World of Outlaws

Red River: Thursday prelim report

World of Outlaws' first preliminary program at Red River Valley 'King of the Outlaws' dominates Duel in the Dakotas opener WEST FARGO, ND (June 12) -- Steve Kinser knows it takes a maximum effort in every race to win O'Reilly World of Outlaws ...

Published: Jun 14, 2003, 3:41 PM

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World of Outlaws' first preliminary program at Red River Valley
'King of the Outlaws' dominates Duel in the Dakotas opener

WEST FARGO, ND (June 12) -- Steve Kinser knows it takes a maximum effort in every race to win O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series triple-program event.

"The King of the Outlaws" won every race he entered -- the Second Heat Race, the First Dash Race and the 25-lap Preliminary Feature -- Thursday as the series opened the Sixth Annual Duel in the Dakotas at Red River Valley Speedway.

"We had a fast car all night," said Kinser, who has won eight main events at Red River Valley Speedway. "The track was pretty soft and we got to bouncing around pretty much the whole feature. But as much rain as they had here, it's a wonder we get to race at all. "The (qualifying points) system doesn't really change our strategy much, because as fast as everyone out here is you pretty much have to run hard all night long all the time, whether it's a heat race, a dash, or a feature. The only thing that happens with these three-day shows is if you get off to a bad start it can put you behind for the whole weekend."

Kinser, the eighth-fastest qualifier, was .299 seconds off Sammy Swindell's pace-setting lap. The defending and 17-time O'Reilly World of Outlaws Series champion passed three cars in the Second Heat Race and won 13th Dash Race and his third Preliminary Feature from the pole.

Kinser won a front-straightaway drag race with Second Dash Race winner Paul McMahan as the green flag fell in the evening's main event. Donny Schatz, whose crew replaced the engine in his #15 Parker Stores J&J after the First Heat Race, passed series points leader Danny Lasoski and Mark Kinser during the first two laps to take over seventh place.

Swindell, a six-time winner at Red River Valley Speedway, passed Beef Packers teammate Tim Shaffer for fifth place with an inside move between the third and fourth corners late in lap three.

"The King of the Outlaws" was 15 car-lengths ahead of McMahan when he entered lapped traffic five laps into the race. Australian Brooke Tatnell raced through the low groove between turns three and four to pass Jason Meyers for third place the next time around.

Schatz, who lives in Fargo, brought the partisan crowd to its feet during the race's middle stages as he raced past Shaffer, Swindell, Meyers and Tatnell. Meyers regained third place with an inside move past Schatz between the third and fourth corners.

McMahan surrendered the runner-up spot early in 19th lap when a broken shock mount on the #11H Vivarin Maxim caused him to spin in turn two.

Swindell, whose crew replaced the engine in the #1 Ore-Cal/Beef Packers J&J following the First Heat Race, passed Tatnell deep in the fourth corner to claim fourth place with 3 ¼ laps remaining.

Meyers was racing through turn four as Kinser's #11 Quaker State Maxim passed under the checkered flag.

"This has been an awesome week," said Meyers, who won the "A" Feature at Fox Ridge Speedway Tuesday. "I got to talk to Craig (Dollansky) today, and he's really excited about how things are going for us. It looks like he's going to come out to the track tomorrow night. DJ (Lindsey) and Bryan (Sundby) have been giving me an awesome car. Craig runs well here, so I've got some big shoes to fill."

Schatz, the defending Duel in the Dakotas champion, passed six cars to finish in third place.

"We had a good run tonight," the 1997 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year said. "We had some problems early, and so we didn't get qualified very well, but we got up to third in the feature. Steve was running really well tonight. He wasn't so good here last year, but he's going to be tough all week. I didn't want to see that (19th-lap) caution. I think we might have had a good enough car to get up to second, but then again Steve probably would have won by a half a lap. It's not easy by any means to run good at home, but after finally getting a win here last year it's a little easier than it had been."

Swindell finished in fourth place, ahead of Tatnell, Shaffer, Mark Kinser, Lasoski, Joey Saldana and Daryn Pittman.

Kraig Kinser, whose #11K Delco-Remy International Maxim suffered a blown engine during the First Heat Race, passed six cars to finish 11th.

Swindell set quick time for the first time this season, circling the high-banked, ½-mile oval in 15.297 seconds, an average speed of 117.670 M.P.H.

Justin Henderson and Jeremy Campbell were battling for the lead early in the Second Heat Race when a mechanical malfunction caused Campbell's #10C G-Force Racing Gear Maxim to veer toward Henderson. Henderson jumped Campbell's right rear tire and flipped into the retaining wall in turn four. Neither driver was injured. Henderson drove his backup car past eight cars to finish 18th in the Preliminary Feature.

-WoO

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