By Tracy Hines Racing PR
New Castle, Ind.—Oct. 22, 2012— It may have taken two extra days to complete the open wheel portion of the Sixth Annual Kokomo Klash at Kokomo Speedway thanks to Mother Nature, but for Tracy Hines it was well worth the wait, as he scored his second straight midget win in the event at the quarter-mile bulling in his home state of Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 21. He also finished on the podium in the sprint car feature, coming home third.
Hines started on the pole for the 25-lap main event for the midgets aboard his self-owned Spike with a Stanton Chevy under the hood and ran second on the opening circuit, before taking the lead from Thomas Meseraull on the second lap. Hines would quickly open a lead and would pace the final 24 circuits of the race, which was slowed by a couple of cautions. He was victorious over fellow veterans Shane Hollingsworth and Bobby East. Hines opened the night by winning the first heat race.
“To win in the first time out with this car feels great,” said Hines. “Our main goal was to shake it down and get it ready for next year and take it home in one piece. We were fast right out of the box and put ourselves in a good position and capitalized on that. I’ve had a lot of success in a midget during the Kokomo Klash and always enjoy racing at Kokomo.”
Hines has finished on the podium in four straight starts in a midget at Kokomo Speedway over the past two seasons. He won the Kokomo Klash in 2011 and was second during Indiana Midget Week last year. This season he ran third during Indiana Midget Week and was victorious in the Kokomo Klash on Sunday night. He has a total of five wins in a midget this season, with four of those coming in action with the USAC Mopar National Midget Series.
The native of New Castle, Ind., started near the front in the sprint car portion of the Kokomo Klash in the No. 24 Parker Machinery DRC. He was running among the lead pack when the first stoppage of the night occurred on the second lap for a flip. He restarted third, and fell back to fourth, before working his way into third following a caution just past the halfway point of the race. Hines would take the checkered flag in third to earn the final spot on the podium, which was his seventh top-five finish of the season at the track in a sprint car. He won the third heat race to claim a spot in the 25-lap main event earlier in the night.
“We came close a few times to winning in a sprint car at Kokomo this year,” noted the veteran driver. “We had a pretty good night on Sunday and did everything we could. The No. 24 was fast just about every time we unloaded it this year at the tracks here in Indiana. Finishing on the podium with the strong field of cars that was at the event is definitely something to be proud of.”
Hines returns to action later this week in the Hall of Fame Classic at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz., with the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series. He picked up three wins at the three-eighths-mile earlier this season during the track’s Winter Freeze event.
“We have four more USAC sprint races out west and are working hard to be ready for those and try to pick up a few more wins,” shared Hines. “We ran really well in Arizona this winter, so hopefully we can use the notes we have from those races this weekend. The next few weeks are going to be pretty busy between the sprint car and the midget and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Parker Machinery, FatHeadz, Turbines, Inc., Support Esophagus Cancer, DRC, 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.