By Parsons Motorsports PR
Granger, IA—Sept. 18, 2011— Kraig Kinser and the Casey’s General Store team have been working hard all season to find the right combination in their first year together. Hitting on something after the Knoxville Nationals, the team began to build momentum, including scoring their first win of the season during the annual Gold Rush Tour at Cottage Grove Speedway. That success continued this past weekend as the series returned to the upper Midwest for a pair of events. Kinser finished fourth at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa on Friday night, while coming home 10th at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn. on Saturday, which marked his fifth Top-10 finish in the last seven races.
Kinser opened the weekend at Clay County Fair Speedway by turning the 10th quickest lap in time trials, which put him on the front row of the second heat race. He won the heat to earn a spot in the dash, where he lined up fourth and finished in that same position.
In the 30-lap main event, Kinser ran fourth at the drop of the green flag, before moving up to third on the third lap. He ran fourth through the middle stages of the race and moved back into third on the 22nd lap. The native of Bloomington, Ind. Lined up second on the final restart of the night and wound up fourth at the checkered flag to record his fourth Top-Five finish of the season, which helped him move up a spot to eighth in the World of Outlaws championship standings.
Kinser qualified 13th at Deer Creek, which put him fifth at the start of the first heat race. He quickly jumped into the third spot and battled Cody Darrah for the remainder of the eight-lap contest, snagging the second spot on the final lap, to earn a spot in the dash. Kraig started ninth in the dash and finished ninth as well, which put him on the inside of the fifth row for the 35-lap main event.
The 2005 Knoxville Nationals winner gained a spot on the opening lap of the feature, and was running eighth when the first caution flag of the night flew on the fourth circuit. Kinser lost a spot on the restart and ran ninth for a number of laps before slipping back to 10th on the 22nd go-around. He was in 11th with just two laps to go when he retook 10th from Darrah to earn his 20th Top-10 finish of the season.
Kinser is currently eighth in points on the strength of 20 Top-10 finishes and four Top-Five performances, as he and his team prepare for a trio of races this week beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at Hartford Motor Speedway in Michigan, followed by a stop at Eldora Speedway in Ohio on Friday, Sept. 23 and Lernerville Speedway in Pa. on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Kraig on the weekend:
“It was a pretty good weekend for the Casey’s General Store team. To come home fourth at Spencer was a great result and certainly gives us something to build on. We were in the Top-Five all night and had a very fast car. We were consistent all night at Deer Creek and qualified in the right spot and got into the dash. It was tough to pass in the feature, but we were able to make up some ground late in the race. I can’t wait to get to Hartford and climb back in the car and race three more times this week.”
Clay County Fair Speedway & Deer Creek Speedway Results
Date
Time
Trials
Heat
Start
Heat Finish
Dash Start
Dash Finish
Feature Start
Feature Finish
Points
Sept. 16
10th
2nd
1st
3rd
4th
4th
4th
8th
Sept. 17
13th
5th
2nd
9th
9th
9th
10th
8th
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Clay County Fair Speedway & Deer Creek Speedway:
0.375- Miles around both Clay County Fair Speedway & Deer Creek Speedway
1- Finishing position in the second heat race at Clay County
2- Appearances in the dash at Clay County Fair Speedway & Deer Creek Speedway; Nights of racing in Minnesota for the World of Outlaws in 2011
4- Finishing position at Clay County
6- Total nights of racing in the State of Iowa for the World of Outlaws this season
8- Position in points
10- Finishing position at Deer Creek
11- Events contested this season by the World of Outlaws on 3/8-mile tracks
12.579- Lap in time trials at Deer Creek Speedway
13.359- Lap in time trials at Clay County Speedway
14-Laps led in feature events this season
20- Top-10 finishes this season
55- Main events completed this season by the World of Outlaws
180- Miles from Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa to Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.
6560- Points earned through Sept. 17
Up Next: Sept. 21, Hartford Motor Speedway, Hartford, Mich.
Sept. 23, Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, Ohio
Sept. 24, Lernerville Speedway, Sarver, Pa.