New Castle, IN — (October 14, 2012) — Two nights, two different cars and two top-five finishes. That was the story for Tracy Hines at the Terre Haute Action Track as he competed in both a sprint car and a Silver Crown machine at the legendary half-mile in a pair of tradition-laden events this past weekend.
The weekend opened on Friday, Oct. 12, with the running of the Jim Hurtubise Classic for the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series, with Hines coming home fourth in that event aboard the MP Environmental DRC. He lined up third for 30-lap feature and ran among the Top-Five for the duration of the contest, which was slowed by four cautions and two red flag periods. The 2002 USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series champion ran as high as third in the late going, and would finish fourth, earning his 19th top-10 finish of the season with the series, of which 11 have been top-five performances. He is currently fourth in points with four races remaining on the 2012 calendar.
Hines began the night at Terre Haute by turning the fifth-fastest lap in time trials of the 22 entries. He finished second in the second eight-lap heat race, which put him on the inside of the second row for the 30-lap A-Feature.
“We had a pretty good night on Friday,” said Hines. “It was tough to get into a rhythm with all of the cautions, but having those restarts gave us a few chances to try and make something happen. We’ve been good on the bigger tracks all year and came pretty close a couple of times at Terre Haute. You always want to win, but some nights you just have to take what comes your way and a fourth-place run against a good field of cars is nothing to hang your head about.”
In the Sumar Classic on Saturday, Oct. 13, for the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series, Hines timed in fourth, which put him on the outside of the second row for the 100-lap event at the historic half-mile located at the Vigo County Fairgrounds. He moved into third in the early going and ran in that spot for several laps. A spin on lap-30 while running among the Top-Five sent Hines to the back of the pack. He would work his way back through the field over the final 70 laps to finish fifth, earning his fifth top-10 finish of the season in the No. 16 Lightfoot Racing machine. Hines, the 2000 USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series champion, wrapped up the eight-race 2012 campaign sixth in points.
“The car was pretty fast early in the night and at the start of the race,” he shared. “After the spin, I really had to drive hard to get back up there. A caution in the late going might have helped, but at the same time it can go against you as well. We had some good runs this year in the Silver Crown car, and were really hoping to pick up a win in the No. 16.”
The Fall Classic at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Mich., scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 14 was rained out. That event, which was a re-scheduled date from a rainout in August, will not be made up this season, though USAC and I-96 Speedway officials are looking for a suitable date to run the race in 2013.
“We were really looking forward to heading to I-96, but Mother Nature didn’t want to cooperate,” Hines said. “Hopefully we’ll go back up there next year and be able to put on a good show at the half-mile up there. We still have a few more races in the sprint car this season, so we’ll work hard in the shop continuing to get ready for those.”
Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: MP Environmental, Parker Machinery, FatHeadz, Turbines, Inc., DRC, Shaver Specialties, AFCO Racing Shocks, Bell Race Gear, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers, Rod End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers and Stanton Racing for their continued support.
For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, including a complete 2012 schedule, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin.