3/12/2014
Sprint Source
Kraig Kinser Heads to Tulare to Open California Swing
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — March 12, 2014— In sprint car racing there are certain tracks where just the mere mention of the name of the city that the venue is located in spurs everyone to know exactly what venue you are talking about. Tulare is one such place. Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is the official name of the high-banked one-third mile, but for all intents and purposes it’s referred to by drivers, crews and fans alike as simply — Tulare. That’s where Kraig Kinser and the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series will be this weekend.
The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series annual visit to Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is set for Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15. The two events will feature a full racing program, with a 35-lap, $10,000-to-win feature capping each night.
“Tulare is always one of the tracks we circle on the calendar each year,” said Kinser. “It’s usually very racy and an ‘elbows up’ place where you get right up against the fence. When your car is working well there it’s even more fun. You have to be able to maneuver in traffic, as you’ll be in tight quarters most of the race.”
Kinser finished ninth in the finale of the two-night event at Tulare last season in the Mesilla Valley Transportation/Casey’s General/King Racing Products Maxim. He opened the night by turning the ninth-fastest lap in time trials. The third-generation driver would go on to finish fifth in the third heat race, qualifying for the dash by virtue of his position in time trials. He started seventh and finished eighth in the dash. Kinser earned the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award on the first night at Tulare in 2013, after working his way from the 25th starting spot to finish 18th. He was forced to use a provisional to start the main event after an engine change forced him to miss the B-main.
The native of Bloomington, Ind., has five career top-10 finishes at Tulare. He made his debut at the high-banked bullring in the fall of 2004. Kinser has raced at the track in seven different seasons over the course of his career with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series. He finished a career-best fourth at the track in the fall of 2005 and matched that in the spring of 2010. Kinser has earned a top-10 finish in four of his last six starts at the track.
“We’ve had some decent runs at Tulare over the years,” he noted. “We’ve had a fast car for the most part this year, but we just haven’t had much luck on our side. At a place like Tulare, you definitely have to have things go your way. Your race can change in a split-second with how quick things happen at Tulare. It’s the first real short track race of the season, so it will be a good test to see where we are with our short track program.”
The pair of races at Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway begins a stretch of nine races over a four-week stretch in the Golden State of California for the tour. Kinser opens the “Spring Break Tour” 10th in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings. He has a pair of top-10 finishes in the handful of races contested thus far in 2014.
Kraig Kinser Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, Mesilla Valley Transportation, King Racing Products, Maxim, Aerodine Composites, Sander Engineering, Integra Shocks, All Star Performance, FK Rod Ends, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bell, KSE Racing Products, ButlerBuilt, Schoenfeld Headers, Donovan Engineering, Fel-Pro, Brodix, Wilwood, Dyer’s, Barnes Systems, Ringer Gloves, Jakes Custom Golf Carts, and Ben Cook Racing Limited for their continued support.
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway
0.33- Miles around Thunderbowl Raceway
2- Career top-five finishes at Tulare
3- Heat race wins in the first six events this season
4- Top-10 finishes with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series at Thunderbowl Raceway
8- Tracks in California that the series will race at this year
10- Current position in the World of Outlaws standings
12- Career starts at Thunderbowl Raceway with the World of Outlaws, including preliminary features; Total nights of racing this season for the World of Outlaws in the state of California in 2014
12.651- Track record at Thunderbowl Raceway
13.5- Average main event finish in 12 career World of Outlaws main event starts at Tulare, including preliminary features
657- Miles from Tucson International Speedway in Arizona, where the World of Outlaws competed on March 8 to Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.
748- Points earned this season
2004- Year of first start at Thunderbowl Raceway
Keep up with all the action
For the latest news on Kraig Kinser, visit http://www.kraigkinser.com, and follow Kraig 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 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series” Johnny Gibson on the call. Visit www.DIRTVision.com for live audio of each and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event.
Article Credit: Kraig Kinser Racing PR
Submitted By: Admin Account
