Series Tri-State spotlight

A Second Home Track: Kinser Looks for Third Consecutive Win at Tri-State Speedway

Haubstadt, IN-- July 5, 2008--Bloomington Speedway is Steve Kinser's home track, though Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana can also be considered a home track as well for the native of Bloomington, Indiana. The high-banked ¼-mile is just a about a 100-mile jaunt from his home, and he and his family has many ties to the track, which is in its 51st year of operation this season.

Over the years, Kinser, the 20-time Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion has had unmatched success at Tri-State Speedway. He made his first start at the track in 1976, finishing sixth in that event, and since that time has racked up 34 Top-Five finishes at the track, including 21 wins. In his last two starts with the World of Outlaws at the track, he has led all 80 laps of A-Feature competition to pick up two wins.

He will look for his third consecutive win at Tri-State Speedway this weekend, as the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series make their annual visit to the always racy southern Indiana track on Sunday, July 6 for an event which was postponed by rain earlier this season. It will be the second consecutive event on a ¼-mile for the series, after a race at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas on Saturday.

"I've always enjoyed running down there at Tri-State, especially with it being close to home," he shared. "The Helfrich family is very special to race for and they do a great job there. I've been going there since I was just a kid, watching my dad race. I've had a lot of success there as well, so it's always fun to go there."

In 1978, Kinser competed at Tri-State Speedway 10 times, winning all of those events. That was also the inaugural Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season, in which he won 11 A-Feature events en route to the series title. At Tri-State Speedway in his career, he has finished in the Top-10 in all but three of the 40 starts he has made there.

"We were fast pretty much everyone place back in those days," said Kinser of his early success at Tri-State Speedway. "For years, we just ran good everywhere. We have been struggling a little bit the last few years, but we are getting back on pace. The last couple of times I have run there, I have run pretty good. We'll just see what happens this year when we get there."

Last season at the ¼-mile, Kinser lined up second for the A-Feature aboard the Q Oil Maxim and quickly powered his way past pole sitter Danny Lasoski to take the top spot. He was setting a blistering fast pace, as he was in heavy lapped traffic just six laps into the 40-lap contest.

Early in the race, Paul McMahan closed in on Kinser in traffic and took a couple of looks to the low side of the track, and took the lead briefly coming entering the second turn, but he jumped the cushion and it took a few laps for him to recover. Tim Kaeding likewise tried to power his way under Kinser, but the momentum from the high side of the track helped him fend off all challengers. Each time Kinser was credited as being the leader at the start-finish line, thus leading wire-to-wire.

Late in the race, Kinser had to endure five cautions over the last 15 laps of the race, but used strong restarts each time to quickly pull away from the field. The win in 2007, gave him seven in his career with the World of Outlaws at the track. He has finished fourth or better in each of his last four starts at Tri-State Speedway with the series. In each of his last two wins at the track, he stared the A-Feature on the outside of the front row and used the momentum on the high side of the track to take the initial lead, en route to pacing every single lap in those two events.

"On the short tracks you have to have a good night and have things go right," he noted of what it takes to win on ¼-miles. "It does take a little luck to stay out of trouble. Haubstadt is a fun race track and we just enjoy running there."

For Kinser, who has countless memories of visiting Tri-State Speedway with his father Bob, whom he also raced against a couple of times at the track, he will have a chance to race against his son Kraig on Sunday at the track in their home state of Indiana. Kraig, who competed with the World of Outlaws from 2003-2005, during which time he claimed the 2004 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award, as well as a win in the 2005 Knoxville Nationals, while driving for his father, is in the midst of his first season behind the wheel for Tony Stewart Racing. Prior to this season, he spent a couple of years competing in the NASCAR Truck Series.

"It's good to have him back out here," said Steve. "They have been struggling a little bit, just as we have. It's enjoyable to have him out here. I think he probably would like to be still doing some pavement racing, but right now the opportunity is with the sprint cars. He's with a good race team and hopefully things get turned around and they run good the rest of the year."

Steve has won twice this season during the World of Outlaws 30th Anniversary season, at the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania and also at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York. He has 15 Top-10 finishes, including seven consecutive. He finished second last Sunday night at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin and was third at Huset's Speedway on Thursday night. He is tied with Jac Haudenschild for the fifth spot in the championship standings and enters the pair of events this weekend with 545 career A-Feature wins with the series.

"We're getting there," he said. "The last few races have been pretty good. We'll keep working at it and hopefully can find a few things here with all the big events coming up."

On Sunday, July 6 at Tri-State Speedway, adult general admission tickets will be $30, with general admission tickets for children ages 6-12 $15 and kids 5-under will be admitted free of charge. For ticket information visit: www.tristatespeedway.com or call (812)-768-6025.

-credit; woo