Bloomington, Ind.—May 6, 2012 — In addition to a fast car and meticulous preparation, luck plays a big part in racing. Some nights a driver has it on their side and other nights it works against them. Kraig Kinser experienced both the good and the bad side of luck this past weekend at Eldora Speedway during the two-night Outlaw Thunder by Goodyear for the World of Outlaws.
The third-generation driver was able to maneuver his way through a carnage-filled race on Friday, May 4 aboard the Hendrickcars.com Maxim to finish ninth and earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award in the process, after starting 20th. He was not as fortunate on Saturday, May 5, as he suffered a flat left rear tire while running eighth with just two laps remaining in the 30-lap contest.
“It was one of those weekends that we’ll just try to put behind us,” said Kinser. “The last two weeks, we’ve gone to the biggest two tracks on our circuit, in terms or big races — Knoxville and Eldora, and struggled a little bit. We’ll start fresh at those tracks next time we go to them.”
Kinser lined up 20th in the feature on Friday night at Eldora, in an event that saw four cautions and two red flag periods. The 2004 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner was able to gain 10 positions over the final 11 laps of the race, including picking up several spots with six laps remaining, when the top-four running cars were all involved in an accident.
“When the big wreck happened, I was a little further back, so I had some time to maneuver around,” noted Kinser. “It kind of worked out in our favor and we were able to gain quite a few spots in the late going and ended up with a respectable finish in our Hendrickcars.com Maxim.”
The 2005 winner of the Knoxville Nationals was 20th in time trials in the opener at Eldora and finished sixth in the fourth heat race, coming up just one spot short of transferring to the main event. Kinser won the B-Main to earn a starting spot on the outside of the 10th row in the 30-lap main event.
Kinser used a strong charge to come from the fifth starting spot in the first heat race on Saturday night to finish second and earn a spot in the dash. He lined up 10th in the dash and gained two spots, which slotted him on the outside of the fourth row for the 30-lap main event. After gaining a position on the initial start, the native of Bloomington, Ind. ran seventh for most of the first half of the main event. He was running eighth with just two laps remaining, when he lost a left rear tire, which sent him to the work area. After getting the tire changed, he restarted 17th and was able to gain one position on the double-file restart, and wound up finishing 16th.
“We were all right in the feature, but not really good enough to run anyone down and pass them,” shared Kinser. “I ran the same line the whole race, and unfortunately the tire let go late in that one, and it was just not the end to the night that we were hoping for.”
Kinser, who is currently fifth in the World of Outlaws championship standings on the strength of 11 Top-10 finishes in 15 races, returns to action on Wednesday, May 9 at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa. for the Gettysburg Clash, followed by two nights of racing at the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12.
“It was definitely good to get both nights in over the weekend at Eldora,” said Kinser. “With the stretch of races we have coming up, you certainly want to be sharp and on your game. As a driver, this is the time of the year you enjoy most, when you are racing three and four times a week.”
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Eldora Speedway
0.5- Miles around Eldora Speedway
5- Current position in the World of Outlaws championship standings
7- Nights of racing in the state of Ohio this season for the World of Outlaws
9- Events contested on half-mile tracks thus far in 2012 for the World of Outlaws
9.1- Average starting position in A-Feature events with the series this season
9.7- Average finishing position in A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws this year
10- Appearances in the dash this season; Career Top-10 finishes with the World of Outlaws at Eldora
11- Top-10 finishes this season
13.158- Laps in time trials on Friday night at Eldora
13.453- Lap in time trials on Saturday night
15- A-Feature events completed by the World of Outlaws through May 5
37- Career feature starts with the World of Outlaws at Eldora, including preliminary features
1998- Points earned through May 5
28,050- Dollars earned through May 5
Up Next
May 9: Lincoln Speedway, Abbottstown, Pa.
May 11: Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
May 12: Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
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Tune in
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- Admin Account on May 07, 2012
- Article Date: 5/6/2012 by Kraig Kinser Racing PR