In July 2014 at the famed Eldora Speedway, Australia’s very own Kerry Madsen was crowned a King, having just taken out the prestigious King’s Royal when he led home the very best Sprintcar drivers in the world, saluting the judge ahead of Donny Schatz and David Gravel.

In becoming the first Australian to capture a King’s Royal Crown, Madsen did it emphatically having been so close to triumph on more than one occasion previously. He set quick time in qualifying, defied the heat race inversion to finish second behind Steve Kinser and then maneuvered his way to the race lead in the 40 lap feature having started from position seven.

Following the King’s Royal, if there was any doubt as to whether King Kerry was in fact one of Sprintcar Racing’s elite, the Knoxville Nationals definitely put it out there for all to see.

The Keneric Racing, American Racing Custom Wheels, Earthex Logistics, GWM Products backed team again were one of the star attractions.

Madsen’s qualifying night consisted of setting the second fastest qualifying run of the night behind quick timer Paul McMahan. Kerry then again absorbed all of the pressure of the eight-car heat inversion to finish second having started from position eight. This locked him directly into the Wednesday night A-Main.

Another strong run through the A-Main would see him finish 3rd having started from position seven with only Brian Brown and Sam Hafertape Jnr ahead of him, this would guarantee Madsen a Knoxville Nationals A-main start come Saturday night.

That Saturday A-Main would once again prove to be an amazing feature race with Kerry running the wheels off the Keneric Racing number 29 as he powered to a third place finish behind Donny Schatz and Brown.

Yet another accolade as Madsen became the first Australian to stand upon the podium at the conclusion of the Knoxville Nationals! 2014 was most definitely becoming a watershed year for Kerry and Keneric Racing.

Now Kerry will return for the 43rd Lucas Oil Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at an event that he made his own over a four-year stretch from 2005 to 2008 which yielded Madsen three Classic Crowns!

Aside from his three victories, which were punctuated by the infamous 2006 wash out, Madsen has also recorded a second place finish in 2004 and a pair of third place finishes in 2009 and 2012, in 2014 Kerry finished fifth.

In short Kerry Madsen’s record simply speaks for itself and he is a very welcome addition to the 2015 Lucas Oil Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic.

Joining Kerry Madsen in the ever-increasing field will be reigning Avalon Raceway Track Champion Shaun Dobson, West Aussie Kris Coyle and the evergreen John Vogels.

Dobson, who recorded a strong fourth place finish on his qualifying night in 2014, will be looking to improve on his final night result of 16th in B-Main 1, bringing a strong package and plenty of support to the 2015 Classic.

With David Dickson and Essendon Ford on board along with Road and River Motorcycles, Gibbs Trans, Husqvarna Motorcycles and Cool Chassis the ACT21 of Shaun Dobson is certainly one of the young up and coming stars of the Sprintcar ranks and one well worth keeping an eye on during the Classic.

Kris Coyle is another of the West Australian’s set to embark on the journey across the Nullabor as he embarks on his Classic journey.

The hard charger will again pilot the W56 entry and will have the support of SJ Crushing, Mandurah Bolt Supplies, Lubrimaxx and Transcoat Engineering.

Ever popular former Eureka Garages and Sheds Series and Victorian Champion John Vogels will be back at the Classic come January.

Vogels endured a hectic 2014 Classic, transferring from the final nights C-Main to eventually finishing 13th in the first of the two B-Mains as a part of the Sunday night program.

The Simpson based Motor Mechanic will again enjoy strong family support for what is the biggest race of the year as well as having a strong base of sponsors including Mainline Dynalog Dynamometers, Lucas Oil, D&J Contracting, Vogels Motors, Coogee Methanol, Ian White Electrical and Colac Body Works all on board.

As the nominations continue to roll in all teams intending on competing are urged to get their entries in at their earliest convenience to allow for the seeding of nights and pit allocation to take place as soon as possible.

The 43rd Lucas Oil Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic as supported by Oval Express Magazine, GJ Gardner Homes, KRE Race Engines and the Lady Bay Resort Warrnambool will be held at Premier Speedway on January 23, 24 & 25, 2015.

End Release.