NEW CASTLE, Ind.—April 9, 2015— A Honda USAC National Midget Series title is all that Tracy Hines is missing to complete a career USAC “Triple Crown” of championships. The quest for that elusive midget title will begin for the veteran driver this weekend as the 2015 Honda USAC National Midget Series campaign kicks off at Kokomo Speedway in his home state of Indiana.
The 2015 edition of the Kokomo Grand Prix for the Honda USAC National Midget Series is set for Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11. A full racing program is set for each night.
“Two nights at Kokomo is a great way to start off the midget season,” said Hines, who drives the Parker Machinery/Powered by Toyota Spike. “The track usually has a few grooves and puts on a great show with the midgets. It’s been a long time since I’ve won a USAC midget race at Kokomo. We were strong there last year in the midget and should stack up pretty well again this year.”
Hines made three starts with the Honda USAC National Midget Series at Kokomo Speedway last year. He finished fifth in the opener of the Kokomo Grand Prix and bettered that by a spot the next night, coming home fourth in the finale of the two-night event. Hines finished second during Indiana Midget Week at Kokomo. He also competed in four nights of racing at the quarter-mile with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series in 2014. Hines won at Kokomo in 2000 with the Honda USAC National Midget Series.
The native of New Castle, Indiana, opens the season with 35 career Honda USAC National Midget Series wins, which is seventh-best all-time. Last season, Hines was victorious with the series at Canyon Speedway Park in the fall. He finished in the top-10 in all 16 dirt races, with 11 of those being top-five performances. Hines also won on the pavement with the Honda USAC National Midget Series at Lucas Oil Raceway in the Night Before the 500.
“We’ve been pretty consistent the last few years in the midget,” said Hines. “We’ve been close in points as well and we really want to get that midget championship. The focus is on winning races and when you do that, the points take care of themselves. We were in the top-five at just about every dirt race last year and if we can convert those to top-threes, the wins will then come.”
Hines has already won in 2015 in a midget, with that coming on January 5 in New Zealand. He opened his stateside season at the annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Oklahoma, where he just missed transferring from the B-main into the 55-lap A-Feature. Hines finished eighth in the Race of Champions earlier that week and was 17th in the preliminary feature on the third qualifying night.
Last weekend, Hines raced at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Indiana, with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series. After getting caught up in a heat race accident that forced him to a back-up car, Hines used a provisional and stormed through the field to finish eighth, after lining up 23rd. He is currently 10th in points with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series.
“With spring finally here, we are at the point where we’ll be racing just about every weekend until the fall, as long as the weather cooperates,” said Hines. “Last weekend was definitely a challenging one for us, but we persevered and were able to come out of there with a decent finish and were able to get a few points, which is what it takes over the course of a long season.”
As he has done for most of his career, Hines will compete full-time in all three USAC national series in 2015. He will also mix in a few winged sprint car starts when his schedule allows.
Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Parker Machinery, Powered by Toyota, Turbines, Inc., Afco Racing Shocks, Schoenfeld, Stanton Racing Engines, Daum Motorsport, Indiana Underground, Hoosier, Bell and Drivin Racing Oil.
For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin and “Like him” on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Tracyhinesracing.
- administrator on Apr 10, 2015
- Article Date: 4/10/2015