Bloomington, Ind. — March 14, 2012 — Versatility is key attribute a driver must possess when competing with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Since his rookie season back in 2004, Kraig Kinser has become well versed on a vast array of tracks of just about every size and shape. Following a pair of races at high-speed half-miles last weekend, he’ll head to one of the tightest and most exciting tracks on the circuit this weekend.
A stretch of races on short tracks begin for Kinser aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation Maxim at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., on Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17. Each of the first five World of Outlaws races this season have been contested on half-miles.
“There’s definitely some adjustment going from the big tracks to a smaller track like Tulare,” shared Kinser. “Most of us out here have run for a number of years, so we are used to racing on all types of track and adapt pretty quick As long as we are at a track and racing, it doesn’t really matter what size it is, they are all pretty similar when you get down to it.”
Kinser raced at Tulare for the first time in 2004 and has made nine feature events starts at the one-third-mile in his career. He finished a career-best fourth at the track in 2005, and matched that with another fourth-place showing in 2010. The third generation driver has three career Top-10 finishes at the track, all of which have come aboard the family-owned No. 11K.
“Tulare can be a pretty racy track,” said Kinser. “I always enjoy racing there. There is close racing at Tulare and good competition. You know it will be a thrilling race when you are there and things happen in a hurry, so you always have to be on your toes.”
The two-day event at Thunderbowl Raceway marks the second and third race of an eight-race stretch in the state of California for the World of Outlaws, and the first of five straight races on tight, tacky California bullrings.
“It’s a sprint race on a short track, so you have to be on it, especially if you start at the back,” explained Kinser. “If you start up front, you do have a little more of an opportunity to be patient and take it easy. Traffic always comes in to play there, so you have to be able to maneuver through traffic.”
Kinser heads to Tulare fifth in the World of Outlaws championship standings on the strength of four Top-10 finishes in five races. He is just one of three drivers that has at least four Top-10 finishes this season. The 2004 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award winner is just seven markers out of the Top-three and 36 points out of the lead. He finished fourth in the series most recent event at Perris Auto Speedway last Saturday night.
“I feel really good about everything right now,” said Kinser. “We just want to continue to consistently be fast and run up front. If the car is quick, even if things don’t go our way, I’ll be happy. We have some good momentum right now and hopefully we can carry that into this weekend.”
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Thunderbowl Raceway
0.33- Miles around Thunderbowl Raceway
2- Career Top-Five finishes with the World of Outlaws at Tulare
3- Career Top-10 finishes with the series at the track
4- Best-career finish at the track with the World of Outlaws in 2010
5- Main events contested so far this season by the World of Outlaws
6- Tracks in the state of California that will host the World of Outlaws this season
7- Races on one-third-mile tracks for the World of Outlaws in 2011
9- Career feature events starts with the World of Outlaws at the high-banked one-third-mile
11- Total nights of racing in the state of California for the World of Outlaws this season
12.651- Track record at Thunderbowl Raceway
13.8- Average finish in nine main event starts with the World of Outlaws at the track
242- Miles from Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif. where the World of Outlaws compete on March 10 to Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.
669- Points earned this season through five races
2003- Year the World of Outlaws first competed at Thunderbowl Raceway
2004- Year of first start at Thunderbowl Raceway
10,500- Dollars earned through March 10
Keep up with all the action
Follow Kraig Kinser on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kraigkinser11k 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.
