Chris Madden To Race World 100 At Eldora Speedway, Shares Ride Details

Chris Madden will be racing the 2024 World 100 at Eldora Speedway on Sept. 5-7.

Chris Madden can’t yet picture an Eldora Speedway crown jewel in Rossburg, Ohio, without him in it as a driver. For that reason, the 49-year-old is gearing up for another run at an elusive Eldora crown jewel at Sept. 5-7’s World 100.

Indeed, the Gray Court, S.C., veteran intends to enter his 43rd Eldora major event — all since his big-race debut there in the 2003 Dream — in a G.R. Smith-owned Longhorn Chassis with support from Koehler Motorsports at Sept. 5-7’s World 100.

I thought at first, ‘It ain’t no big deal.’ But as it’s gotten closer and closer, I started thinking about it more and more. It’s just … I’d hate to miss it,” Madden told DirtonDirt.com at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway on Saturday after his third weekend as Ricky Thornton Jr.’s crew chief on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

“I have an idea what we need to do there, so we’re not going there blindfolded and scrambling on what to do,” Madden said. “We’ll be prepared when we get there. I think he’ll have fun with it and I’ll have fun with it. He’ll do real good, and I will, too.”

Initially, Madden was going to race one of Thornton’s backup cars at next week’s World 100, but the Bobby Koehler-owned operation of Mount Airy, N.C., is running thin on resources. In a phone interview Wednesday night with DirtonDirt.com, Koehler said “we ran out of motors when we threw Ricky in the loop, so we’re letting him drive one of G.R. Smith’s cars.”

Smith will transport and, with the help from Tommy Grecco and Scott Parker, prepare the No. 44 Longhorn Chassis entry while Koehler will provide the race-day crew for Madden’s anticipated return. Smith added that the deal “all came together over the last 72 hours” and that Madden’s Eldora race car is a brand-new Longhorn Chassis with a fresh Cornett Engine under the hood.