By Mike O’Leary
May 17, 2013 – When a good racing driver moves to a new racing team, it isn’t unusual for it to take some time for things to jell, for everyone to get on the same page. However, that can’t be said for Brady Short and his new ride in the #11 Pottorff Logging/Indiana StoneWorks Maxim. Three King of Indiana Sprint Series events in the books this spring, and Short has collected two wins and a fifth place finish and leads the KISS point standings.
With the next KISS event this Saturday night, at Lawrenceburg Speedway, Short will face stout competition at one of the premier sprint car tracks in the country. Located just west of Cincinnati on US Route 50, next to the Ohio River, Lawrenceburg boasts a high banked, high speed 5/8 mile oval. The schedule is that the front gate will open at 5:00 pm, the pits at 4:00, with hot laps beginning at 6:00 and racing at 7:00. Adult tickets are $20, tickets for kids 7 to 12 are just $7, and ages 6 and under are admitted free. Pit passes are $30. In addition to the KISS sprint cars series, the racing program includes UMP modifieds and hornets.
As they have for the past six years, the track promoters who comprise the King Of Indiana Sprint Series and the helmet sponsors, Sprint Car and Midget Magazine, Simpson Performance Products and VanHorn Tint & Accessories, are making one of the most unique trophies that a driver can earn, the King of Indiana Sprint Series Champion’s Helmet, possible. Just as a crown was in medieval times, the KISS helmet represents a significant accomplishment in winning the series title. If Short is able to maintain his point lead and capture this year’s crown, it will be his second KISS helmet.
The Simpson helmet is fully state of the art in the critical areas of safety, materials and construction, and it comes equipped with everything a driver needs to strap it on and go racing. The helmet will be highlighted with artwork specially designed for the KISS champion by artist Jeff VanHorn. Each of the Champion’s who have won a helmet (Jon Stanbrough in ’07, ’08, ’10 and ’12, Brady Short in ’09, and Dave Darland in ’11) have chosen not to wear it for racing, but rather to keep it with their personal trophies. This only makes sense in that there are no other helmets like the KISS Champion’s, and the only way to get one is to earn it on the race track.
Simpson Performance Products and Sprint Car and Midget Magazine are nationally recognized as established leaders in their fields, with Simpson’s broad safety and racing product base, and the magazine’s reputation for strong feature articles, photos, editorials and race reporting. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, VanHorn VanHorn Tint and Accessories offers a broad range of products, including window tinting, LED lights and truck bars, rear window graphics, specialized graphics for everything from racing cars and helmets, to personal, company and fleet vehicles.
In his quest for another helmet, Short holds a 41-point lead. But Darland, the 2011 champion, sits second in the points and is hungry for another win. Kokomo Speedway’s winner, Robert Ballou, is third, and just behind them in the points are five very tough and very hungry veterans, Hunter Schuerenberg, three-time USAC winner Kevin Thomas Jr., Shane Cottle, Casey Shuman and Jerry Coons Jr. From that perspective, the battle for this year’s KISS title is just getting hot.
KISS Points: 1. Brady Short 520, 2. Dave Darland 479, 3. Robert Ballou 465, 4. Hunter Schuerenberg 312, 5. Kevin Thomas Jr. 430, 6. Shane Cottle 427, 7. Casey Shuman 405, 8. Jerry Coons Jr. 400, 9. Chris Gurley 351, 10. Chad Boespflug 344
2013 KISS SCHEDULE
May 3 Bloomington Speedway – Brady Short
May 5 Kokomo Speedway – Robert Ballou
May 10 Gas City I-69 Speedway – Brady Short
May 18 Lawrenceburg Speedway
May 26 Tri-State Speedway
June 1 Paragon Speedway
July 2 Terre Haute Action Track