By Parsons Motorsports PR
Granger, IA—June 8, 2011—Sprint car racing is steeped in history and tradition, with the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa setting the benchmark for the sport. Dubbed “The Sprint Car Capital of the World,” the legendary half-mile has been hosting the World of Outlaws since 1979. The series will make their first of two visits to the Marion County Fairgrounds this weekend for the Mediacom Shootout on Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11.
For Kraig Kinser and the Casey’s General Store team, the two-night event this weekend will be a home race, as the team is based less than an hour up the road in Granger, Iowa.
Kinser raced with the World of Outlaws for the first time at Knoxville in 2001. He has competed in 21 main events with the series at Knoxville, picking up seven Top-10 and four Top-Five finishes along the way.
The third generation driver won for the first time at the legendary half-mile on June 24, 2005 and followed that up with a win sprint car racing’s biggest event, the Knoxville Nationals on August 14 of that year, making him and his father Steve, the first father/son duo in history to win the Nationals. In 2005, Kraig made five starts at Knoxville, winning twice, finishing third once and finishing ninth twice.
Last season in World of Outlaws action at the track, Kinser finished seventh on the second night of the Hall of Fame Classic, after a 17th-place run in the opener. The Mediacom Shootout this weekend will mark the series only warm-up for the 51st Goodyear Knoxville Nationals in August.
Kinser enters the pair of races this weekend 11th in the World of Outlaws standings with seven Top-10 finishes. The third generation driver is just 19 markers out of the Top-10 as he continues his first season driving for the Parsons Motorsports team.
Kraig on Knoxville Raceway:
“You always look forward to going to the tracks that you have won at. It’s a home race for the Casey’s General Store as well, so that has us excited. The last few weeks we’ve been racing on bigger tracks, so hopefully we can use a few of the things we learned when we get to Knoxville this weekend. It was great to get two full nights of racing in last weekend and we look to do the same this weekend.”
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Knoxville Raceway:
0.5- Miles around Knoxville Raceway
2- Wins at the half-mile, including the 2005 Knoxville Nationals
4- Top-Five finishes with the World of Outlaws at Knoxville Raceway
6- Total nights of racing for the World of Outlaws this season at Knoxville
7- Top-10 finishes with the series at the track
10- Events this season on half-mile tracks through June 4
13.5- Average finish in 21 World of Outlaws starts at Knoxville
14.407- Track record at Knoxville Raceway
20- Events completed this season through June 4
21-Career starts with the World of Outlaws at the half-mile
59- Miles from the Parsons Motorsports shop in Granger, Iowa to Knoxville Raceway
2001- Year of first World of Outlaws start at Knoxville Raceway
2005- Year of win in the Knoxville Nationals; Year of first win at the track
2436- Points earned through June 4
26,350- Dollars earned through June 4
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.