Kerry Madsen – Looking Back, Looking Ahead!
(Bill W) December 7, 2013 – With 2013 in the books, the Keneric Racing #29 team and driver Kerry Madsen are looking forward to next season already. The year saw them finish tenth in the final point standings with the World of Outlaws, but a strong month of money had them finishing sixth overall in money earnings with the series. With a new crew chief on board, and a renewed confidence, the team is very much looking forward to getting 2014 underway.
Last season got off to a slower start than anticipated, but the St. Mary’s, New South Wales, Australia driver rebounded after a rough west coast trip to win at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio in April. “It was a bit of a slow start, but once we got out of the west coast and got back to the Midwest in April, we hit our stride,” says Kerry. “We were able to win at Eldora and followed it up with a second at Elko (Minnesota in May) when we were leading and blew up.”
A number of podium finishes followed as the weather got warmer. “We were pretty quick here and there,” says Kerry. “Looking back now, you can see that we were. You think that we could have doubled our win total pretty easily, but we didn’t.”
The highlight in July came with a win at the “Knight Before the King’s Royal” and another strong run the following evening. “It was a good weekend,” says Kerry. “We were able to win on Friday night, and ran seventh in the King’s Royal. We had a great racecar on Saturday, but we just started a long ways back and really ran out of laps.”
August’s Knoxville Nationals started promising with a second place run in the prelim that garnered a fourth row starting spot for the finale. Unfortunately, the team struggled with their setup and were unable to vie for a win in the big show, finishing sixteenth. “To run so good in the prelim, and miss the boat in the A main on Saturday was disappointing,” says Kerry. “It was a little hard to take, but it is what it is. Looking back, you’d like to redo some things again.”
Following the Nationals, the team picked up where it left off before with several podium runs, including a win in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was a bit of a roller coaster ride from there to the end of the season in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The tire change was a big thing,” says Kerry, looking back on the season. “You can’t hide that. There was a lot of inconsistencies from a lot of teams this year. It wasn’t just us. You can sugarcoat it all, but the reality is, I don’t think we achieved what we should have.”
Excitement for 2014 is at a high level, however. “We’re really looking forward to next year, to be honest,” says Kerry. “We’re excited to have our new crew chief, Tyler Swank, on board. I think we will be much more consistent. We’re making changes to achieve that. We’re looking for a stronger year. Tyler is a good leader, and I think he’s the right man for the job.”
Swank comes with a well-regarded reputation in the sport. The former “Mechanic of the Year” with the World of Outlaws has Kerry excited. “I think I have my head around the tires much better, and we’ve made some changes in packages in cars and some of the accessories. Tyler comes with some confidence. He has faith in the team and faith in me as a driver. He’s going to be a great fit for us. He’s not coming in with his own agenda.”
The driver is also thankful for all the members of Keneric Racing. “Bob and Pete (Gavranich) from Keneric give us great resources,” says Kerry. “We’re working hard towards next year. We want to make another step every year with this organization. Brian Morrison (Morrison Motors) is working hard on our motor package as well. We know we have areas to work on. We need to bring that consistency up, and win more races. That’s up to everyone within the team.”
Kerry plans to work hard at Keneric Racing headquarters in Knoxville, Iowa this winter in preparation for next season. Right now, tentative plans have him racing a handful of events in mid-January “Down Under”.
Follow Keneric Racing & Kerry Madsen on Facebook and Twitter!
Keneric Racing
www.KenericRacing.com
http://www.facebook.com/kenericracing
http://twitter.com/kenericracing
Kerry Madsen
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Official-Fan-Page-for-Kerry-Madsen/101145169933686
http://twitter.com/kmr29
To receive Kerry’s Releases, send an e-mail to [email protected] with “Madsen” in the subject line!
Kerry Madsen (KMR) Bob & Peter Gavranich (Keneric Racing)
Earthex (Des Johnstone & Murray Lumsden) Morrison Motors (Brian Morrison) KPC Chassis (Steve Kent)

Kerry in Victory Lane at Eldora Speedway’s “Knight Before the King’s Royal” (Mike Campbell – www.campbellphotos.com)
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
Twitter: @BillWMedia
[email protected]