals A-Main.



Other WoO LMS steadies who experienced caution-causing problems were Fuller (flat tire on lap 28), Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y. (lap 40), Frank (flat on lap 42) and Rick Eckert of York, Pa. (a turn-four spin on lap 43 after a scrape with Richards while battling for fifth).



Richards was quickest in time trials, earning his series-leading fifth fast-time honor of 2008 with a lap of 14.955 seconds.



Heat winners were Davey Johnson, Ricky Elliott of Seaford, Del., Lanigan, Bloomquist, McDowell and Richards. The B-Mains were captured by Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C., Frank and Clanton.



Four NASCAR drivers – Ryan Newman, Ken Schrader, David Gilliland and Jason Leffler – climbed behind the wheel of dirt Late Models for the Showdown. Schrader, who fields his own dirt Late Model in many events every season, was the only stock-car standout to qualify for the A-Main, finishing 12th.



Gilliland, who drove his own Rayburn car, and Leffler, who made a surprise appearance in the No. 23 normally campaigned by John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., did not challenge for transfer spots in a heat or B-Main.



Newman, meanwhile, escaped injury when he rode out a wild flip on the opening lap of the first B-Main. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner’s Steve Francis-prepared Alltel No. 12 was sent airborne at the end of the backstretch in a chain-reaction scramble after Chas Shellenberger of Winfield, Pa., slammed the turn-two wall.



The four-day festival of speed at The Dirt Track continues on Thursday (Oct. 30) with the opening night of the VAULT World Finals, which pairs the WoO LMS with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in a spectacular doubleheader.



Thursday’s program features two rounds of time trials for both divisions – one to set the heat lineups for Friday’s action, one to align Saturday’s heats – plus the ‘Breaking the VAULT’ match-race dashes and the Integra Shocks Crew Chief Challenge for Late Model teams.



Complete programs of heats, B-Mains and A-Mains will highlight the cards on Fri., Oct. 31, and Sat., Nov. 1. The WoO LMS standouts will chase a first-place prize of $10,000 in each evening’s 50-lap A-Main.



Saturday’s competition will be aired live on the SPEED cable network starting at 8 p.m. ET, while Friday’s action will be taped for telecast by SPEED on Sat., Nov. 8, at 9 p.m. ET.



VAULT World Finals ticket information is available by calling 1-800-455- 3267 or visiting www.lowesmotorspeedway.com, Ticketmaster outlets or the Lowe’s Motor Speedway Box Office.



For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.



Results of WoO Late Model Series Armour Vienna Sausage Showdown (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):



1. (6) Chris Madden/50 $16,150

2. (14) Shannon Babb/50 $5,200

3. (7) Dale McDowell/50 $3,000

4. (12) Scott Bloomquist/50 $2,500

5. (21) Shane Clanton/50 $2,000

6. (8) Josh Richards/50 $1,700

7. (3) Davey Johnson/50 $1,400

8. (10) Clint Smith/50 $1,300

9. (15) Mike Knight/50 $1,700

10. (11) Justin Rattliff/50 $1,100

11. (18) Rick Eckert/50 $1,050

12. (13) Ken Schrader/50 $1,000

13. (20) Chub Frank/50 $950

14. (23) Dan Schlieper/49 $900

15. (24) Eddie Carrier Jr./49 $850

16. (26) Joe Isabell/49 $1,050

17. (17) Donnie Moran/45 $770

18. (1) Ricky Elliott/38 $750

19. (25) Vic Coffey/38 $730

20. (19) Ricky Weeks/33 $700

21. (2) Tim Fuller/32 $700

22. (4) Darrell Lanigan/32 $700

23. (5) Jonathan Davenport/28 $700

24. (16) Steve Francis/27 $700

25. (22) Brian Shirley/27 $700

26. (9) Eric Wells/27 $700

27. (27) Tim Allen/27 $700

28. (28) Jimmy Owens/12 $700



Time of Race: 35 Mins., 51.381 Secs.

Margin of Victory: 0.077 Secs.

Yellow Flags: 6 (Laps 4, 28, 34, 40, 42, 43)

Lap Leaders: Fuller (1-4); Madden (5-50)

Provisional Starters: Coffey, Joe Isabell (WoO); Allen, Owens (track)

Rookie of the Race: Joe Isabell ($250)

WoO LMS ‘Bonus Bucks’ Winner: Knight ($500)

Integra Shocks Crew Chief of the Race ($50): Jamie Owens (Madden)

Chick Hawk Racing Hot Lap Award: Fuller (half-off tire warmers)

Super Clean ‘Start of the Race’: Babb ($100)



Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap):



1. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 14.955

2. 20-Jimmy Owens/Newport, TN 14.960

3. 24M-Jeremy Miller/Gettysburg, PA 14.977

4. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 15.031

5. 41-Josh McGuire/Grayson, KY 15.109

6. 17d-Davey Johnson/Latrobe, PA 15.114

7. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 15.140

8. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.165

9. 0-Scott Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN 15.183

10. 3A-Austin Dillon/Welcome, NC 15.204

11. 44M-Chris Madden/Gaffney, SC 15.215

12. 6W-Ricky Weeks/Rutherfordton, NC 15.235

13. 30-Steve Shaver/Vienna, WV 15.235

14. 1G-Dale McDowell/Chickamauga, GA 15.243

15. 22G-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 15.291

16. 9K-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 15.296

17. 5J-Eric Jacobsen/Sea Cliff Beach, CA 15.305

18. 75-Jonathan Davenport/Blairsville, GA 15.338

19. 19-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 15.345

20. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.347

21. 9-Ken Schrader/Fenton, MO 15.349

22. 19T-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 15.370

23. 119R-Ricky Elliott/Seaford, DE 15.375

24. 18E-Eric Wells/Hazard, KY 15.395

25. 98-David Gilliland/Riverside, CA 15.397

26. 55-Jeep VanWormer/Pinconning, MI 15.412

27. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 15.420

28. 54-G.R. Smith/Cornelius, NC 15.420

29. 99-Donnie Moran/Dresden, OH 15.423

30. 17A-Tim Allen/Kannapolis, NC 15.452

31. 4T-Tommy Kerr/Maryville, TN 15.459

32. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.502

33. 00K-Randy Korte/Highland, IL 15.515

34. 12N-Ryan Newman/Statesville, NC 15.518

35. 5e-Michael England/Glasgow, KY 15.518

36. 6T-Tim Dohm/Cross Lanes, WV 15.524

37. 27J-Danny Johnson/Phelps, NY 15.536

38. 4F-Jeremy Faircloth/Swainsboro, GA 15.536

39. 22F-Chris Ferguson/Mount Holly, NC 15.546

40. 3s-Brian Shirley/Chatham, IL 15.579

41. 53-Ray Cook/Brasstown, NC 15.618

42. 5R-Justin Rattliff/Campbellsville, KY 15.628

43. 11H-Jackie Boggs/Grayson, KY 15.634

44. 6J-Joe Isabell/Pennellville, NY 15.640

45. 17s-Vic Hill/Morristown, TN 15.652

46. 7M-Matt Miller/Waterville, OH 15.679

47. 21R-Luke Roffers/Concord, NC 15.692

48. 20J-Jerry Bowersock/Wapakoneta, OH 15.694

49. 20R-Chad Ruhlman/Beemus Point, NY 15.713

50. 18M-Jeff Smith/Gastonia, NC 15.725

51. 71-Don O’Neal/Martinsville, IN 15.733

52. 23-Jason Leffler/Lake Norman, NC 15.792

53. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 15.805

54. 11-Austin Hubbard/Seaford, DE 15.810

55. 32R-Jim Rasey/Southington, OH 15.812

56. 12b-Jordan Bland/Campbellsville, KY 15.814

57. 57-Wes Burton/Kannapolis, NC 15.838

58. 00H-Chuck Harper/Beverly, WV 15.864

59. 32c-Vic Coffey/Leicester, NY 15.884

60. A1-Duke Whiseant/Texarkana, AR 15.884

61. 421-Anthony Sanders/Belmont, NC 15.960

62. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 16.019

63. 18W-Rick Whaley/Millsboro, DE 16.062

64. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 16.138

65. L8-Norman Short Jr./Georgetown, DE 16.182

66. 7JR-Jeff Isabell Jr./Pennellville, NY 16.287

67. 22J-Jill George/Cedar Falls, IA 16.359

68. 22c-Randle Chupp/Troutman, NC 16.411

69. 11G-Travis Greer/Marion, VA 16.414

70. 17J-John Winge/Ringgold, GA 16.427

71. s9-Dan Schlieper/Sullivan, WI 16.542

72. 44L-Justin Labonte/Trinity, NC 16.581

73. 13-Chesley Dixon/Swainsboro, GA 16.604

74. 00M-Rob McLaughlin/Stanley, NC 16.614

75. 7J-Jeff Isabell Sr./Pennellville, NY 16.843

76. 56-Chas Shellenberger/Winfield, PA 17.898

77. 16c-Curt Spalding/Hartford, MI 18.141

78. 1c-Wayne Chinn/Tipp City, OH 18.977

79. E1-Mike Balzano/Parkersburg, WV N/T

80. 27F-Ben Faircloth/Swainsboro, GA N/T

81. 31-Bob Gordon/Keyser, WV N/T



Heat No. 1 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Davey Johnson, Davenport, Wells, Weeks, Danny Johnson, Boggs, Rasey, Ruhlman, Gilliland, Sanders, George, Dixon, Kerr (DNS) Balzano



Heat No. 2 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Elliott, Madden, Eckert, Jacobsen, McCreadie, J. Faircloth, McLaughlin, McGuire, Bland, Jeff Smith, B. Faircloth, Joe Isabell, VanWormer, Chupp



Heat No. 3 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Lanigan, Fuller, Knight, Carrier, Dillon, Korte, Ferguson, O’Neal, Whaley, Burton, Greer (DNS) Hill, Jeff Isabell Sr., Gordon



Heat No. 4 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Bloomquist, Babb, Schrader, Shirley, Matt Miller, Jeremy Miller, G.R. Smith, Satterlee, Newman, Harper, Leffler, Winge, Shellenberger



Heat No. 5 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): McDowell, Clint Smith, Moran, Frank, Schlieper, Roffers, Cook, England, Coffey, Stone, Spalding, Short, Owens



Heat No. 6 (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Rattliff, Francis, Clanton, Dohm, Chinn, Bowersock, Whiseant, Hubbard, Shaver, Allen, Labonte, Jeff Isabell Jr.



B-Main No. 1 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Weeks, Shirley, Danny Johnson, Ruhlman, Kerr, Boggs, Gilliland, Harper, Winge, Matt Miller, Rasey, Satterlee, Newman, Sanders, Shellenberger (DNS) Jeremy Miller, G.R. Smith, George, Leffler, Dixon, Balzano



B-Main No. 2 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Frank, Schlieper, Jacobsen, McCreadie, Coffey, Owens, Roffers, Cook, McLaughlin, England, Jeff Smith, Stone, Bland, J. Faircloth, Chupp, Joe Isabell, Short, Spalding (DNS) McGuire, B. Faircloth, VanWormer



B-Main No. 3 (12 laps – Top 2 Transfer): Clanton, Carrier, Chinn, Dohm, Korte, O’Neal, Dillon, Bowersock, Whiseant, Hubbard, Ferguson, Jeff Isabell Sr., Labonte, Burton, Jeff Isabell Jr., Allen, Whaley (DNS) Shaver, Greer, Hill, Gordon



2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of Oct. 29 - 41 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):



1. Darrell Lanigan 2-25-35-$122,517-5602 (-0)

2. Steve Francis 6-20-32-$170,600-5452 (-150)

3. Shane Clanton 4-22-32-$124,140-5446 (-156)

4. Josh Richards 5-18-28-$122,260-5426 (-176)

5. Chub Frank 1-12-27-$82,230-5362 (-240)

6. Shannon Babb 2-17-27-$107,600-5288 (-314)

7. Rick Eckert 1-12-24-$79,730-5280 (-322)

8. Clint Smith 1-11-24-$68,920-5252 (-350)

9. Tim Fuller 2-7-19-$69,450-5081 (-521)

10. Vic Coffey -2-9-$42,050-4402 (-1200)

11. John Blankenship 0-0-6-$34,680-4013 (-1589)

12. Joe Isabell 0-0-0-$19,790-3690 (-1912)

13. Sean Beardsley 0-0-0-$12,520-3070 (-2532)

14. Tim McCreadie 1-9-16-$58,110-2718 (-2884)

15. Danny Johnson 0-0-1-$13,730-2262 (-3340)

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