Ian Madsen, a native of St. Marys, New South Wales, Australia announced his retirement from sprint car racing Thursday.
Madsen, who won the 2014 Knoxville Track Championship and took home Rookie of the Year honors with the World of Outlaws in 2018, said that he had been stuck at “proverbial for in the road” after the past two or three seasons.
Here is his full statement:
“It is with great sadness that today after 20 years, I am announcing my retirement from sprintcar racing. This was not an easy decision. Perhaps, the most difficult of my life.
I arrived at this decision for a myriad of reasons. After the completion of the last 2-3 seasons, I have been stuck at the proverbial fork in the road. This time felt different; like a receding glacier, we all know this will come one day. Still, it doesn’t make it easier. I do not know a world outside of racing, nor do I know if I will have anything to offer my new world. This is both terrifying and exciting for me.
In racing, I have experienced the vast array of all the emotions life has to offer. Triumph, tragedy, and everything in between. A great man once said, ‘scratch a cynic at the surface, and you will find a disappointed idealist.’ I hope this decision will help me discover the once youthful idealist.
While I did not accomplish all I wanted to in racing, I still have a lot I am proud of. Which made me want to finish with this: Of all sad words tongue and pen, the saddest are these ‘might have been.’
Thank you to everyone!”
