From Darkhorse Media
Indianapolis, IN — (July 23, 2012) — Whenever Jimmy Kite slides behind the wheel of a racecar, it becomes “Must See” motorsports. Now, Kite, who lives in Indianapolis but considers Stockbridge, Ga. his home, will really be a part of Must See Racing when he joins the TRUFUEL Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Car Series for three races in the coming weeks. The open wheel-racing veteran has been named driver of the No. 81 Mike Blake Racing winged sprint car for the Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial at Salem (Ind.) Speedway on August 11, the Must See Racing event at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway scheduled for August 18 and the King of the Wings race at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on August 19. The races will mark Kite’s debut in the series that utilizes 410-cubic inch V8 engines and traditional winged sprint car chassis on racing slick tires.
As if watching the five-time Indianapolis 500-starter piloting a 410-winged sprinter is not enough, the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Car Series does it all on steeply banked, paved ovals. Kite is no stranger to the trio of Indiana short tracks at which he will race the No. 81. The last lap he turned on Salem’s 33-degree banked, .555-mile oval was his victory lap in prestigious 1997 NAMARS Classic midget race. The Salem win was one of several key victories that skyrocketed Kite’s career into Indy car racing that season. He has also logged open wheel racing laps at Anderson – a quarter-mile, high-banked track at which he has raced the May tradition known as the “Little 500” in 1996 – and Winchester Speedway – a half-mile, steeply-banked facility he competed at during the famous ESPN “Thursday Night Thunder” races – as well during the early days of his career.
As fast as Kite’s previous starts at these legendary tracks were, they won’t be as quick or as punishing as the Mike Blake Racing machine. Most often thought of as a dirt track specialty, on pavement winged sprint cars are as physically and mentally demanding as any car in the world. The high speeds and g-forces generated by the massive wing on the car and the high banking under it will require Kite to draw back on his experience of racing an Indy car at Dover Downs or Richmond International. He is also familiar with finding the balance between high-horsepower and high-downforce machines from his NASCAR and ARCA starts. In fact, the 1997 USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year has also run winged sprint cars on pavement previously in his career in two separate series. However, those efforts were always with smaller 360 cubic-inch engines.
The TRUFUEL Must See Xtreme Sprint Car Series runs a 15-race schedule on paved ovals. The Series enjoys an impressive television package bringing the events to over 125 million households on FOX Sports Net (FSN) as well as online at MotorSportWorld.TV.
In addition to the orange No. 81 Mike Blake Racing entry in the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Car Series, Kite is also driving the No. 25 Indy Line Stripe/Eddie Sachs Racing Beast-Chevrolet in the USAC Silver Crown Series on both dirt and pavement.
Indy Line Stripe is a pavement maintenance leader in Indiana and surrounding states. The Indianapolis-based company is owned by Kite, fellow racer Geoff Dodge and Curt Shuttleworth. For more, visit: www.IndyLineStripe.com.