DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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We certainly didn't see this one coming... But can they win? | Daily 7-30-2024
2024 has provided us some shocking dirt late model moves, and today we'll dive into the latest one, with an unlikely driver-crew chief pairing. Plus we'll talk Indiana Sprint Week, Short Track Super Series, and more. Let's go!
It's Tuesday, July 30th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
Literally as I was posting yesterday's Daily show, that included a preview of Monday's World of Outlaws Late Model Series race at Wilmot Raceway, that show was being postponed because of rain. Because obviously if any sort of news is going to break, it's going to happen right after I get that day's show posted. Officials are still working on a potential makeup date. That means we won't see the World of Outlaws late models until Thursday, when the USA Nationals begins at Cedar Lake Speedway. The Saturday main event is $50,000 to win. We'll talk more USA Nationals later in the week.
One news item we hadn't talked about yet on the show was the announcement of Ricky Thornton Jr.'s new crew chief that came last Friday. Right before the Prairie Dirt Classic was set to get started, it was revealed that Chris Madden will step into the role leading RTJ's 20RT squad at Koehler Motorsports starting with the North South 100 at Florence coming up August 8th through the 10th. Chris Madden crew chiefing Ricky Thornton Jr. at Koehler Motorsports was not a sentence you would have imagined saying even a few weeks ago. Madden will replace Kenny Payton, who was originally named the team's crew chief. Payton will remain with Koehler, overseeing the cars for Jordan and Evan Koehler. Besides Madden, the team is also adding Madden's crew chief Ricky Arnold, and DJ Williams, who was previously with Thornton at SSI. This year has seen a dramatic career turn for Madden, who was previously on tour with the World of Outlaws. He announced earlier this season that 2024 would be his last full time run, and that he would likely only run a handful of races in 2025. And then after the Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora, Madden had to a take a break for medical reasons, which we found out later was because of diverticulitis. If you aren't aware, diverticulitis is a condition of the digestive system, and it was causing Madden quite a bit of pain. He returned to racing at the end of June at Volunteer Speedway, and has raced seven times since, including a Southern Nationals victory at Wythe on July 13th. Madden hasn't raced though since July 16th, and we likely won't see him again in a dirt late model until later this year. He mentioned in the release a race or two with Koehler is possible. Madden bringing his crew chief with him to the team, and thanking his other crew member Stephen Eldridge in the release, point to his own team shuttering. We know they are working on liquidating all his remaining merchandise as well. So now Madden turns his attention to trying to get the Koehler team up to speed with RTJ, and battling for the Lucas championship, where Thornton still has a large 260 point advantage. The Lucas field will be cut down to eight for the championship chase at Port Royal at the end of August, and then down to four at the Late Model Knoxville Nationals in September. From there, seven points events including Brownstown, Atomic, PA Motor Speedway, East Bay, and Eldora for the Dirt Track World Championship will decide it. When Thornton returns to Koehler after racing for two weeks with Kevin Rumley, the team will have a new Longhorn Chassis ready to go to begin that final push. So what are Thornton's chances here with this reworked group heading into the final part of the season? I'd say pretty good. Madden has been a Longhorn guy as of late, and he certainly knows how to win and compete for championships on tour. The addition of Williams from SSI, and Arnold means this will suddenly be a very experienced team. Koehler clearly is pulling out all the stops here to try and get RTJ this title, and you have to think that Longhorn and Kevin Rumley will be helping however they can. It will be interesting to see how Madden adjusts to this new reality, especially when before he was talking about wanting to be home more often. Crew chiefing a team for a driver like Thornton running a national tour doesn't feel like it will afford him as many opportunities to be around the house. We'll see on that front. This Koehler team though threw things together last minute to keep Thornton in the hunt, and had chances to win at Eagle and Shelby County. With a few weeks to reset, make some changes, get the team in order, and put a new car together, I think this could be good for all involved. RTJ with some strong runs with Rumley in between to stay sharp, and he'll be coming back to a team ready to compete. At the moment, Devin Moran seems to be the challenger to watch with Jonathan Davenport and Hudson O'Neal suffering a few stumbles. Drop me a comment, let me know what you think of this pairing and how it will go. Also, I'm curious, for you long time dirt late model fans, when was the last time a top driver like this pulled back and became a successful crew chief. Let me know.
If you want some dirt racing action today, you do have a few options. At Lawrenceburg, Indiana Sprint Week continues after this race was originally rained out from Sunday. Logan Seavey and Kyle Cummins won the first two sprint week features, and Cummins leads the early weeklong standings. After tonight at the Burg, speedweek continues Wednesday at Circle City, then to Terre Haute, Bloomington, and Haubstadt. Following that tough crash at Kokomo, I saw that CJ Leary's 15X got a new front clip put on it, and they will be ready to go tonight. And the Tyler Sturgeon Racing 77X that caught fire at Lincoln Park with Stevie Sussex in the seat, will be back Wednesday to race. Sussex continues to recover from burns suffered in that ordeal, and in the meantime, RJ Johnson will drive the car. Sussex though still attending the races. The 77X team not sure what other events they will run during sprint week. If you can't get to the Burg tonight, FloRacing has live coverage.
Also on Flo is the Short Track Super Series from Autodrome Granby. The Super DIRTcar Series was over the border last week, and now it's the STSS for a few nights. After Granby, they'll be at RPM on Wednesday. Mat Williamson leads the overall series championship right now, while Stewart Friesen controls the north region. Should be healthy fields both nights, as the Quebec locals take on the travelers.
And if you want some winged sprint car action, the 360 Sprint Invaders will be at Bloomfield Speedway tonight in Iowa. Paul Nienhiser currently leads that championship, and I saw that my guy Tanner Holmes is racing there tonight. It seems like quite a few drivers and teams are looking to get in one more night of action before the 360 Nationals start on Thursday at Knoxville. $4000 to win, and it is available to watch as a pay-per-view on the Speed Sport network.
There are other options as well today on the streaming schedule, so make sure to stop by dirtrackr.com/watchtonight to see what's available. I've seen some of you request broadcast start times to be added to the schedule, and we are working on that. I need to add some stuff to the code and the database, and mom has already said she's down to make that happen for you guys. So stay tuned for that.
As for the new sprint car shirts at shop.dirtrackr.com, big kid sizes are starting to get low. We had previously sold out of 5Xs, and I'm down to just two 4Xs left. Don't wait if that's your size, because once they are gone, they are gone forever. Still looking good for XL through 3X, plus the smaller sizes. Shirts are $25, and you can get one at shop.dirtrackr.com along with stickers.
Alright, that's it for the Daily show today. Dirtrackr.com is your place for all the latest news and releases from around dirt racing, so add it to your regular internet stops.
Hope you guys have a great Tuesday out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow!