By Mike O’Leary
May 10, 2010 – It will be a busy weekend for racers contending for the tenth King Of Indiana Sprint Series championship when both Gas City/I-69 Speedway and Kokomo Speedway raise the lid on the 2010 KISS tour this weekend. The Gas City oval will present the Hoosier sprint car series on Friday, May 14, and then they travel to Kokomo on Sunday, May 16.
With two of the top sprint car facilities in the nation hosting the exciting KISS racers, the double-dose promises to be a huge treat. Last spring saw four drivers earn their initial KISS victories, including Bryan Clauson (at Gas City), Nic Faas (Lawrenceburg), Chris Windom (Bloomington) and Brady Short (Haubstadt). And while Billy Puterbaugh captured his second KISS win, at Kokomo, Paragon fans saw Jon Stanbrough raise the bar for the most victories to 15.
Indiana sprint car racers have been busy already this season. Robert Ballou, Tracy Hines and Bryan Clauson have collected wins at Gas City, and Clauson currently tops the track’s points. Clauson also notched a victory at Kokomo, while Shane Cottle claimed the Sunday night win this past weekend.
Four-time champion Jon Stanbrough, who collected his first win of the year at Bloomington a couple weeks ago, says that running the KISS series is fulfilling to him, as a racer. “There’s usually a lot of cars there and you don’t qualify, so you have to go by your draw, and a lot of times if you draw bad, you have to race really hard to get through into the feature. And even when you get through into the feature, there’s no guarantee you’re going to start up front. Probably 90% of the cars that are at a KISS show every night are capable of winning the race. When we can go out there and do what we’ve done, that’s what I mean by fulfilling to me. And I’m sure it is to Brad and Steve (Fox) as well.”
KISS events pay $2,500 to win and $250 to start the feature. With sponsorship from Indiana Stone Works, the B-Main pays $100 to all starters who do not transfer to the feature. The $3,600 point fund awards the top five point finishers. This year’s King of Indiana Sprints will also receive a new Simpson helmet with original and unique champion’s artwork by VanHorn Tint & Accessories.
The racing program at Gas City/I-69 Speedway includes UMP modifieds and thunder cars. Gas City I-69 Speedway opens at 4 pm and racing starts at 7:30. General admission is $15, and pit passes are $30, while kids (12 and under) are admitted free with a paid adult admission. Directions are available at www.gascityi69speedway.com. All KISS races follow the rules of the host track. Teams need to check with the specific track to answer questions regarding track rules.
Kokomo Speedway directions are available at http://www.kokomospeedway.net. On Sunday, adult general admission is $15, and kids aged 10 and under are free with a paying adult. Pit passes are priced at $30. The racing program includes street stocks and thunder cars. The pit gate opens at 3:30 pm and grandstand gates at 4:30. The first race will start at 6:15.
2010 King Of Indiana Sprint Series Schedule
Gas City I-69 Speedway Friday, May 14
Kokomo Speedway Sunday, May 16
Bloomington Speedway Friday, May 21
Lawrenceburg Speedway Saturday, May 22
Tri-State Speedway Saturday, June 5
Paragon Speedway Saturday, June 26
The King of Indiana Sprint Series is organized and conducted by the individual Indiana sprint car race track promoters to provide the best sprint car racing. Many thanks to the series sponsors, including Indiana StoneWorks for the B-Main, Simpson Performance Products, Sprint Car & Midget Magazine and Van Horn Tint & Accessories for the champion’s helmet, Elliottbrand Web Designs, in Westport, IN, and Kiva Networking in Bloomington for the KISS website (www.kissracing.com).
KING OF INDIANA SPRINT SERIES
Public Relations Contact: Mike O’Leary Phone: 812-825-9614
Email: moleary@bluemarble.net
Website: www.KissRacing.com
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