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SOUTHERN
SHORT TRACK RACING NEWS
| Saturday, October 4, 2008 | | Kraig Kinser Claims Inaugural World of Outlaws Event at North Central Speedway | By Tony Veneziano, World of Outlaws PR Director
Brainerd, MN- October 3, 2008-Kraig Kinser used a little bit of every element that is important to winning a race on Friday night, in the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series inaugural event at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minnesota.
He used a strong start to gain a spot on the opening lap to move into third, and then was patient as the leaders hit lapped traffic early in the race. He also used some perseverance as he battled Lucas Wolfe for a number of laps for the second position. In addition to this, he had a little luck in his side as Joey Saldana had mechanical trouble while leading, which gave him the top spot. Lastly and probably the most important, his car continued to get faster as the race wore on, especially in lapped traffic, which helped him ultimately pick up his second A-Feature win of the season.
The $10,000 victory was the ninth of his career with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and his second this season aboard the Bass Pro Shops Maxim for Tony Stewart Racing.
"It feels good," Kinser said. "We had a really good car all night. I am happy for this whole Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team. We were a little off in the dash, but we found what we needed for the feature. We're back on track and it feels really good."
Kraig Kinser started fourth and got around his father, 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser on the first lap, both on the initial start and the complete restarted that was necessitated after an opening lap accident involving Chad Kemenah and Danny Lasoski.
After battling Wolfe for a number of laps, Kraig Kinser dove under him exiting the fourth turn on the 19th lap, making the pass for the second spot right before the pair crossed the start finish line, the same lap that Saldana's night would come to an end while leading. The pass then became the deciding factor in the race.
"I know that Lucas (Wolfe) wants to get that win," the younger Kinser said. "I caught him in traffic and got by and then Joey (Saldana) broke. Having clean track helped, but I think I was a little better than Lucas in traffic anyway. I wasn't sure if I had beaten Lucas back to the line (before the caution) and had to make sure that I was leading,"
Kinser began the night by winning the third heat race to earn a spot in the Crane Cams Dash in his debut at the track. He finished fourth in the dash to earn a second row starting spot for the 35-lap contest. He led the final 16 laps of the race en route to the win.
"It does equalize it a little bit (when everyone visits a track for the first time), but these guys are the best in the country for a reason," explained the third generation driver. "They adapt really well and really quick. It wasn't going to be a total advantage for anyone. If the car is rolling well you're going to be quick."
Wolfe led the first seven laps of the race, and was out front on the initial start and the complete restart. He wound up second in the Allebach Racing Maxim to earn his second consecutive runner-up finish as he chases his first World of Outlaws win. Wolfe has started on the front row in three consecutive events and now has eight Top-10 finishes this season, with two consecutive runner-up performances.
"We've been running good, and I think we have consistently been running good for about the last 10 races or so," said Wolfe. "We are up where we need to be and are continuing to improve. This is our best result on a tight track of this nature. We are getting better at that, and those are all good things for the future."
Early in the race, Wolfe jumped out to about a six car length lead over Saldana before the leaders entered lapped traffic on the sixth lap. They were nearly three-wide with a lapped car as they came off the fourth turn on the fifth lap. On the eighth lap, Saldana dove under Wolfe exiting turn four in heavy traffic to take the lead. Wolfe fought back and retook the lead heading into turns one and two, with Saldana reclaiming the top spot as the duo motored down the back straightaway.
"We are racing good guys up there," said the first-year driver. "I was able to beat Joey (Saldana) off the start and got to lapped first, which isn't always a good thing. He was able to get me, and we just weren't quite good enough in lapped traffic. We just didn't make the right move at the right time. Kraig (Kinser) was able to then get me on the bottom right after that. I'm happy to be racing with those guys and hopefully we can do that for the remainder of the season."
The final caution of the night flew with seven laps remaining, giving Wolfe one more shot to make a run at Kinser. He looked low in turns one and two on the restart and nearly pulled even with the leader, but was not quite able to make a pass.
"I figured with seven laps to go we wouldn't get back into traffic again," the native of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania said. "I got a restart with about 16 to go and got around the bottom pretty good and it wasn't as good on top. I thought if he got up there a little bit, that it may open the door, but he was able to momentum around me. I got up to him, but wasn't able to get by him."
Steve Kinser finished third in the Q Oil Maxim, to earn his 28th Top-Five finish of the season. He challenged his son a couple of times early in the race for the third position, before falling back a little bit while running fourth. He too gained a spot when Saldana fell out of the race.
"I didn't quite have enough on that last restart to catch them," he said. "I didn't get the restart I wanted. I had a good seat to watch that race up there between those guys."
Terry McCarl finished fourth aboard the Big Game Treestands Maxim to pick up his 26th Top-10 finish of the season. Kerry Madsen was fifth in the TK Concrete Maxim to earn his 36th Top-10 finishes of the season.
Paul McMahan started 11th after racing his way into the A-Feature by winning the B-Main, and wound up sixth in the Casey's General Stores Maxim. Donny Schatz finished seventh aboard the Armor All J&J. Jason Meyers, who started the night by setting a new track record in time trials en route to his 13th quick time honor of the season was eighth on Friday night in the GLR Investments KPC.
Jac Haudenschild was ninth in the Owens-Corning Fiberglass Maxim. Chad Kemenah battled his way to a 10th place showing in the Kantor Oil Company Maxim, after getting caught up in a first lap accident that sent him to the work area for a new front axle which ultimately put him at the back of the field for the complete restart.
The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action on Saturday, October 4 at Princeton Speedway for the PolyDome Princeton National.
NORTH CENTRAL SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK * FAST QUALIFIER: Jason Meyers paced the 25 cars that took time with a record setting AMB i.t. timed lap around the semi-banked 3/8-mile oval at 12.820 seconds at 93.510 mph. For his qualifying effort, Meyers earned five bonus points. The next four fastest qualifiers also earned bonus points, including: Danny Lasoski (4), Kerry Madsen (3), Chad Blonde (2), and Paul McMahan (1).
* QUALIFYING WINNERS: Joey Saldana, Danny Lasoski and Kraig Kinser won heat races... Joey Saldana won the Crane Cams Dash... Paul McMahan won the B-Main. * FEATURE WINNERS: There have been 56 Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-Feature events held in 2008. The winners include: Donny Schatz (Knoxville Raceway-twice, Attica Raceway Park, Eldora Speedway, Tri-City Speedway, Sedalia's State Fair Speedway, Dodge City Raceway Park, River Cities Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway, Riverside International Speedway, Williams Grove Speedway, K-C Raceway, Cottage Grove Speedway and Clay County Fair Speedway), Jason Meyers (Volusia Speedway Park, Manzanita Speedway, I-55 Raceway, Lernerville Speedway, Virginia Motor Speedway, Limaland Motorsports Park, Nodak Speedway and Castrol Raceway), Craig Dollansky (Volusia Speedway Park, Eldora Speedway, Huset's Speedway-twice, Eagle Raceway, Tri-State Speedway and Paducah International Raceway), Steve Kinser (Williams Grove Speedway, Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, Lernerville Speedway, I-96 Speedway, Charter Raceway Park and Dacotah Speedway), Joey Saldana (Dodge City Raceway Park, Eldora Speedway-twice, Billings Motorsports Park and Skagit Speedway), Jac Haudenschild (Castrol Raceway, Silver Dollar Speedway, Lucas Oil Speedway and Lebanon Valley Speedway), Daryn Pittman (Eldora Speedway, Williams Grove Speedway, Wilmot Speedway and Red River Valley Speedway), Kraig Kinser (Grays Harbor Raceway and North Central Speedway), Tony Bruce Jr. (34 Raceway), Lance Dewease (The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway), Danny Lasoski (Volusia Speedway Park), Terry McCarl (Orange County Fair Speedway), Jason Solwold (Skagit Speedway) and Shane Stewart (Knoxville Raceway).
*PRELIMINARY FEATURE WINNERS: There have been two Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Preliminary Feature events held in 2008. The winners include Craig Dollansky (Silver Dollar Speedway) and Jason Meyers (Silver Dollar Speedway.
*3/8-MILE WINNERS: North Central Speedway is a semi-banked 3/8-mile oval. The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series has raced 19 times on a track that size this season. The winners include: Donny Schatz (Tri-City Speedway, Dodge City Raceway Park, Cedar Lake Speedway, K-C Raceway and Clay County Fair Speedway), Craig Dollansky (Huset's Speedway-twice and Paducah International Raceway), Jac Haudenschild (Castrol Raceway and Lucas Oil Speedway), Kraig Kinser (Grays Harbor Raceway and North Central Speedway), Jason Meyers (Nodak Speedway and Castrol Raceway), Joey Saldana (Dodge City Raceway Park and Billings Motorsports Park), Tony Bruce Jr. (34 Raceway), Steve Kinser (Dacotah Speedway) and Daryn Pittman (Wilmot Speedway).
* ON THE WEB: The Official Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Web site is at http://www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint. Among the features are updated driver biographies with individual statistics and pictures, race-by-race statistics, detailed track information and race coverage, series news and team press releases. Also, links to the 2008 Official Rulebook can be found at the bottom of the home page.
* ON TELEVISION: The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to television on Saturday, November 1 LIVE on SPEED at 8 p.m. Eastern with the Vault World Finals from The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway.
* LISTEN ONLINE: If fans can't get to a track to see the series, they can experience the excitement of the World of Outlaws live on DIRTVision.com through the DIRT Radio Network. To listen to the audio broadcasts, log on to www.DIRTVision.com and click on the DIRT Radio Network logo. Listeners will need Windows Media Player 9 or higher to listen to the DIRT Radio Network. For technical support or questions, e-mail webmaster@DIRTVision.com.
* UP NEXT: The PolyDome Princeton National at Princeton Speedway in Minnesota on Saturday, October 4.
* UPCOMING EVENTS: The series final trip west of the season, beginning at Hollywood Hills Speedway in New Mexico on October 11 and 12, followed by a weekend in California at Ocean Speedway and Thunderbowl Raceway.
Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; North Central Speedway; Brainerd, MN; October 3, 2008 Qualifying 1) 14-Jason Meyers 12.820 2) 33-Danny Lasoski 12.854 3) 55-Kerry Madsen 12.856 4) 5B-Chad Blonde 12.865 5) 6-Paul McMahan 12.902 6) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 12.987 7) 9-Joey Saldana 12.990 8) 8K-Chad Kemenah 13.019 9) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 13.054 10) 24-Terry McCarl 13.066 11) 11-Steve Kinser 13.068 12) 20-Kraig Kinser 13.079 13) R19-Jac Haudenschild 13.105 14) 15-Donny Schatz 13.125 15) 7S-Jason Sides 13.249 16) 21-Daryn Pittman 13.278 17) 5C-Chad Hillier 13.330 18) 18-Tony Bruce Jr. 13.330 19) 56-Davey Heskin 13.364 20) 2-Brooke Tatnell 13.390 21) 17B-Bill Balog 13.446 22) 23W-Scott Winters 13.631 23) K9-Troy Manteufel 13.963 24) 29-Leigh Thomas 14.149 25) 3TK-Tony Kaus 14.913 26) 67X-Justin Berg -.---
Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 9-Joey Saldana 2) 24-Terry McCarl 3) 14-Jason Meyers 4) 5B-Chad Blonde 5) 21-Daryn Pittman 6) R19-Jac Haudenschild 7) 23W-Scott Winters 8) 56-Davey Heskin 9) 3TK-Tony Kaus
Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 33-Danny Lasoski 2) 11-Steve Kinser 3) 8K-Chad Kemenah 4) 2-Brooke Tatnell 5) 15-Donny Schatz 6) 5C-Chad Hillier 7) 6-Paul McMahan 8) K9-Troy Manteufel 9) 67X-Justin Berg
Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 20-Kraig Kinser 2) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 3) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 4) 55-Kerry Madsen 5) 7S-Jason Sides 6) 18-Tony Bruce Jr. 7) 17B-Bill Balog 8) 29-Leigh Thomas
Crane Cams Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature)
1) 9-Joey Saldana 2) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 3) 11-Steve Kinser 4) 20-Kraig Kinser 5) 24-Terry McCarl 6) 14-Jason Meyers 7) 33-Danny Lasoski 8) 55-Kerry Madsen 9) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
10) 5B-Chad Blonde B-main (8 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to A-feature)
1) 6-Paul McMahan 2) 56-Davey Heskin 3) 17B-Bill Balog 4) 23W-Scott Winters 5) K9-Troy Manteufel 6) 29-Leigh Thomas 7) 3TK-Tony Kaus [$200] 8) 67X-Justin Berg [$180]
A-main (35 laps) - Starting Position [#] 1) 20-Kraig Kinser[4] [$10,000] 2) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[2] [$5,500] 3) 11-Steve Kinser[3] [$3,200] 4) 24-Terry McCarl[5] [$2,800] 5) 55-Kerry Madsen[8] [$2,500] 6) 6-Paul McMahan[11] [$2,300] 7) 15-Donny Schatz[14] [$2,200] 8) 14-Jason Meyers[6] [$2,100] 9) R19-Jac Haudenschild[13] [$2,050] 10) 8K-Chad Kemenah[12] [$2,000] 11) 21-Daryn Pittman[16] [$1,500] 12) 5B-Chad Blonde[10] [$1,200] 13) 7S-Jason Sides[15] [$1,100] 14) 2-Brooke Tatnell[20] [$1,050] 15) 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[18] [$1,000] 16) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[9] [$900] 17) 5C-Chad Hillier[17] [$800] 18) 17B-Bill Balog[21] [$800] 19) 23W-Scott Winters[22] [$800] 20) 56-Davey Heskin[19] [$800] 21) K9-Troy Manteufel[23] [$800] 22) 29-Leigh Thomas[24] [$800] 23) 9-Joey Saldana[1] [$800] 24) 33-Danny Lasoski[7] [$800]
Lap Leaders: Lucas Wolfe 1-7, Joey Saldana 8-19, Kraig Kinser 20-35 Chicken Hawk Hot Lap Award: Lucas Wolfe Penske Power Position Award: Steve Kinser SuperClean Start of the Night Award: Lucas Wolfe KSE Hard Charger Award: Donny Schatz Have an opinion on this story? E-MAIL KARNAC to send a letter to the editor!
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