Granger, IA—Sept. 7, 2011—There are a handful of crown jewel events that every sprint car driver yearns to win during their career. For Kraig Kinser, he was able to check off of those off the list in 2005, claiming the Knoxville Nationals. The third generation driver would like nothing more than to add his name to the list of drivers that have won both that event and the Gold Cup Race of Champions.
Kinser will have another opportunity to race in the biggest sprint car event on the West Coast, as the 58th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. is set for Friday, Sept. 9 and Saturday, Sept. 10. The World of Outlaws will then head to Antioch (Calif.) Speedway on Monday, September 12 for an inaugural event at the 3/8-mile, as the 2011 “Gold Rush Tour” wraps up.
Kinser finished 12th earlier this season in the Casey’s General Store Maxim, during the Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway and ran 16th in the finale of the Gold Cup last season. The native of Bloomington, Ind. made his debut at Silver Dollar Speedway in 2004 during the Gold Cup. After a few years away, he returned to Chico in 2008, finishing fourth on the second preliminary night and followed that up with a solid ninth-place effort in the finale.
Antioch Speedway will mark the eighth track in the state of California that Kinser will have competed at dating back to 2004. The third generation driver looks to continue his past success in visiting tracks for the first time with the World of Outlaws, as he was victorious in 2008 at North Central Speedway in Minnesota when the series made their debut at that facility. He also won in his first start with the series at Cottage Grove Speedway in Oregon in 2004 and Batesville Speedway in Arkansas in 2005.
Kinser heads to California fresh off his first win of the season at Cottage Grove Speedway on Monday night, after picking up a Top-10 in the finale at Skagit Speedway in Washington on Sept. 3.
Entering the Gold Cup Race of Champions, Kraig is 10th in the World of Outlaws standings, just one point out of ninth, on the strength of 17 Top-10 finishes, as he continues his first season driving for Parsons Motorsports.
Kraig on Silver Dollar Speedway:
“The Gold Cup is the biggest race of the year on the West Coast and one of our biggest shows all year. The format has changed some the last few years, but you still have to be good right out of the box and make the most of each opportunity you have to hit the track. The atmosphere at the Gold Cup is second to none. We have done pretty well on the smaller tracks this year and have a good set-up right now and certainly have some momentum from the win at Cottage Grove.”
Kraig on Antioch Speedway:
“We’ve gotten to visit a handful of tracks for the first time this year and that is always something we enjoy. There are a lot of great fans in California and the tracks are always racy out there. Obviously they are smaller, tighter tracks and you usually have to really be up on the wheel. I’m looking forward to going to Antioch and hopefully we put on a good show for the fans.”
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Silver Dollar Speedway & Antioch Speedway:
0.25- Miles around Silver Dollar Speedway
0.375- Miles around Antioch Speedway
1-Win this season
2- Career Top-Five finishes at Silver Dollar Speedway
3- Career Top-10 finishes in main events at Silver Dollar Speedway
4- Tracks hosting inaugural World of Outlaws events this season
5- Total nights of racing for the World of Outlaws in California this season
7- Tracks competed at in the state of California dating back to 2004
10.918- Track record at Silver Dollar Speedway
11- Career main event starts at Silver Dollar Speedway
11.770- Track record at Antioch Speedway
12.5- Average finish in 11 career feature event starts at Silver Dollar Speedway
14- Laps led in feature racing competition this season
17- Top-10 finishes this season
40- Laps in the main event of the finale of the Gold Cup Race of Champions
155- Miles from Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. to Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif.
364- Miles from Cottage Grove Speedway in Oregon where the World of Outlaws competed on Sept. 5 to Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif.
2004-Year of first start in the Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway
2009- Year of his best career finish at Chico, coming home third in the Mini Gold Cup
5924-Points earned through September 5
Keep up with all the action: Follow Kraig Kinser on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kraigkinser6 and receive live updates from the track each and every race night.
Tune in: Listen live to each and every World of Outlaws event on DIRTVision.com with “The Voice of the Outlaws” Johnny Gibson on the call. Visit www.DIRTVision.com for live audio of each and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event
