(Bill W) March 14, 2012 – Kerry Madsen entered the World of Outlaws western swing hoping to gain some consistency, and he emerged from last weekend with a solid top five run to show for it. After a 13th place finish after a crash at Las Vegas on Thursday, he rebounded in Perris, California with a fifth place run on Saturday. This weekend, the WoO heads to the Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, California for a two-night run.
Things started Thursday in Las Vegas and Kerry timed in eleventh in the 26-car field. He won from the pole in his heat race. “We qualified well and went o.k. in our heat,” he says. “We had a reasonable run (starting ninth) going in the feature around the tenth mark. I got into a bad position on a double-file restart, and we tipped over.”
Despite the crash, Kerry was able to continue after a trip to the work area and climbed back to 13th. “Surprisingly, it went over a couple of times, but the only thing gone was the wing,” he says. “We got in the work area and the guys put a new one on. We got out there and a couple of things went right, but it was a shock to get a thirteenth place finish when you have been on your head. I guess we got a little luck in Vegas! We weren’t perfect, but we would have had a reasonable result if I hadn’t gotten in the wreck.”
The series moved on to the Perris Auto Speedway in California on Saturday. The Keneric Racing #29 was fourth quick. “We made a few little changes for Perris on Saturday, and we qualified well,” says Kerry. “We went out early and it was a little greasy, but we were able to put a good time down. The communication between (crew chief) Rob (Hart) and I is getting good. We were strong in the heat (2nd) and the Dash (3rd).”
The St. Mary’s, New South Wales, Australia native ran with the leaders for the entirety of the main event. “We ran strong,” says Kerry, who ended up fifth. “We were running predominantly in third most of the race. We got a bad start on the restarts a couple of times, but we were quite happy with the results. It was our first top five of the year, and we were solid every time out. There were no flukes, and I think we’re on the right track.”
The run was a confidence builder for Kerry. “We had a solid car all night, and I think at this point, we can fine-tune some things between Rob and I,” he says. “I’m really excited about the rest of the year. You can’t get super-enthusiastic over one race, but I’m excited.”
Tulare looms this Friday and Saturday. “I’m always fast there, but I never have won,” says Kerry of the California bullring. “We’ve got (co-owner) Bob Gavranich coming in, along with Des Johnstone (Earthex Logistics) for Tulare and Chico. We’d like to be fast for them and get some reasonable results. Tulare is similar to Perris, so we should be close. We are going there to win, but with the Outlaws right now, we’re aiming for top fives like we had at Perris. That’s what we’re after right now.”
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Follow Kerry Madsen at his website located at www.KenericRacing.com! Also keep up with him on Facebook and Twitter (which also can be accessed at the website) at the following links…
Facebook link = http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Official-Fan-Page-for-Kerry-Madsen/101145169933686
Twitter link = http://twitter.com/#!/kmr29
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