9/6/2013
Sprint Source
A Trip to the Mid-South Takes Tracy Hines to Little Rock & West Memphis
NEW CASTLE, Ind.—Sept. 5, 2013— The Mid-South has a long and storied history when it comes to sprint car racing. Much of that history has been written at the legendary Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., while a number of chapters have been added more recently at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. Tracy Hines, who is well-versed in the laurels of Midwest sprint car racing tradition, got his first taste of racing in the Mid-South last year and will return this weekend to compete at both Riverside International Speedway and I-30 Speedway with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series.
The weekend opens for the driver of the Hansen’s Welding Equipment DRC on Friday, Sept. 6 at I-30 Speedway and concluders on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Riverside International Speedway. A full racing program is set for each night, with a 40-lap main event capping each program as the stretch run of the 2013 campaign begins.
Hines got his first look at the quarter-mile I-30 Speedway last season with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series, though Mother Nature interrupted the event. Hot laps and qualifying were completed as well as two heat races before rain forced the cancellation of the remainder of the racing program. Hines opened the night by turning the third-fastest lap in time trials of the 31 drivers in attendance.
“It will be nice to get a full show in at Little Rock (I-30 Speedway),” said Hines. “That’s a pretty racy track and the fans there don’t get to see our style of racing very often. We ran well on the second two nights at Kokomo (Speedway), so hopefully we can carry some of that momentum and use what worked there at another smaller track that is similar.”
At Riverside International Speedway in 2012, Hines was caught up in an accident on the third lap of the A-Feature that ended his night, after starting in the 10th spot. The 2002 Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series champion was 10th-fastest in time trials and followed that up with a third-place finish in the second 10-lap heat race, which earned him a spot in the 40-lap main event at the quarter-mile bullring.
“We were pretty good early in the night at West Memphis (Riverside International Speedway) last year and just didn’t have too good of luck in the feature,” he noted. “Things happen in a hurry there and it is a multi-groove place. You have to be on your toes and try to keep your nose clean, so that you can be around during the last 10-15 laps of the race.”
Hines enters this weekend’s pair of races sixth in the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series standings. He has won twice in 2013 and has earned 12 top-10 finishes as he continues to climb in the standings. The veteran driver has recorded four straight top-10 finishes with the series.
“We’re getting down to that point where there aren’t too many races left,” Hines said. “We’ve moved up a couple of spots in points the last few weeks and want to move up a few more and pick up a couple more wins before the season is over. It’s been since the beginning of the year that we won a sprint car race and we’ve been knocking on the door several times here lately.”
Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Hansen’s Welding Inc., Parker Machinery, Turbines, Inc., Afco Racing Products, Daum Crop Insurance, Schoenfeld Headers, Allstar Performance, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers and Bell Racing.
For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin.
Article Credit: Tracy Hines Racing PR
Submitted By: Admin Account
