Bloomington, Ind.—May 14, 2012 — Sprint cars have always been known for their sheer speed, due to their lightweight construction and high horsepower output. Nowhere is this equation more evident than on “big tracks,” those a half-mile or larger in length. Three such venues are Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York, Orange County Fair Speedway in New York, and Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland, the next three stops for Kraig Kinser, as the World of Outlaws first East Coast swing of the season hits its second week.
Kinser will take to the track in the Hendrickcars.com Maxim on Wednesday, May 16 at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y., followed by a stop at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., on Saturday, May 19 and an event at Hagerstown Speedway on Sunday, May 20.
“The tracks in New York are all pretty unique,” said Kinser. “It takes a lot of horsepower out there, so you have to have your engine running well. We’ve always done pretty good at those tracks in the past and have some good notes to go off. I’m looking forward to another week with three races.”
In his debut at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, Kinser finished 10th in the 25-lap main event. He has made a total of six starts at the 5/8-mile in his career, picking up three Top-10 finishes, including a career-best fourth-place showing in 2010. That race saw the third-generation driver take the lead at the start and pace the first 16 circuits, before his father and eventual winner Steve Kinser moved into the top spot. The younger Kinser finished 13th last season at Rolling Wheels during Super DIRT Week.
“I’ve led laps at Rolling Wheels and usually feel pretty comfortable there,” said Kinser. “We used to race there in the spring and the last few years we have gone there in the fall. This year we’ll race there in the spring and fall, so hopefully some of what we learn this time helps us when we go back later in the season. The weather will probably be a little different this week versus when we are there in October.”
The native of Bloomington, Ind., also made his debut at Orange County Fair Speedway in 2004, finishing seventh in his first start at the track. He was seventh-fastest in time trials that night, and followed that up with a third-place finish in the heat race and a fourth-place showing in the second dash. Kinser has raced twice with the World of Outlaws at the historic track located in Middletown, N.Y., in his career.
“It’s been a few years since we’ve been to Orange County, so we’ll have to see how the surface compares to last time we were there,” noted Kinser. “That’s another track that is similar to Rolling Wheels and track position and starting position is always important there. Just like most nights nowadays, getting into the dash and starting in the first few rows is very important.”
Kinser took to the half-mile at Hagerstown Speedway for the first time in 2004 as well, coming home sixth in that 25-lap contest, after opening the night as the third-fastest driver in time trials. He finished fifth in the first heat race to earn a spot in the first dash, where he finished fifth. The 2004 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner returned to Hagerstown the following year and finished seventh in the main event, after turning the fourth-fastest lap in time trials.
“There will be some tough competition at Hagerstown, as some of the Pennsylvania guys will come down,” Kinser said. “They run there a couple of times each season, and it’s been a quite a few years since we’ve been there, so we’ll have to make the most of hot laps and try to get up to speed as quick as we can.”
The first East Coast swing of 2012 began for Kinser at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa., on Wednesday, May 9, with a 24th-place finish. In the opener of the two-night event at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday, May 11, the third-generation driver came home 19th. He wrapped up the weekend at Williams Grove on Saturday, May 12 with a 14th-place showing.
Kinser heads into the three upcoming races sixth in the World of Outlaws championship standings, just 12 markers out of the fifth position. He is one of just six drivers that has double digit Top-10 finishes with the series this season, checking in with 11 finishes of 10th or better. The pilot of the Hendrickcars.com Maxim has also set fast time twice this season and raced his way into the dash on 10 occasions.
“We’ve had some bad luck and kind of gotten into a rut the last couple of weekends and I look forward to getting back on track,” shared Kinser. “We started the year off on a strong note and certainly showed what we are capable of. My crew chief Mikey (Kuemper) is working hard and we are confident we’ll get back to where we were a few weeks ago.”
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, Orange County Fair Speedway & Hagerstown Speedway
0.5- Miles around Hagerstown Speedway
0.675- Miles around Orange County Fair Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park
1- Race in the state of Maryland this season for the World of Outlaws
2- Top-Five finishes at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park; Career starts at Orange County Fair Speedway; Career starts at Hagerstown Speedway
3- Nights of racing in New York this season for the series; Career Top-10 finishes at Rolling Wheels
6- Career feature events starts at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park
6.5- Average finish in two main event starts at Hagerstown Speedway
9.7- Average finish in six main event starts at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park
10.5- Average finish in two main event starts at Orange County Fair Speedway
11- Top-10 finishes this season
16- Laps led at Rolling Wheels in 2010
18- Main events contested by the World of Outlaws through May 12
208- Miles from Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y. where the World of Outlaws compete on May 16 to Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y.
267- Miles from Orange County Fair Speedway where the World of Outlaws compete on May 19 to Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland
283- Miles from Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. where the World of Outlaws competed on May 11–12 to Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y.
2004- Year of first start at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, Orange County Fair Speedway and Hagerstown Speedway
2324- Points earned through May 12
29,560 Dollars earned through May 12
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- Admin Account on May 14, 2012
- Article Date: 5/14/2012 by Kraig Kinser Racing PR