By Parsons Motorsports PR
Granger, IA—May 11, 2011—History seems to be made quite often when Sprint Cars take to the track at the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania. Kraig Kinser will help add another chapter to the ever-growing history of the storied half-mile this weekend aboard the Casey’s General Store Maxim as he takes part in the inaugural Morgan Cup, which will be run following the main event on Saturday night.
The Morgan Cup will be a 12-lap contest pitting the Top-Five World of Outlaws finishers from last year’s National Open against the Top-Five finishers representing the Pennsylvania Posse. The winner of the race will not only have bragging rights, but will earn the Sterling Silver Morgan Cup which will be displayed at the office of the winning driver’s organization. If a World of Outlaws driver wins, the Morgan Cup will be on display for a year at the World Racing Group Corporate Headquarters in Concord, NC. If a Pennsylvania Posse driver wins, the Morgan Cup will stay at the Williams Grove Speedway Office. The challenge race will carry an $11,000 purse and each participant will receive a right rear tire from Goodyear.
The weekend opens for the World of Outlaws at Williams Grove with the first of two nights of racing in the Spring Classic on Friday, May 13, followed by another complete program on Saturday, May 14. The 2011 season will mark the 34th consecutive year that the World of Outlaws have competed at ‘The Grove.’
Kinser competed for the first time in a World of Outlaws main event at Williams Grove in 2003. He has six career Top-10 finishes at the track, including a pair of sixth-place performances. He led seven laps in the opener at Williams Grove last season before running out of fuel in the late going, slipping back to eighth. He finished 13th in the National Open at the half-mile last fall. The second generation driver has competed in 17 main events with the series at the historic speedway.
Kinser enters the two-night event at Williams Grove Speedway 10th in points, on the strength of six Top-10 and two Top-Five finishes in World of Outlaws action. The native of Bloomington, Ind., has finished in the Top-10 in three of the last four World of Outlaws races.
Kraig on the Morgan Cup:
“With only a limited number of drivers in the event, it makes it even more special to be one of the few guys that get to compete. Anytime you go there, the competition is always tough and that will certainly be the case in the Morgan Cup as well. Hopefully we’ll be quick in it if not then hopefully we learn a few things that we can use down the road at Williams Grove.”
Kraig on the rivalry with the Pennsylvania Posse:
“As a driver, you do notice it to some extent, but you don’t really think about it or focus on it like the fans do. It means a lot to the fans and they really like to protect their turf. They certainly take pride in the track and they don’t want their local guys to get beat.”
Kraig on Williams Grove Speedway
“You need everything to be working to turn good laps and run up front there. You need the crew to be making the right changes and have the car set up good from the get-go. The track has to be right and the driver has to be right. Everything has to be working together at a place like that, especially with how tough the competition is.”
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Williams Grove Speedway:
0.5- Miles around Williams Grove Speedway
1-Right rear tire from Goodyear that participants in the Morgan Cup will receive
2- Top-Five finishes this season
5- Drivers representing the World of Outlaws in the Morgan Cup
6- Career Top-10 finishes with the World of Outlaws at the half-mile
10- Drivers that will take part in the Inaugural Morgan Cup
12- Laps in the Inaugural Morgan Cup on Saturday, May 14
16.140- Track record at Williams Grove which was set in 2002
16.4-Average finish in 17 main events starts with the World of Outlaws at the track
17- Career starts in World of Outlaws main events at Williams Grove
474-Miles from Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio where the World of Outlaws competed on May 6 to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Penn.
1761- Points earned this season through May 6
2003- Year of first World of Outlaws start at Williams Grove Speedway
11,000-Dollars in the purse for the inaugural Morgan Cup challenge race
20,160-Dollars earned through May 6
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 to each and every World of Outlaws event 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.