Bloomington, Ind. — May 8, 2012 — There are hot beds of sprint car racing all around the country, but none are quite like Central Pennsylvania. The tracks each have their own nuances and unique characteristics and present a challenge to drivers that only see them a handful of times each season. The fans are some of the most loyal and diehard in the sport. Last, but certainly not least, the competitors take a great pride in defending their home turf and are some of the toughest in all of racing. Kraig Kinser and the rest of the World of Outlaws will head to the Keystone State this week for a trio of races against the famed Pennsylvania Posse, as the series embarks on the first East Coast swing of the season.
The swing through Central Pennsylvania begins for Kinser aboard the Hendrickcars.com Maxim on Wednesday, May 9 at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa., followed by the World of Outlaws first visit of the season to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12.
“The competition is going to be extremely tough this week, especially at Lincoln, where I have never been,” said Kinser. “We have a really strong car right now and I think we’ll be good out there. You have to make sure you have your right and as a driver you have to be on your game and focused.”
Kinser will be making his debut at Lincoln Speedway, as the World of Outlaws return to the high-banked 3/8-mile for the first time since 1998. In his career with the World of Outlaws, the third-generation driver has been victorious three times in his first visit to a track, with the most recent of those coming in 2008 at North Central Speedway in Minnesota.
“We’ll go to Lincoln with the set-up we’ve been running this year, and we’ll go from there,” noted Kinser. “Hot laps will be important to get a few laps to see how the track is, as well as keeping up with the surface all night long and how it changes. It’s been a long time since anyone has been out there, but with how many tracks we visit, everyone will get up to speed pretty quick.”
Kinser made his debut at Williams Grove Speedway with the World of Outlaws in 2003. He has made a total of 23 feature event starts at the track across six different seasons, picking up six Top-10 finishes in the process. He finished a career-best sixth at the half-mile in the finale of the Summer Nationals in 2004 and backed that up with another sixth-place effort on the second night of the spring race in 2005. The 2004 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner finished 16th in his most recent start at Williams Grove, last fall in the National Open.
“When you go to Williams Grove, you have a number of battles each night, and the first of those is the pill draw and time trials,” explained Kinser. “Qualifying well there is just the tip of the iceberg. You have to be good every time you hit the track if you ultimately want to end the night on a good note. Williams Grove is a good measuring stick to see where you program is.”
Kinser enters the trio of races this week fifth in the World of Outlaws championship standings on the strength of 11 Top-10 finishes in the first 15 races of the season. He finished a season-best third at Farmer City Raceway on April 25, as he continues to close in on his first win of the season.
“We just want to get back on the role that we were on at the beginning of the year,” said Kinser. “I think we have the car that is capable of doing it. We just have to make the right changes and have things rolling right for us. It’s always a process and you are working toward it.”
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Lincoln Speedway & Williams Grove Speedway
0.5- Miles around Williams Grove Speedway
1– A-Feature event on a 3/8-mile thus far in 2012 for the World of Outlaws
5- Position in the World of Outlaws championship standings
6- Career Top-10 finishes with the World of Outlaws at Williams Grove Speedway; Scheduled nights of racing this season for the series at the half-mile
9- Total nights of racing for the World of Outlaws in the state of Pennsylvania in 2012; A-Feature events contested by the series on half-miles this season through May 5
11- Top-10 finishes in the A-Feature events this season
12.730- Track record prior to a sprint car weight rule
13.241- Track record at Lincoln Speedway, after a sprint car weight rule was implemented
13.380 Fastest lap in World of Outlaws qualifying at the track, recorded in 1997
15- A-Feature events contested by the World of Outlaws through May 5
15.6- Average finish in 23 career feature event starts at Williams Grove Speedway
16.140- Track record at Williams Grove Speedway
23- Career main event starts, including preliminary features at Williams Grove Speedway dating back to 2003
29- Miles from Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa., where the World of Outlaws compete on May 9 to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
1998- Year the World of Outlaws last competed at Lincoln Speedway
2003- Year of first start with the World of Outlaws at Williams Grove Speedway
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