Profile On: Kerry Madsen!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Kerry Madsen, #55 410 Sprint
By Joanne Cram
37 year old Sydney, Australia’s Kerry Madsen has called Knoxville, Iowa home for the past ten years, with his wife, Tina. He first arrived on the Knoxville scene in 1999, where he has been a fixture on the track off and on over these past ten years. This full time racer has a packed racing schedule in two countries spanning twelve months. Luckily for Madsen, the racing season Down Under is almost exactly opposite of the racing season in the US. Kerry is able to race a full season from March through late September in America, then return home to Australia to run a full racing season late September through early March. With all this racing, Kerry is a busy guy!
Madsen began his racing career as a young boy watching the races in Australia. Kerry remembers loving watching all kinds of racing growing up. When he was eight years old, his father, Joe began racing late models. Kerry, his brother, Ian and dad attended a few sprint car races, and they were hooked. Joe decided to move on to sprints, and he began running those with some success and had a few wins. When Kerry was 20 years old, he decided he wanted to give racing a go. Joe and Kerry raced a couple years with a two car team, until Joe decided to give it up and let Kerry concentrate on his racing career.
Kerry focused all his attention and energy on racing in Australia and was able to race full time. He had great success down under- and began having dreams to come to the US to race here. Kerry had been coming with his dad on a few trips to the US since the mid 1980’s and had a taste of the sprint car racing over here. He knew he wanted to be a part of it. So in the mid 1990’s, Kerry’s dream came true and he made it to the US to race with the All Stars in Ohio. Madsen was only over here a few months per season, so did not complete the full season with the All Stars, but was able to put a good run together while over here.
1999 was Madsen’s first season at Knoxville. Again, he was able to ship his motors over here and get cars together here in the US. Kerry partnered up with Wayne Simmons of the former Twister Chassis. On his second race here, Madsen won his first feature. It was clear that Kerry Madsen would be a driver to beat on the famed half mile.
In his second season at Knoxville, Madsen hooked up with Al Parker and Mike Proffit to drive their number 2 sprint for half a season.
2001 was Kerry’s first full season running at Knoxville for points. He teamed up with Steve Gunder to run his #82 sprint and they finished 3rd overall. The following two seasons were again in the Gunder #82, running mainly Knoxville points races and a few other races close to Knoxville. They finished 3rd again in points for 2002, and moved into 2nd in points in 2003. That last season with Gunder was also a career highlight for Madsen after he was quick time at the Nationals and made the A scramble. Kerry continued to return to Australia mid September through March to run with the Australian circuit. Highlights from his Australian racing career include winning the Grand Annual Classic three times- which is the Australian version of the Nationals in Warrnabool, Victoria; and was the winner of the 2003 Australian Championship.
2004 brought Madsen and the #55 TK Concrete car together. Again, Madsen ran mainly Knoxville and a few other races close to the area, and got 5th in points. The following season, the team won the points championship.
In 2006, Madsen teamed up with Dave Helm’s Selma Shell team to run the National Sprint Tour. They had a fairly successful year and ran 10th in points.
2007 found Madsen on the World of Outlaw Tour in the Selma Shell car again, where he ran 13th in points, and received the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year title. The team won a few Outlaw races that season as well.
The following season of 2008 brought Vermeer and Madsen back together again, but this time running the World of Outlaws. They got 6th in points and Kerry won the World Challenge Race during the Knoxville Nationals.
This season began on the World of Outlaws tour for the Vermeer team, but due to budget constraints, the team decided to race closer to their Pella home base. Madsen is again back at Knoxville weekly, which he hopes will be an advantage for his Knoxville Nationals hopes. Kerry is hoping for a Nationals win of course, and hopes to return to the World of Outlaws tour next season.
Sponsors of the #55 include TK Concrete and VRP Shocks. The TK Concrete crew consists of owner, Tony Vermeer, crew chief, Matt Barbara, as well as brother Ian and Joe Van Hemert. Kerry appreciates how good everyone has been to him here in America over the past ten years he’s been here.
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