CONCORD, N.C. – The 2020 World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series season opener at Vado Speedway Park just got even bigger.

Set for Jan. 2-5, RVB Transport is awarding a $25,000 bonus to any driver who can win all three features during the Battle at the Border event.

That bonus bumps the purse during the four-night event to a potential of more than $150,000. The Battle at the Border starts with a full practice session on Thursday, Jan. 2, before three consecutive days of racing, starting with two $5,000-to-win features followed by a $15,000-to-win, 50-lap feature on Sunday, Jan. 5.

That means somebody could start their season off with $50,000 in the bank.

“We wanted to raise the stakes even more, and this bonus is going to increase the intensity of the racers right from the start of the year,” said Vado Speedway Park GM Rue Stone.  “We’re excited to showcase our track to a whole new group of fans in January, and we’re definitely eager to see the biggest names in Dirt Late Model racing chasing that $25,000 award.”

GRAY COURT, S.C. – Chris Madden, one of the hottest dirt late model racers in the country, was injured in a golf cart accident Tuesday.

Madden fell off a golf cart near the pit area at Mansfield (Ohio) Motor Speedway early Tuesday afternoon. He was taken to Avita Hospital in Mansfield, Ohio, where he was diagnosed with a fractured left eye socket according to a statement from Scott Bloomquist Racing.

Madden has since been transported to Ohio State Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where he is expected to undergo surgery. As a result of the injury, Madden will be unable to take part in the Dirt Million event this weekend at Mansfield Motor Speedway.

Asking all to lift up Chris in prayer, he was in a accident. He is being transported to Ohio State
University. His mom and I are flying out tonight I will update when I know more. As of right now we just ask everyone to pray for him.

Stephanie ?

— Chris Madden (@chrismadden44) August 20, 2019

Scott Bloomquist Racing manager Cody Sommer told Dirt on Dirt that the team does not expect to put a replacement driver into the No. 0m to substitute for Madden in the Mansfield event.

A timetable for Madden’s return to racing is not known at this time.

Madden joined Scott Bloomquist Racing mid-season after parting ways with the Skyline Motorsports operation earlier in the year. Since then, he’s been on a tear in crown-jewel events, winning five of his last six starts and earning more than $155,000 in prize money.

Madden’s recent victories include the USA Nationals at Wisconsin’s Cedar Lake Speedway, worth $50,000; the Sunoco North/South 100 at Kentucky’s Florence Speedway, worth $50,000; and the Comp Cams Topless 100 at Arkansas’ Batesville Motor Speedway, worth $40,000.

On this week’s episode of The Ralph Sheheen Show Presented by Lucas Oil, Ralph has an interesting conversation with veteran IndyCar Series Safety Team member, Dr. Terry Trammell.

Over the past few decades, Trammell has helped lead the charge in safety in motorsports, primarily in open wheel racing. As an orthopedic surgeon, he is a founding member of the International Council of Motorsports Science and a founding fellow of the FIA Institute for Motorsport Safety.

The two chat about a variety of topics ranging from the progression of safety in the sport to saving driver lives at the track such as Alex Zanardi’s traumatic accident in Germany in 2001.

Catch this week’s full episode on SPEEDSPORT.com or listen to the audio podcast on popular apps like iTunes, SoundClould, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio and more.

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has come to the defense of driver Takuma Sato following the opening lap crash in Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series event at Pocono Raceway.

Sato was one of five drivers involved in an opening lap crash, which was triggered following contact between Sato and Alexander Rossi when Sato appeared to try and cut in front of Rossi as they raced three-wide with Ryan Hunter-Reay towards turn two.

The crash also included Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe and Felix Rosenqvist, with Rosenqvist being taken to a local hospital for further checkups before being released.

Sato, the 2017 Indianapolis 500 winner, has been the subject of harsh criticism following the crash, with Rossi laying the blame for the crash squarely on Sato’s shoulders.

“I can’t even begin to understand how after last year, how Takuma Sato thinks any sort of driving like that is acceptable,” Rossi said. “To turn across two cars at that speed in that corner at the start of a 500-mile race is disgraceful, upsetting and probably cost us a championship.

“It’s upsetting because this team works hard. We’ve got a couple of days to rebound and we’ll just go for wins from this point on.”

On Tuesday, in response to the criticism of Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing issued a lengthy statement defending their driver. The team indicated in the statement that onboard telemetry proved Sato did not turn down on Rossi to cause the crash.

“Following the events on lap one of Sunday’s IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway, we are relieved that all drivers emerged unhurt from the crash. Normally in a situation of this nature it is not necessary for a team to comment but following the accusations levied at Takuma, and after reviewing Takuma’s onboard data and camera, we feel that a clarification is necessary.  The data and video clearly shows that Takuma did not turn down the track into Alexander in this incident and in fact the first steering wheel movement made by Takuma was to the right, as he tried to correct his car after the initial contact.

“This sort of accident is part and parcel of this type of racing and with track position being vital at every stage of each race is, in our view, a part of the sport.  It’s a racing incident and we as a team wish to publicly state that we stand behind our drivers and have absolute faith in their ability to race and perform at the highest level for RLL.

“This was a racing incident which unfortunately may have some championship implications. A crash at Pocono impacted our title aspirations in 2015 while second in the standings so we know the frustration drivers and teams experienced.  As always, we are thankful for the quick response of the AMR Safety Team.”

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Eric Rudolph got the best of home-track hero Lance Willix II on a late-race restart to win Tuesday night’s DIRTcar 358 Modified Series feature at Airborne Speedway.

Tim Fuller battled hard inside the top five all race and finished on the final step of the podium.

Rudolph and Mike Mahaney brought the 30-car field to the green flag. Mahaney got the initial jump on the outside and powered away from Rudolph. The No. 25r battled back and traded blows with Mahaney. Then on a restart, Plattsburgh regular Lance Willix II passed both of the dueling leaders in one shot.

The No. 31 used a unique racing line where he entered the corners low and hooked the left side tires on the edge of the track. This seemed to rotate the car and allow Willix to get on the throttle earlier than Rudolph or Mahaney.

Willix kept up his pace and maintained the lead until a dramatic incident on the front stretch brought out the red flag.

As witnessed, Kyle Dingwalll made contact with the frontstretch wall and veered in front of oncoming race traffic. Several cars, including Steve Bernier and Jessey Mueller, slid through the infield, which caused Mueller’s car to flip and land on top of Bernier.

The battle at the front was far from over.

“We had a lot of time to sit there and think. I didn’t know if I’d have an opportunity to pass him,” said Rudolph.

Throughout the race the implement tires at the inside of the track get clipped and can change the preferred racing line depending on where they move,

When the field went back to green on lap 90, Rudolph had to make a calculated move.

“That tire down there was in the infield for a long time and it had everyone glued to the bottom. It moved up a bit and made the track racy again. We were able to make the move around him [Willix],” Rudolph said of his racing-winning move.

That move made Rudolph and his team $4,000 richer. This was the second time the No. 25r has visited victory lane in series competition in 2019.

Plattsburgh still a very new track for Rudolph.

He noted, “I’ve only been here three times. I did a race here one time when it was asphalt. Track time helps anywhere you go.”

It’s not how Willix II wanted this one to end but a second-place finish with the best DIRTcar 358 modified drivers around is a great accomplishment

“This is the way we want to end the year. On a high note. We have momentum going into these big races at the end of the year. To be able to compete with Erick and Timmy and all these guys, it means something to us,” said Willix.

Fuller powered his way up to finish in third.

“I had the second-best car on the track. Erick and Lance did a really good job. It was a long race and fortunately, we ended up in the top three which is good any time you get into what of these deals,” Fuller said.

The finish:

Feature (100 laps) 1. Erick Rudolph 2. Lance Willix II 3. Tim Fuller 4. Jordan McCreadie 5. Mike Mahaney 6. Mike Maresca 7. Michael Parent 8. David Marcuccilli 9. Rocky Warner 10. Corey Wheeler 11. Demetrios Drellos 12. Ryan Bartlett 13. Mike Stacey 14. Yan Bussiere 15. Matt Woodruff 16. Jeremy Roy 17. Matt Depew 18. Dany Gagne 19. Kyle Dingwall 20. Steve Bernier 21. Danny Johnson 22. Jessey Mueller 23. Mathieu Boisvert 24. Preston Forbes 25. Louie Jackson Jr. 26. Chris Raabe 27. Mario Clair 28. Ronnie Davis III 29. Perry Francis 30. Ran McLean 

LAWRENCE, Mass. -- Russ Conway, a hockey writer who was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1992 for his stories about corruption in the NHL Players Association that helped bring down union head Alan Eagleson, has died. He was 70.

His death was reported by the Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he started at the age of 18 and later served as sports editor.

A longtime Boston Bruins beat writer, Conway published a series of articles that exposed Eagleson's lucrative conflicts of interest as the union boss, player agent and organizer of international tournaments. Conway's reporting spawned investigations in both the United States and Canada that resulted in Eagleson serving six months in prison and forfeiting his Order of Canada.

The Hockey Hall of Fame kicked Eagleson out and gave Conway its Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award in 1999 for bringing honor to journalism and hockey.