Bloomington, Ind.—Oct. 14, 2012— Running 40 laps at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo., is a challenging task itself, let alone turning 95 laps in a single day against the best sprint car drivers in the world. That’s exactly what Kraig Kinser did on Saturday afternoon and evening at the high-banked one-third-mile bullring just outside of St. Louis, as the World of Outlaws completed the Ironman 55, which was postponed by rain in August, as well as running the Spring Classic that was rained out back in April. When the final checkered flag of the grueling day/night flew, Kinser found himself with a pair of Top-Five finishes aboard the Hendrickcars.com Maxim.
Kinser started sixth in the Ironman 55 and ran among the top-seven for the duration of the 55-lap contest, which is the longest race on the World of Outlaws schedule. In the nightcap, he lined up 13th and finished fifth, steadily working his way forward in a caution-plagued 40-lap main event that saw the yellow and red flags fly a total of seven times.
“It was a great day, being able to finish in the Top-Five in both races,” said Kinser. “To run that many laps in one day is definitely a testament to our team and how hard everyone works to make sure we are prepared and have the car ready to go. There was a lot going on during both races, and to stay out of trouble and to not be involved in any of the accidents took a little luck as well. We have some momentum going into Charlotte and really want to end the year on a high note.”
Kinser was scheduled to start seventh for the completion of the Ironman 55, but moved up a spot since the driver slotted to roll off on the outside of the front row was not able to return for the race. The third-generation driver fell back to seventh on the start and ran in that position for the first 15 laps until the first red flag of the afternoon flew. At that time he moved up two spots, after the second-place running car spun to avoid the accident and the third-place driver was forced to the work area with a flat tire. On the ensuing restart, Kinser moved up to fourth and ran there for several laps until the next restart on the 22nd circuit.
At the halfway point of the Ironman 55 Kinser was running fifth. The final 10 laps saw two red flags and a caution period, giving the native of Bloomington, Ind., three more restarts to improve his position. He fell back to sixth on one of the restarts and then moved back into fifth with just five laps remaining and would come home in that position to earn his 19th Top-Five finish of the season.
“You kind of had to be patient out there, but aggressive at the same time,” he shared. “We had the open red flag and put fuel in, so it took a few laps to get a good feel again as the fuel began to burn off. For the most part, the car was pretty consistent throughout all 55 laps. I’ve always run pretty well during the Ironman 55 and it’s an event I really enjoy.”
Kinser had his work cut out for him in the nightcap, as he took the grid on the inside of the seventh row for the 40-lap A-Feature. In the early going he dropped back a few spots and was running 16th when the second caution of the night flew. He would restart 15th after one of the cars ahead of him caused the caution, and would gain another spot when the green flag flew. Kinser found himself 13th at the halfway point and methodically worked his way forward over the final 20 laps. He moved into the Top-10 on a lap-24 restart and used a strong launch on a green-white-checker restart to go from eighth to fifth.
“That late-race restart was huge,” explained Kinser. “I was able to get a couple of spots on it and then one more on the last lap. At a place like Pevely you definitely have to take advantage of restarts and use the circumstances to your advantage. To run 95 laps in one day and not be involved in a single caution, and be able to push the car on the trailer in one piece, that was a feat in itself. It was a busy day for sure, but well worth it.”
Kinser is currently sixth in the World of Outlaws championship standings, on the strength of four wins, and 44 Top-10 finishes, of which 20 are Top-Five performances. After a couple of weeks off, he’ll return to action in the season-ending PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by NAPA Auto Parts, Nov. 1–3 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C.
“We’ll spend a lot of time in the shop over the next two weeks getting ready for Charlotte,” he said. “We’re also starting to get ready for next season as well, since the off-season goes by faster and faster each year. It will be nice to have a few days to regroup and then end the year with World Finals in Charlotte, which is always a great event.”
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55
0.333- Miles around Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55
5- Career Top-Five finishes at Pevely
7- Fast time honors earned this season
8- Career Top-10 finishes at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55
9.3- Average finish this season in main events with the World of Outlaws
9.7- Average starting position in A-Feature events in 2012
10.705- Lap in time trials on Aug. 4 to set fast time for the Ironman 55
10.748- Lap in time trials on Saturday night
12.3- Average finish in 17 main event starts at Federated Auto Raceway at I-55
17- Career starts at Pevely
20- Top-Five finishes earned this season
44- Top-10 finishes through Oct. 13
9153- Points earned through Oct. 13
Up Next
Nov. 1: The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Concord, N.C.
Nov. 2: The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Concord, N.C.
Nov. 3: The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Concord, N.C.
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- Admin Account on Oct 14, 2012
- Article Date: 10/14/2012 by Kraig Kinser Racing PR