Kerry Madsen – End of the Road in Charlotte!
(Bill W) November 5, 2012 – Kerry Madsen finished up the 2012 World of Outlaws campaign with “The World Finals” last weekend at The Dirt Track in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event encompassed two programs spread over three nights. Kerry and the Keneric Racing #29 team ended the season eighth in the WoO standings, and are looking forward to an offseason preparing for the 2013 campaign.
Qualifying for Friday and Saturday took place in two sessions on Thursday night. Kerry timed in 26th and 14th, respectively. “We drew pretty much last in both qualifying sessions,” he says. “The track really didn’t change a whole lot though; we just didn’t get a good lap in.”
Kerry started sixth in his heat Friday night and grabbed a transfer to the preliminary feature with a fourth place run. “I felt like we had a pretty good car in the heat race,” he says. “We were up to second at one point, but the yellow came out. We got into the transfer, which was the main thing.”
Starting 21st in the main event, the St. Mary’s, New South Wales driver charged forward ten spots. “The first five or six laps I drove a little too conservatively,” says Kerry. “Once I got on the top and got going, we were pretty good. I was able to get up to eleventh. It was actually a good run.”
After a fourth place run in his heat in Saturday’s finale, Kerry was set to start outside row nine of the main event. He was having a strong run when he was caught up in a multi-car accident. “I simply got on the wrong part of the racetrack,” he says. “It looked like we would be in there for a reasonable finish. I don’t know exactly what happened. (Craig) Dollansky blew a tire or something and Stevie Smith got caught up in it. I was too concentrated on passing Steve Kinser and I didn’t kick it up as quickly as I should have and got bottled.”
It was a disappointing end to the season. “It just kind of stinks,” says Kerry. “It’s motorsport, but you’re on TV, and we had some people here like Des Johnstone from Earthex. And Bob and Pete (Gavranich) were here. You really want to have a stronger showing.”
The end of a season is bittersweet. “It’s kind of a relief that the year’s over, but at the same time, you want to start it all again,” says Kerry. “I’m pretty excited about where we’re going in the future, and pretty proud of what we accomplished this year. I just hope we can take it to the next level.”
Kerry and the Keneric Racing team will still be busy in the States before heading “Down Under”. “I won’t be going to Australia until about mid-December…about Christmastime,” he says. “That’s good, because there is a lot to accomplish here. The reality is, we have a lot of things to fix and correct with our race team to get ready for next year to make us better.”
Category: Driver Updates, Kerry Madsen, News
