INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 23, 2009) – After starting the 2009 season with six consecutive nights of competition in Florida during the first week of February, Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Kraig Kinser, in true racer’s style, was already looking forward to his next race. That’s what happens when you come out of the gate fast.
Kinser, who scored a pair of top-six finishes during the first three World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series races at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., returns to the track this week looking to continue his consistency in, of all places, Las Vegas.
The 24-year-old Bloomington, Ind., native will pilot TSR’s No. 20 Bass Pro Shops/Chevy/JD Byrider Maxim in Thursday night’s second leg of The Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic. The event is the WoO series’ first visit to The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) since the fall of 2006.
Kinser’s start to his fourth full season racing with the WoO has fueled excitement about the team’s prospects for the season. His previous success at LVMS also provides added confidence for the upcoming event on the half-mile dirt oval.
The 2004 Kevin Gobrecht WoO Rookie of the Year has seven career starts at LVMS. His finest showing at the track came in March 2005, when he scored a preliminary feature victory and a runner-up finish on consecutive nights. On March 10, 2005, Kinser took the lead from Sammy Swindell on lap 13 and led the final 13 circuits to score the victory. The following night, he led 23 of 30 race laps before finishing second to his current TSR teammate Donny Schatz. Kinser has four consecutive top-10 feature finishes at the track.
Thursday night’s event is the fourth of 84 scheduled race dates during the 2009 WoO season and begins a five-week stretch of action in the West.
With three WoO races in the books to start the year, Kinser has one top-five finish and a pair of top-10s. He currently ranks fourth in the WoO Sprint Series championship standings with 408 points, trailing leader Schatz by only 34 markers.
Pit gates will open at noon PST on Thursday at LVMS, while the grandstands gates will open at 5 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. For more details, contact Las Vegas Motor Speedway at (800) 644-4444, or visit the official Web site of LVMS, www.lvms.com.
Race fans unable to attend the race can catch all of the action on DIRTVision.com. Fans can listen live as Johnny Gibson, “Voice of the Outlaws,” calls the action as he does at all WoO Sprint Series events on the DIRTVision.com cybercast, as well as on the DIRT Radio Network. Go to www.DIRTVision.com for more information on all the site features, including updated results from each night of racing, as well as a chat room to interact with other race fans.
Kraig Kinser, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Maxim:
Since starting the 2009 season with six straight nights of racing, you’ve had a couple of weeks to think about how things went in Florida. How would you rate the start of the WoO season?
“I’d say we got off to a good start. We were competitive all three nights, and I feel like we got the driver tuned in and the car tuned in so that we can continue to be consistent throughout the season.
“One of the biggest things I came out of Florida knowing is how hard the Bass Pro Shops crew (Mike Cool, Steve Swenson and Bob Curtis) worked so that we would be ready to go from the start. We wanted to come out of the box strong, and the guys gave me a great car each night down in Florida. We’ve got seven events ahead of us during the next few weeks, and we’re going to try to continue getting better and better.”
This week’s race at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a chance for you to race at a track where you’ve won before. Does your previous success there give you extra motivation?
“It always helps when you’ve won somewhere before, but I’m just excited about getting back to Las Vegas. It’s a big week for TSR. On Wednesday night, both TSR USAC teams will be racing at the track, so it’s a great opportunity for all four of the TSR teams to do well.
“I just hope things play out similarly to the way they did back in 2005. I battled (now-TSR teammate) Donny (Schatz) for the victory out there, and I know all the TSR guys have been working really hard to give us some good cars. The fact that our event is tied into the NASCAR weekend activities also helps because it gives us a great chance to get Bass Pro Shops, Chevy and J.D. Byrider some great exposure, as well.”
For complete WoO Sprint Series results from The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, log on to www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint. For information regarding TSR, Bass Pro Shops, J.D. Byrider, Chevy or Kinser, log on to www.tonystewartracing.com, www.basspro.com, www.byrider.com, www.chevy.com or www.kraigkinser.com.
Kinser, who scored a pair of top-six finishes during the first three World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Car Series races at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., returns to the track this week looking to continue his consistency in, of all places, Las Vegas.
The 24-year-old Bloomington, Ind., native will pilot TSR’s No. 20 Bass Pro Shops/Chevy/JD Byrider Maxim in Thursday night’s second leg of The Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic. The event is the WoO series’ first visit to The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) since the fall of 2006.
Kinser’s start to his fourth full season racing with the WoO has fueled excitement about the team’s prospects for the season. His previous success at LVMS also provides added confidence for the upcoming event on the half-mile dirt oval.
The 2004 Kevin Gobrecht WoO Rookie of the Year has seven career starts at LVMS. His finest showing at the track came in March 2005, when he scored a preliminary feature victory and a runner-up finish on consecutive nights. On March 10, 2005, Kinser took the lead from Sammy Swindell on lap 13 and led the final 13 circuits to score the victory. The following night, he led 23 of 30 race laps before finishing second to his current TSR teammate Donny Schatz. Kinser has four consecutive top-10 feature finishes at the track.
Thursday night’s event is the fourth of 84 scheduled race dates during the 2009 WoO season and begins a five-week stretch of action in the West.
With three WoO races in the books to start the year, Kinser has one top-five finish and a pair of top-10s. He currently ranks fourth in the WoO Sprint Series championship standings with 408 points, trailing leader Schatz by only 34 markers.
Pit gates will open at noon PST on Thursday at LVMS, while the grandstands gates will open at 5 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. For more details, contact Las Vegas Motor Speedway at (800) 644-4444, or visit the official Web site of LVMS, www.lvms.com.
Race fans unable to attend the race can catch all of the action on DIRTVision.com. Fans can listen live as Johnny Gibson, “Voice of the Outlaws,” calls the action as he does at all WoO Sprint Series events on the DIRTVision.com cybercast, as well as on the DIRT Radio Network. Go to www.DIRTVision.com for more information on all the site features, including updated results from each night of racing, as well as a chat room to interact with other race fans.
Kraig Kinser, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Maxim:
Since starting the 2009 season with six straight nights of racing, you’ve had a couple of weeks to think about how things went in Florida. How would you rate the start of the WoO season?
“I’d say we got off to a good start. We were competitive all three nights, and I feel like we got the driver tuned in and the car tuned in so that we can continue to be consistent throughout the season.
“One of the biggest things I came out of Florida knowing is how hard the Bass Pro Shops crew (Mike Cool, Steve Swenson and Bob Curtis) worked so that we would be ready to go from the start. We wanted to come out of the box strong, and the guys gave me a great car each night down in Florida. We’ve got seven events ahead of us during the next few weeks, and we’re going to try to continue getting better and better.”
This week’s race at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a chance for you to race at a track where you’ve won before. Does your previous success there give you extra motivation?
“It always helps when you’ve won somewhere before, but I’m just excited about getting back to Las Vegas. It’s a big week for TSR. On Wednesday night, both TSR USAC teams will be racing at the track, so it’s a great opportunity for all four of the TSR teams to do well.
“I just hope things play out similarly to the way they did back in 2005. I battled (now-TSR teammate) Donny (Schatz) for the victory out there, and I know all the TSR guys have been working really hard to give us some good cars. The fact that our event is tied into the NASCAR weekend activities also helps because it gives us a great chance to get Bass Pro Shops, Chevy and J.D. Byrider some great exposure, as well.”
For complete WoO Sprint Series results from The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, log on to www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint. For information regarding TSR, Bass Pro Shops, J.D. Byrider, Chevy or Kinser, log on to www.tonystewartracing.com, www.basspro.com, www.byrider.com, www.chevy.com or www.kraigkinser.com.
