Chris Madden is known for his patience in long-distance races. And his strategy worked to perfection on Saturday at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio.
The Gray Court, South Carolina driver bided his time before passing Gregg Satterlee and Tanner English for the lead on lap 32 to earn his second World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win in three days.
English and Satterlee led the field to the green flag in the 60-lap feature, as English nosed ahead on the bottom and led until a caution came out on lap 2 for Ryan Gustin.
On the next restart, it was Satterlee’s turn out front, as he countered English’s inside line with a sweeping move on the outside of the track.
The two drivers waged war for the lead without changing lanes until a caution for Chub Frank on lap 27 changed the race’s complexion.
When the race resumed, Satterlee and English continued their battle while Madden, who started fourth, moved toward the front. Madden closed in on the top two for the next three laps before he saw his opportunity on lap 32.
With Satterlee up high, and English down low, Madden only had one place to go — the middle.
That’s when Madden gained momentum through turns 1 and 2, pulling three wide with the other two drivers as they entered the backstretch. The duel lasted until turn 3, when Madden’s speed carried him past both drivers, giving him the lead with 29 laps to go.
From there, Madden navigated traffic with ease to score the $25,000 victory — his 35th career series triumph.
Madden said he stayed patient, knowing the track would come to him later in the race.
“It was greasy, and I just made sure I didn’t hurt my tires,” Madden said. “I waited until the racetrack widened out and pretty much waited for it to come to me. I wanted to be in contention around halfway, and I think it was right around halfway when we started putting the pressure on them guys.”
His patience also allowed him to be in the right place at the right time when the middle opened between English and Satterlee. He said he was grateful for how cleanly the three drivers raced for the lead.
“I’m thankful for two good drivers and both of them holding their line,” Madden said. “All it would’ve took was a squeeze on each one, and it would’ve been a disaster for everybody.
“But it was just racing with two really good, competitive drivers, and that’s what racing is. To do it three-wide on a dirt track is pretty awesome.”
English crossed the line in second, with Pierce in third, Brian Shirley in fourth, and Mike Marlar in fifth.
Gregg Satterlee, Nick Hoffman, Cade Dillard, Zebulon, Georgia’s Shane Clanton, and Logan Martin rounded out the top 10.
The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models next head into a Midwest tripleheader weekend. The Series visits Farmer City Raceway in Farmer City, Illinois on Thursday, June 1, before traveling to Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Illinois on Friday, June 2. A trip to the Bluegrass State finishes the weekend with a stop at Kentucky’s Paducah International Raceway on Saturday, June 3.
For more information, visit WorldofOutlaws.com.
WoO CASE Late Model Series
Sharon Speedway – Hartford, OH
Race Results – May 27, 2023
1. 44-Chris Madden
2. 96V-Tanner English
3. 32-Bobby Pierce
4. 3S-Brian Shirley
5. 157-Mike Marlar
6. 22-Gregg Satterlee
7. 9-Nick Hoffman
8. 97-Cade Dillard
9. 25-Shane Clanton
10. 36-Logan Martin
11. 1ST-Johnny Scott
12. 2S-Stormy Scott
13. B1-Brent Larson
14. B5-Brandon Sheppard
15. 0-Rick Eckert
16. 28-Dennis Erb, Jr.
17. 1C-Alex Ferree
18. 11-Gordy Gundaker
19. 40B-Kyle Bronson
20. 30-Todd Cooney
21. 2-Dan Stone
22. 1Z-Logan Zarin
23. 1*-Chub Frank
24. 48-Colton Flinner
25. 19R-Ryan Gustin
