Kerry Madsen – Victory at Belleville!
(Bill W) July 2, 2012 – Kerry Madsen and the Keneric Racing #29 team were looking forward to taming the Belleville (KS) High Banks and they did just that last Friday night, capturing their second win of the year with the World of Outlaws. The St. Mary’s, New South Wales native also registered a fifth place finish Saturday at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas with the WoO. The series hits Huset’s Speedway in South Dakota on Tuesday, before heading to Wisconsin’s Cedar Lake Speedway on Friday, and Beaver Dam Raceway on Saturday.
Preliminary events went well for Kerry at Belleville on Friday. “The car was good in warm-ups,” he says. “We were a little disappointed with ninth quick, but no big deal. We were able to win the heat, and finish sixth in the Dash from eighth. They decided to rework the track because it was laying rubber.”
Starting outside of row three, Kerry moved his way forward quickly on the high banks. “There was a pretty good cushion on the top, and we were running wide open up there,” he says. “The Morrison engine was running great and I was able to go wide open for about 25 laps.”
Kerry’s track position was aided by a jump on a restart by Sammy Swindell and he cruised from there. “I think we had a bit of a quicker start,” he says. “We caught a big break, when Sammy was sent back for jumping on a restart. I was confident we were going to push him anyway, and have a good shot at passing him.”
The win was a repeat performance for Kerry, who won at Belleville with the All Stars in 2009. “The car was just awesome,” he says. “The motor was running well. After they prepped the track, you could just run wide open, and we were able to do that. The motor was badass. At Belleville, you don’t deviate in the corners. It is pretty much one speed all the way around. The car was just really nice. I just pointed it in a straight line and got on the gas.”
It was on to Lakeside on Saturday. “We qualified fifth, which was pretty good,” says Kerry. “We were able to run third in our heat and fourth in the Dash.”
He would cross fifth at the checkers. “We probably could have done some things better, but a top five was a good result,” he says. “It is anytime you are running with the Outlaws.”
The weekend was a huge success. “A win and a fifth…if you can do that every weekend, that’s what you need,” says Kerry. “The fans were great. It was 100 degrees at both places. We had good crowds and good fans.”
After the runs at Huset’s, Cedar Lake and Beaver Dam, it is on to Ohio. “Hopefully, there is something from Belleville that we can translate to Eldora,” says Kerry. “Sprint car racing is such a lottery. There are so many good drivers and good teams, that you just need to put yourself in position. Then you have to pull it off.”
Kerry is quick to thank his team members. “Rob (Hart), Shane (Bowyers) and Tony (Barkman) have worked hard to get us ready for this month,” he says. “(Co-owner) Pete (Gavranich) will be arriving on Saturday, so it will be good to have him here as well.”
Category: Driver Updates, Kerry Madsen, News
