BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — October 1, 2014 — The crown jewel events in sprint car racing don’t just pay a large purse, but also have a legendary history behind them. The National Open at the famed Williams Grove Speedway has been taking place since 1963, and has been part of the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series schedule since the series inaugural season in 1978. Kraig Kinser has attended a number of National Open events both as a driver and while growing up around the sport, and has seen his dad, Steve, the 20-time World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series champion win the race four times. Kinser will return to the unique half-mile this week as the stretch run of the season is under way.
The National Open is set for Friday, October 3, and Saturday, October 4 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. A full racing program will take place both nights, with the 40-lap A-Feature on Saturday, paying $50,000-to-win.
“With the whole field running both nights, cracking the field for the National Open is just as tough as it is at Knoxville with the field split,” said Kinser, who drives the Mesilla Valley Transportation/Casey’s General Store/King Racing Products Maxim. “The pill draw and time trials are so important at the Grove and oftentimes can make or break your night. It’s an intense event, especially Saturday night, with the big money on the line. We’ve had our ups and down at Williams Grove the last few years, so hopefully we put ourselves in a good position both nights this weekend.”
Kinser has qualified for three A-Feature events at Williams Grove this season with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series. He finished a season-best 11th at the half-mile on May 16th. During the Summer Nationals in July, he was 19th in the opener and 22nd in the finale.
In his career at Williams Grove Speedway, Kinser has nine top-10 finishes. He finished a career-best fourth at the track during the 2012 Summer Nationals. His best result in the National Open came on the first night in 2012, when he crossed the line seventh.
Kinser raced at his home track of Bloomington Speedway in Indiana, last Friday night. He started and finished 12th in the 40-lap event on the high-banked quarter-mile bullring. The following evening he finished 20th at Berlin Raceway in Michigan, after a mechanical problem ended his night on the seventh lap at the 7/16th-mile oval that is normally a paved track, but was covered with dirt for the series inaugural visit.
Heading into the National Open, Kinser is ninth in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series standings. He has one win this year, along with 29 top-10 finishes. A total of seven race nights remain in the 2014 season.
“With not too many races left, every single one is important right now,” said Kinser. “The off-season goes by a whole lot quicker when you string together a good end of the season. That makes the long days in the shop better as well during the winter. We have a few tracks coming up that we have traditionally run well at, so we’ll keep at it and hopefully turn in a few more strong runs.”
Kraig Kinser Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, Mesilla Valley Transportation, King Racing Products, Maxim, Aerodine Composites, Sander Engineering,Integra Shocks, All Star Performance, FK Rod Ends, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bell, KSE Racing Products, ButlerBuilt, Schoenfeld Headers, Donovan Engineering,Fel-Pro, Brodix, Wilwood, Dyer’s, Barnes Systems, Ringer Gloves, Jakes Custom Golf Carts, and Ben Cook Racing Limited for their continued support.
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Williams Grove Speedway
0.5– Miles around Williams Grove Speedway
1- Win this season with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
3- Starts this season at the half-mile
6- Nights of racing at Williams Grove for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series in 2014
9- Current position in the series standings
11- Race nights in Pennsylvania this season for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
15.1- Average finish in 33 career main event starts at Williams Grove Speedway
16.140- Track record at Williams Grove Speedway
17.3- Average finish in three starts at the track this season
29- Top-10 finishes this season
33- Career main events starts at the Grove, including preliminary features
618- Miles from Berlin Raceway in Michigan, where the World of Outlaws raced on September 27 to Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania
1963- Year of the first National Open
2003– Year of first start at Williams Grove Speedway
Keep up with all the action
For the latest news on Kraig Kinser, visit http://www.kraigkinser.com, and follow Kraig on Twitter at http://twitter.com/
Tune in
Listen live to each and every World of Outlaws event on DIRTVision.com with “The Voice of the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series” Johnny Gibson on the call. Visitwww.DIRTVision.com for live audio of each and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event.
