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Looking to Get into a Rhythm: Kraig Kinser Heads Back to the Midwest for races at Paducah & Pevely

By Parsons Motorsports PR

Granger, IA—April 13, 2011—One of the challenges of competing with the World of Outlaws is getting into a rhythm early in the season, with the races being spread out, rainouts thrown in the mix and breaks in the schedule. For Kraig Kinser, he has experienced a little bit of all of these as he continues his first season driving the Casey’s General Store Maxim for the Parsons Motorsports team. Beginning this weekend with a trip back to the Midwest, the series will compete at least once a week for the next 26 consecutive weeks as the 2011 season kicks into high gear.

The next two stops on the tour for Kinser are Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky on Friday, April 15, followed by a stop at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri on Saturday, April 16, where he is a former winner in World of Outlaws action.

Kinser made his debut at Paducah in 2001, in what was just his second season behind the wheel of a sprint car. He returned to the high-banked 3/8-mile for the second time in 2008, scoring a career-best 10th-place finish. The third generation driver has finished 15th each of the last two seasons at the track, which is co-owned by Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Kraig won at I-55 Raceway in 2005 and has turned in several strong runs at the always racy, high-banked 1/3-mile bullring near St. Louis. He made his debut at the track in 2001 and has made 14 career starts with the World of Outlaws at Pevely, picking up five Top-10 finishes along the way, with three of those performances being Top-Five runs. The native of Bloomington, Indiana set fast time in just his third career start at the track in April of 2003. He has finished in the Top-10 in three of his last five starts at I-55 Raceway, including a fourth-place effort in the finale of the Ironman 55 last season.

Kinser enters the pair of races this weekend 11th in the World of Outlaws standings on the strength of four Top-10 finishes and a pole position this season and is just 23 points out of the Top-10.

Kraig on Paducah International Raceway:
“I’m definitely looking forward to Paducah and getting two races in this weekend. It’s a tricky track and having been there a few times, I know what kind of car we need to be successful. The wall comes in on the back straightaway and the track is usually different each time we go there. I feel like we have a pretty good handle on it, more than we have had the last few weeks. It’s a track that has frustrated me over the years, so we would certainly like to get a good clean finish there and start the weekend off on a good note.”

Kraig on I-55 Raceway:
“It’s one of my favorite tracks on the circuit and I always enjoy racing there. I’ve had some success at Pevely in the past and it’s always a pretty exciting race over there. It always helps going to a place that you have won at and you know what it takes to reach the winner’s circle there. The competition is always tough at Pevely. There are short walls there, so there is little room for mistakes and everything happens quick. It’s a fun place to race at.”

Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Paducah International Raceway & I-55 Raceway:
0.33-Miles around I-55 Raceway in Missouri
0.375-Miles around Paducah International Speedway in Kentucky
1- Wins at I-55 Raceway with the World of Outlaws
3-Top-Five finishes at I-55 Raceway
4-Career starts at Paducah
5-Top-10 finishes at I-55 Raceway
10-Finishing position in 2008 at Paducah to earn a career-best finish at the track
10.672- Lap turned in setting fast time at I-55 Raceway on April 12, 2003
11- Position in points entering this weekend
13.8-Average finish at I-55 Raceway in 14 career starts
14-Career starts at I-55 with the World of Outlaws; Average finish at Paducah International Raceway in four career starts
35- Laps led on April 2, 2005 en route to winning the main event at I-55
42- Career laps led at I-55 Raceway in World of Outlaws events
167- Miles from Paducah International Raceway to I-55 Raceway
1367- Points earned this season through April 2
2001-Year of first career start at Paducah; Year of first start at I-55
2005-Year of first win at I-55 Raceway in a World of Outlaws event
14,650-Dollars earned through April 2

Keep up with all the action: Follow Kraig Kinser on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kraigkinser6 and receive live updates from the track each and every race night. Also keep up with Kraig online at the recently redesigned www.KraigKinser.com.

Tune in: Listen live this weekend to both races 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.

[i Photo - Photo Courtesy of Steve LaMothe]

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