Category: Other Series PR

Bloomington, Ind.—April 14, 2013— The first time Kraig Kinser visited Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., in 2011 he and his fellow World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series competitors battled Mother Nature right up to the feature event, with rain claiming the win that night. This time around, rain was the furthest thing from anyone’s mind, as temperatures nearing 90-degrees greeted competitors, along with one of the raciest tracks they had seen thus far in 2013. When the final checkered flag flew, Kinser crossed the line fifth to earn his second top-five finish of the young season.

The 35-lap A-Feature at Kings Speedway on Friday, April 12 saw seven official lead changes and countless passes throughout the 24-car field. A number of cautions provided plenty of opportunities on double-file restarts to gain spots, which is exactly what Kinser did. The final yellow flag of the night flew with six laps remaining and Kinser lined up eighth and would pass four more cars as the laps wound down aboard the Casey’s General Store/Mesilla Valley Transportation Maxim.

“I had always heard that Hanford gets pretty racy and it sure did on Friday night,” said Kinser. “Our car really came on late in the race and we were able to pick up quite a few spots, especially on a couple of those restarts. That was one of those races where you really didn’t want to see the checkered flag come out we were having so much fun out there and running so well.”

Kinser opened the night at Kings Speedway by turning the 11th-fastest lap in time trials, which put him on the pole of the second eight-lap heat race. He would finish third in the heat, just missing a spot in the dash by one position. When the 35-lap main event took to the track, Kinser found himself starting on the outside of the sixth row.

On Saturday, April 13 in the SoCal Showdown at Perris Auto Speedway in Southern California, Kinser battled a lightning fast surface that was very challenging to pass on. He picked up a couple of spots in the 30-lap main event and wound up finishing 16th. The A-Feature ran non-stop green-to-checkers without a single caution. Kinser began the night by turning the 18th-fastest lap in time trials. He started sixth in the third eight-lap heat race and gained a spot to finish fifth. He lined up 18th for the main event.

“Perris was fast, there’s no doubt about it,” he shared. “We’ve had a number of tracks this year where it’s been so fast and everyone is pretty equal that it makes it pretty difficult to pass. It probably would have helped to have gotten a caution or two, and a couple of restarts to pick off a few spots, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

Kinser, who is currently 10th in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings, will return to action on Tuesday, April 16 in the inaugural event for the series at El Paso Speedway Park in Texas, followed by a stop at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky on Friday, April 19 and Tri-State Speedway in his home state of Indiana on Saturday, April 20.

“It will definitely be good to get back to get back the Midwest this week,” Kinser noted. “We’ve been out west for well over a month and had some great weather to race in and had some huge crowds as well and put on some good races. There’s just something about getting back to the Midwest and racing on tracks we know pretty well. It will be nice to get back to the shop and catch up on things as well.”

Kraig Kinser Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, Mesilla Valley Transportation, 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.

Watertown, Conn.—April 14, 2013 — After getting caught up by a lapped car while running fourth on Friday night at Kings Speedway, David Gravel was on a mission on Saturday night to wrap-up the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series West Coast Swing on a strong note in Bill Rose’s No. 6 Firetext Response Maxim. Gravel was able to accomplish that as he finished seventh at Perris Auto Speedway.

Gravel lined up seventh on Saturday, April 13 at the half-mile Perris Auto Speedway for the SoCal Showdown, which marked the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series only visit of the season to Southern California. After falling back a spot on the start he got back around three-time World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series champion Sammy Swindell on the second circuit to move back into seventh. The entire 30-lap main event went non-stop green-to-checkers in just under eight minutes on a very fast surface that was challenging to pass on.

“We got in the dash, which is always important and to come away with a top-10 in the feature was good,” said Gravel. “We didn’t quite get the dash draw we were hoping for, which put us back a bit, but at least we were up there. The track was definitely fast and tough to pass on and we finished where we started, so we didn’t lose any spots, so you can’t complain about that.”

In time trials to start the night, Gravel turned the ninth-fastest lap, which put him on the outside of the front row in the third and final eight-lap heat race. He would finish second in that contest to earn a spot in the World of Outlaws dash. The native of Watertown, Conn., would come home seventh in the dash to earn a fourth row starting spot for the A-Feature.

Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., presented one of the raciest tracks the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series has seen all year on Friday, April 12, with Gravel starting 11th in the main event. After losing a few spots early in the race, he worked his way into the top-10 by the fifth lap. Gravel would run near the top-10 for a majority of the 35-lap contest and would charge to the front just past the halfway point of the race. The 20-year-old was all the way up to the fourth position with six laps remaining when a lapped car spun and got into him, leaving him nowhere to go and flattening his left rear tire. After a trip to the work area, Gravel restarted at the back of the pack and sliced his way through the field to come home 12th.

“It was a frustrating end to the night,” he shared. “We fell back a bit at the beginning of the feature and during the fuel stop, Tyler (Swank) made a few changes that really helped and we were able to move forward pretty quick after that. It’s a shame that all of the hard work all night went for naught with someone spinning out in front of us.”

Gravel qualified ninth-fastest at Kings Speedway, which put him in the heat race inversion and on the front row of the third eight-lap heat race. He would finish fourth in the heat to earn a spot in the 35-lap main event, where he would take his spot on the grid on the inside of the sixth row.

In 11 starts in Rose’s car during the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series West Coast Swing, Gravel picked up five top-10 finishes, including a pair of fourth-place showings at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.  Gravel visited a total of nine tracks in three states over the last five weeks.

“All in all, it was a decent trip out west,” Gravel stated. “We didn’t have luck go out way too many times, especially in the dash draws and with lapped cars and having a tire pop tire at Tulare and then the last lap at Chico (Silver Dollar Speedway). I think I made my mark, though, and got to meet quite a few new people. Racing at a bunch of new tracks was great as well. I had wanted for a long time to race in California and am glad I had the opportunity. Hopefully, next time I race there I can do even better.”

Gravel is currently seventh in points with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series on the strength of sixth top-10 finishes with two of those being top-five performances. The 20-year-old will make his next start in the series inaugural event at El Paso Speedway Park in Texas on Tuesday, April 16, driving for Rose’s team.

“Going to tracks for the first time seems to level the playing field a little bit against these guys,” he noted. “I’m usually pretty good at getting up to speed when I see a place I’ve never been to. I feel pretty comfortable in Bill’s car and as long as we have a good surface that we can pass on, we should have a pretty good night. Qualifying well and getting in the dash will be important as always.”

Keep up-to-date with David Gravel and DDR Motorsports by visiting www.DavidGravel89.com. Follow David on Twitter @davidgravel89gand like David on Facebook.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (April 14, 2013) – Cory Joyce and the No. 20 Shibby Clothing Line Chevrolet team put on a solid show for the fans at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway after racing inside the top 10 throughout the majority of the United Auto Racing Association (UARA) STARS Series’ 75-lap race at the legendary one-mile oval.  With a very competitive car, the Shibby team was sidelined with just 10 laps remaining when a broken piston slowed the car and ended their day.

Joyce and his Mooresville N.C.-based Cory Joyce Racing team spent the last six weeks preparing for their first race of the 2013 season. The team worked hard throughout the weekend, overcoming a broken oil pan during the opening practice session and making several adjustments before Saturday morning’s qualifying session.

The No. 20 Shibby Clothing Line Chevrolet rolled off in the 10th position for the UARA-STARS 75 at Rockingham Speedway. In a quick race with just two caution periods, Joyce set a calm pace and methodically raced through the field. By lap 60, he had moved into the top five and passed most of the drivers expected to compete for the win on Saturday afternoon.

As early as lap 35 Joyce felt the motor cut out, but he was able to maintain competitive lap times in the No. 20 Shibby Chevrolet.  However on lap 65, with just 10 laps remaining, Joyce was forced to the garage with an expired motor as a result of a broken piston. At the conclusion of the UARA-STARS 75, Joyce was scored with a 20th-place finish.

“I’m really proud of what we were able to accomplish with the No. 20 Shibby Clothing Line Chevrolet this weekend,” commented Joyce.  “While we didn’t get the result we hoped for, we had a great car.  We passed a lot of guys during the race and were in a position to compete for the win. Rockingham Speedway has always been one of my favorite tracks, so to be able to come here and race up front means a lot. All of the guys on my team have full-time jobs, yet they’re always willing to put in the time to make sure our car is perfect.  I can’t thank them enough.”

Calgary AB, April 11, 2013. 
Cameron Hayley of Calgary, AB will be contending in two races this summer at the top level of stock car racing in Canada known as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

In February sixteen-year-old Hayley won the inaugural “Battle at the Beach” event at Daytona International Speedway. This was the first time a Canadian had ever won a NASCAR sanctioned event at Daytona!

Hayley is in his 2nd full time season with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series in the USA. 
He is turning a lot of heads down south not only because of his young age or having been the youngest to race at this level, but because he is just so talented! 
When he entered his first NASCAR K&N Pro race he finished an astounding second. 
After his Daytona win, he did it again in March at Phoenix almost winning there too!

Even NASCAR is telling the public to watch Hayley. They too believe he is one the future stars in NASCAR’s top level of the sport, The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. 
As a result Hayley has been admitted into the “NASCAR Next Nine.”

The Canadian Race Cars will be supplied by the well-known NASCAR Canadian Tire Champion, DJ Kennington who runs his successful program out of Ontario.

Hayley says; “I can’t wait to get back and race in my home country with the top drivers, they are good and it’s always a very exciting and competitive series! 
Our Canadian fans have been so supportive so it will be good to see them again too. Add to that one of our sponsors “Cabinets by Hayley” is a Canadian company so it’s all just a win-win and I can’t wait!”

The Canadian Races:
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races that Hayley will contend in are:
1. July 13, 2013 – Vernon, BC.
2. July 17, 2013 – Saskatoon SK.

FAST FACTS:
NASCAR Driver: Cameron Hayley.
Age: 16.
Home Town: Calgary, AB.
Sponsor: Cabinets by Hayley.
Race Car: Dodge Challenger.
Last Win: Daytona International Speedway – Feb. 19, 2013.
Member of NASCAR’s prestigious “Next Nine” Program.
Currently Second in points in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series in the USA.

Follow Cameron Hayley at:

Face Book: www.FaceBook.com/CameronHayleyMotorsports
Twitter: CameronHayley24
Web Site: www.CameronHayley.com

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1. Barber technical penalty update

2. Tire test returns Indy cars to Pocono

3. Celebrities seek advice from Servia at Long Beach

1. Barber technical penalty update: There were no technical penalties issued following the IZOD IndyCar Series race at Barber Motorsports Park on April 7.

2. Tire test returns Indy cars to Pocono: It seemed appropriate that Marco Andretti was the first IZOD IndyCar Series driver to turn a lap at Pocono Raceway during an April 10 Firestone tire test.

Andretti’s grandfather, father and cousin competed in the Quaker State 500 on Aug. 20, 1989 – the last time an Indy car turned a lap on the 2.5-mile tri-oval. Marco, who makes his home in Nazareth, Pa., was 2½ years old.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment and we belong here. This place was built for Indy cars. The facility is fabulous and was my favorite superspeedway to drive on,” said Mario Andretti, who won the 1986 race and started from the pole in ’87. “This track is different from any other superspeedway we run because of the very different radius of every corner and also different banking. It’s what I really enjoyed about this place.”

Marco Andretti was joined by four-time series champion Dario Franchitti of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, 2012 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Simon Pagenaud of Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports and three-time series championship runner-up Will Power of Team Penske (two Chevrolet and two Honda teams). IZOD IndyCar Series points leader Helio Castroneves, along with hundreds of spectators, also attended.

Firestone engineers used the Indianapolis 500 tire specification as a baseline and then tested a number of compound and construction alternatives. Driver feedback, race team engineer input and tire performance data collected from the test will be evaluated to determine the best tire specification to develop for the race weekend.

The aerodynamic specification of mandatory and optional elements used at Indianapolis and Auto Club Speedway were utilized for the track that features a 3,740-foot front straight and banking in the three turns of 14, 8 and 6 degrees.

The track lap record is 211.715 mph set in 1989 by Emerson Fittipaldi in qualifying, which was breached by almost 3 mph in the morning session.

“It was kind of like a higher-speed short oval because you still have to work, especially Turn 1,” Andretti said. “For me, it was about finding the limit in Turn 3, getting a feel for the banking. It will be interesting trying to find the balance between Turn 1 and 3. It’s like Nazareth on steroids.”

Added Franchitti, who competed at Pocono in 2008 in a stock car: “There’s always compromise, especially at a track with three such different corners. There’s the big banking in Turn 1, almost flat tracking in Turn 3 and the tunnel turn. You’re always going to be better at one corner than another. The trick is to figure out which one you can give away the most in order to still be competitive.

“You have to figure that out, which one is the one you can give away something to be perfect on the one or two other corners. Turn 3 flat out defies logic. The difference from being here in 2008 is remarkable. This was a bumpy old place before. Now it’s very, very smooth. There has obviously been a great deal of investment in the track, the SAFER Barrier in different places, as well. That’s really allowed INDYCAR as a group to come back here.

“All those investments have been made. I said at the time to run an IndyCar around here would be a blast, and it is. It’s going to be a very good race.”

The race will be the second leg of the superspeedway events in which a $1 million bonus will be awarded by Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka to the competitor who wins the races at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway and the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway.

From 1971-80, the Indy car Triple Crown consisted of 500-mile races at Pocono Raceway, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Ontario (Calif.) Speedway. When Ontario closed in 1980, it was replaced by Michigan International Speedway and the Triple Crown lasted until 1989.

Al Unser is the only driver to have won all three races in the same calendar year (1978, driving the No. 2 First National City Travel Checks-sponsored car for team owner Jim Hall).

3. Celebrities seek advice from Servia at Long Beach: Oriol Servia was a popular figure during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach’s annual Pro-Celebrity Race Media Day.

The Panther/DRR driver wasn’t in high-demand for his celebrity, though. He was wanted for his expert advice.

“It’s always exciting to promote Long Beach,” Servia said. ” It’s been such a big race forever and such a big part of my career. I started here in Indy Lights in 1998 and every year the event gets better. I’m always happy to be part of it and especially on a day like today when you have all the celebrities here.”

Servia gave some tips to Adam Carolla, the defending race winner, who will be one of four pro drivers competing in the Toyota Pro Celebrity Race on the 1.968-mile street course on April 20.

This year, Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo sought advice from Servia, who has a best finish of second (2007, advancing 12 positions).

“It’s good when the sport reaches outside from our normal fans and characters,” Servia said. “It’s always cool to see which celebs get better through practice.”

***

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 andwww.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Long Beach 100 on April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. (ET) on April 21, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1. If You Missed It: INDYCAR Conference Call with AJ Allmendinger

2. Veach among finalists for interview with Larry King

1. If You Missed It: INDYCAR Conference Call with AJ Allmendinger: Earlier today, IZOD IndyCar Series driver AJ Allmendinger participated in an INDYCAR Conference Call to discuss his series debut at Barber Motorsports Park and preview the April 21 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Selected quotes from the call are below. An MP3 Audio recording of the call is available on http://media.indycar.com

Q. Let’s talk a little bit about the race weekend in Barber. You qualified 10th, didn’t get the result that you had hoped for, but you still have to consider it a good weekend?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: Overall, I thought it was pretty good. I felt like I had pretty good pace comparative to everybody there at least. At least I was in the mix of it and felt good just to be closer to Will (Power) and Helio (Castroneves) time‑wise, and felt like I was at least able to bring a little something to the team to try to help everybody in the whole organization.

The result kind of wasn’t what I wanted, but I felt pretty good in the race to have the pace where I did and run inside the top 10 early on. Just kind of part of the learning curve about going through the race strategy and working with Roger (Penske) for the first time and having him call my race and everything that goes with that.

I’m just trying to take the result out of it completely. I felt really good about the weekend. I was nervous about how my fitness would be in the race and I felt really good after the race and during the race. All in all, except for the finish itself, I was pretty happy with the weekend.

Q. Over the weekend it came out that Team Penske would field you at Long Beach. That’s a place that you’re very familiar with from your time in Champ Car. What do you remember about racing at Long Beach, and now that you’ve driven in INDYCAR, what do you expect?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: I’m really excited to go to Long Beach. That was always one of my favorite races on the Champ Car schedule, and it’s a good atmosphere. It’s just a place where just the energy level of the crowd, the energy just around the whole event – you feel like you’re at an event, not that you’re just at a race. I’ve always enjoyed that.

I think the layout of the racetrack itself is actually the same as when I used to run it. I won the Toyota Atlantic race there back in 2003, and felt always pretty quick there in Champ Car.

I’m looking forward to it, and to be able to go back and kind of get another race under our belts before Indy is going to be important, and just try to keep getting better. I think obviously the Penske organization, they have a great car on the road course and street course tracks especially. So I’m looking forward to that, and it’s just kind of the same thing, going through the process of the weekend, and hopefully I can get up to speed pretty quick, not having a lot of track time there, and I’ll be studying a lot of data, a lot of video before that.

Q. When you were racing NASCAR fulltime, how much attention were you paying to Indy and what was going on there, and what do you think it’s going to be like to race there in an IndyCar?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: I always loved watching INDYCAR. It’s not like I left Champ Car and just forgot about open-wheel racing. I’ve always loved open-wheel racing. I’ve always had friends that have been in the IndyCar Series, so I’ve always kept up with it, and then especially the Indy 500. It’s always fun to watch and see how the process of the weeks go and practice and everything like that. So I was always up to date with it, and obviously when we’re at Charlotte at that point, kind of be able to watch most of the Indy 500 before any kind of sponsor thing started and drivers’ meetings, et cetera, for the 600.

So I’m really looking forward to going there and going through the process and learning. I’ll be definitely nervous going to the track for the first time and rolling out of Gasoline Alley and going down the front straightaway for the first time in the IndyCar. It’s going to be nerve‑racking but exciting at the same time.

From there, it’s just about a process. You get a lot of track time and you don’t have to rush anything, don’t have to go out there and set the world on fire on the first day. Just going through the process of it and getting to the actual race.

Q. You say that you’re still learning the process, the process is still ongoing. What are your realistic expectations for the next couple of races in IndyCar? What are you expecting to learn or hoping to learn?

AJ ALLMENDINGER: I guess expectations, that’s a tough thing to try to set for myself because in my heart and in my head I want to go out there and win races. As I stated many times now, I don’t want to waste Roger’s time. I don’t want to waste IZOD’s time, I don’t want to waste anybody’s time at this organization to go out there and just go run around laps and try to learn. I want to go out there and compete right away.

But everybody in the series is so quick, and it’s so competitive. I think the on‑track racing of this series is some of the best that I’ve ever seen, and I’ve watched open-wheel racing really ever since I was growing up, and I think it’s some of the most competitive racing that it’s ever been.

To try to just get people to understand that and get the outside world that doesn’t know IndyCar racing to understand that and see how competitive and how great this series is ‑‑ you know, going to Long Beach, I just want to keep improving. It’s a track that I know kind of, but it’s been seven years and haven’t been in one of these cars around the place, but at least kind of know the layout of it. My expectations are to go there and just try to keep getting better from where I was at Barber.

And then like I said at Indy, I want to go try to win the race. That’s why I’m there. That’s why Roger hired me is to have the expectations to win. Like I said, the good thing there is you get a lot of time to go out there and learn the racetrack and go through the days of practice and go into qualifying and then get the race setup.

Expectations for me, it kind of changes always throughout a weekend, but I expect to go out there and compete at a high level and hopefully go try to win these races.

2. Veach among finalists for interview with Larry King: Television and radio host Larry King is looking for his next big interview. Forget Matthew McConaughey, Betty White, or even Tim Allen. King and his producers are looking for something different. Perhaps they have found it in 18-year-old Andretti Autosport Firestone Indy Lights driver Zach Veach.

Veach was named a finalist this week by King’s producers to be interviewed on King’s talk show, “Larry King Now” on ORA TV. The 12 finalists are gathering votes for their entries on King’s website with voting open until April 19.

“Larry King is such a big name in the world of interviewers and I can’t image the opportunity to sit across the desk from him and talk about my racing career and efforts against distracted driving and bullying prevention,” Veach said. “I always enjoy talking to journalists and sharing my story and encouraging others to pursue their dreams, too.”

Veach, of Stockdale, Ohio, reached out to King’s producers as part of their “Be Interviewed by the King” contest. As part of his submission, he was to share in 15 seconds or less why King should pick him.

“In my submission, I told Larry that we couldn’t be more different except our willingness to help others,” continued Veach, who would be the second race car driver interviewed on the program following Danica Patrick. “I mean, I’m a race car driver, and he’s a television host. He’s like 80 and I’m not even 20, but I’ve seen how giving he has been and I’d love to share with him how lucky and humbled I feel to be where I’m at.”

As part of the finalist piece, King’s producers asked Veach to submit a final one-minute video, which can be voted for on ora.tv.

***

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be televised live at 4 p.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 andwww.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Long Beach 100 on April 21 on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. (ET) on April 21, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.

Bloomington, Ind.—April 7, 2013— After a single race weekend before Easter, Kraig Kinser was really looking forward to getting back on the track for a pair of races at Antioch Speedway and Calistoga Speedway as the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series continued their West Coast Swing in California this weekend. Mother Nature had other ideas though, dumping quite a bit of rain on Northern California, which forced the cancellation of the Calistoga event and nearly put the Antioch race in jeopardy. The track crew at Antioch spent all of race day working the track after a significant amount of rain fell the day before the race and was able to get the track in racing condition by race time on Friday, April 5.

Kinser would open the night by qualifying a very solid fifth in the Casey’s General Store/Mesilla Valley Transportation Maxim with a stout 35-car field in attendance at the high-banked, three-eighths-mile. The third-generation driver would line up third in the first eight-lap heat race and finished fifth to earn a spot in the 30-lap main event. He rolled off the grid on the inside of the sixth row for the A-Feature and would cross the finish line in 14th, which helped him move up two spots to ninth in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series standings.

The 30-lap main event went green-to-checkers without a caution on a very fast surface that was challenging to pass on. Kinser dropped two positions at the start and ran in that spot for the first half of the race. He got passed on lap-18 and would remain in 14th for the remainder of the contest.

“It was definitely tough to pass out there,” said Kinser. “That was one of those nights where you try to maintain and not fall out of line. We are certainly working hard at it and still have a few things we need to get better on. We qualified well, but we have to start getting in the dash, because it is so important nowadays to start at the front in the feature. We’ll keep at it and we have some tracks we know pretty well coming up when we get back to the Midwest.”

Following the cancellation of the Saturday, April 6 event at Calistoga Speedway, which will not be made up, the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series wraps up the West Coast Swing next weekend with a visit to Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., on Friday, April 12 and Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday, April 13.

“We were really looking forward to seeing what they had done to Calistoga,” he noted. “Rainout are tough anytime, but especially when you are coming off a weekend where you just had one race. We’re looking forward to next weekend and getting a pair of shows in and then we have the mid-week race at El Paso and then Paducah (International Raceway in Kentucky) and Haubstadt (Tri-State Speedway in Indiana), so that will be a good, busy week for us.”

With 12 races completed in 2013, Kinser is ninth in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings. He has five top-10 finishes, including a season-best third-place showing at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida during the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals in February. In time trials this season, the native of Bloomington, Ind., has qualified among the top-10 seven times.

Kraig Kinser Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, Mesilla Valley Transportation, 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.

Antioch Speedway Results

Date	Time Trials	Heat Start	Heat Finish	Dash Start	Dash Finish	Feature Start	Feature Finish	Points
April 5	5th	3rd	5th	N/A	N/A	11th	14th	9th

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/kraigkinser11k and receive live updates from the track each and every race night.

Tune in
Listen live to each and every World of Outlaws event on DIRTVision.com with “The Voice of the Outlaws” Johnny Gibson on the call. Visitwww.DIRTVision.com for live audio of  each and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event.

Watertown, Conn.—April 7, 2013—Prior to this weekend in World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series competition this season, David Gravel never had to look at the radar on his phone or even worry about rain for that matter, because weather had not been an issue in the first 11 races of the season for the series. The next two though, were plagued by rain in the days preceding the races, which led to some extra hours by the track crew at Antioch Speedway to get the race in, while the event at Calistoga Speedway fell to extremely wet grounds.

With all the rain that fell prior to the race at Antioch Speedway on Friday, April 5, a blazing fast surface greeted Gravel and his fellow competitors. The native of Watertown, Conn., qualified 12th in the Firetext Response Maxim as he continues to fill-in for the injured Bill Rose, with a very strong field of 35 drivers signed in.

That qualifying effort put him on the outside of the front row in the fourth and final eight-lap heat race. At the start of that contest, he was called for jumping the start, which sent him back a row and would end up changing the complexion of his whole night on a track that was very challenging to pass on. He battled in the heat race for the second spot and a berth in the dash, but fell just short, finishing third to transfer to the main event.

When the field took to the grid for the 30-lap main event, Gravel found himself starting 16th.  He gained a position on the start of the race, which went green-to-checkers without a single caution. Gravel would run in 15th for the entire distance and crossed the line in that same spot, which marked his ninth finish of 15th or better this season with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series.

“We had a chance to have a really good night and the heat race really changed that,” said Gravel. “Starting 16th on a track that is tough to pass on is not an easy task. It was definitely a good workout in the feature with no cautions and a bit surprising as well that it went straight through. That’s a small track and for there to not be a single caution was pretty out of the ordinary, especially compared to many of the races we’ve had out west this year.”

Gravel has competed in each of the first nine races of the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series West Coast Swing, recording four top-10 finishes, including a pair of fourth-place performances, all in Rose’s car. With the cancellation of the event at Calistoga Speedway, two races remain for Gravel in California, as he heads to Kings Speedway in Hanford on Friday, April 12 and Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday, April 13 for the SoCal Showdown.

“I’ve heard about both Hanford (Kings Speedway) and Perris (Auto Speedway) and am looking forward to seeing them for the first time,” he shared. “It will be nice to have a weekend with two races, after having just one each of the last two weeks. As a driver, you want to be in the car as much as possible and that helps you stay sharp and on your game as well.”

The 20-year-old is currently seventh in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings, just 31 markers out of the top-five. He has five top-10 finishes, which is tied for sixth-best in the series.

Keep up-to-date with David Gravel and DDR Motorsports by visiting www.DavidGravel89.com. Follow David on Twitter @davidgravel89gand like David on Facebook.

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1. Allmendinger tries to manage expectations for debut

2. Coyne to field Beatriz through Indianapolis

3. Garcia hopes to build on strong start at Barber

1. Allmendinger tries to manage expectations for debut: Team Penske has won all three of the IZOD IndyCar Series races at Barber Motorsports Park (Will Power in 2011 and ’12; Helio Castroneves in 2010).

That provides AJ Allmendinger with the knowledge that the No. 2 IZOD Team Penske car he’ll drive in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 7 is capable of winning on the road course.

“I have high expectations of myself and I don’t want to go out there and waste anyone’s time and (team owner) Roger (Penske’s) money. I want to go out there and be up front from the start,” he said. “There’s a fine line, though, of having lofty expectations and realistic expectations.”

Allmendinger, who won five races in Champ Car from 2004-06, has tested in the Chevrolet-powered car three times in the past seven weeks.

Last week, he went through the paces of a rookie oval orientation at Texas Motor Speedway as a prelude to the Rookie Orientation Program on April 11 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 97th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 26.

No other IZOD IndyCar Series races are scheduled beyond Indianapolis, but “I’ve told Roger I’d love to do as many races as possible.”

“To go to Barber and think I’m going to win the race – that’s what I hope to do and what I want to do – but it’s about having realistic expectations, get all the laps in, get better as the weekend goes on. If I feel like I’m competitive at the end of the weekend – where ever that puts me in the finishing order — and I feel like I’m a lot better than when I started I’ll be happy.”

2. Coyne to field Beatriz through Indianapolis:  Dale Coyne Racing announced that Ana Beatriz will be in the driver’s seat of the No. 18 Honda-powered car this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park and through the 97th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

“I am very excited to be back and race at Barber and Long Beach,” said Beatriz, who will mark her 25th IZOD IndyCar Series start in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. “I didn’t think I would be back in a car until Brazil, but I want to thank Ipiranga and Dale (Coyne) for making it possible for me to drive full time through Indianapolis.

“We didn’t have the finish we would have liked to in St. Petersburg, but I am confident that we can get a better finish for the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda at Barber this weekend.”

The team also announced that Justin Wilson’s No. 19 car will carry the color and markings of the Boy Scouts of America for the rest of the season. Wilson, who finished ninth in the season opener, is looking forward to carry on the tradition Dale and Gail Coyne started four years ago with the Boy Scouts of America partnership.

“This is a real honor for me to be representing the Boy Scouts of America,” said Wilson, who is in his second consecutive season with Dale Coyne Racing. “I was never a Boy Scout, but the scouts did have their start back in England where I am originally from. I’m looking forward to working with the local scouts at the races and hopefully bringing them a win this year.”

 

3. Garcia hopes to build on strong start at Barber: Juan Pablo Garcia hopes his first top-five finish is a sign of things to come in Firestone Indy Lights.

The Mexican driver, who joined Team Moore Racing, finished fourth in the season-opening St. Petersburg 100 and hopes to build on that finish in the Legacy Indy Lights 100 at Barber Motorsports Park on April 7.

“The chemistry with all the people involved in the team is very important and right now everybody is very happy working with me and I’m happy with them, too,” Garcia said. “Everybody has the same goal to get good results and podiums and try to be each time faster. Everybody is making a big effort to achieve that.”
Garcia has a pair of top-10 finishes in as many starts on the 2.38-mile road course, including what was a career-best eighth last season. He said the track is one of his favorites on the schedule.

“It’s a fast track, very hard to pass,” Garcia said. “There are really two good passing points on the heavy braking point between Turns 5-6 and the rest of the track really gets you into a flow corner by corner. It’s important to not lose the rhythm all over the track. If you do, you’ll see the difference on your lap time. You need to keep pushing at all corners.”

Team Moore Racing scored a win at Barber in 2011, and Garcia said that adds to the confidence that he has the tools to achieve his goals of running up front and potentially adding to the team’s trophy case.

“I would like to score top-fives and podiums,” he said. “The times are very close, which means everybody has a big chance to make it big on every race. You just need to take advantage of others’ mistakes and try to have a perfect race.

It’s a small field, but very competitive. Cars are within half of a second of difference or so and that makes vying for the podium harder. Also, cars with the top teams have very good drivers. I’m enjoying driving for TMR and in Firestone Indy Lights this year.”

***

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Honda Indy Grand Prix Alabama on April 7 at Barber Motorsports Park. The race will be televised live at 3 p.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 andwww.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Legacy Indy Lights 100 on April 7 at Barber Motorsport Park. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network at 2 p.m. (ET) on April 7, immediately preceding the IZOD IndyCar Series race broadcast.

New Castle, Ind.—April 4, 2013— After opening the 2013 USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series season with a pair of wins in Florida in February, Tracy Hines has been counting the days until the series returned to action in the Midwest opener. That wait will end this weekend, as the series hits the track at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Indiana.

A full night of racing is on-tap for Hines and his fellow USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series competitors at Lawrenceburg Speedway on Saturday, April 6, beginning with hot laps, followed by time trials, heat races and a feature event at the state-of-the-art high-banked, three-eighths-mile.

“It’s definitely been a long time since we raced in Florida and I am ready to get back at it,” said Hines. “When you open the season on a strong note, you want to get right back in the car. Hopefully we can pick up where we left off in Florida and we know we have a very good package and team put together for this season.”

Hines, who pilots his self-owned Hansen’s Welding Inc. DRC with a Stanton Mopar powerplant under the hood, made four overall starts at Lawrenceburg Speedway last season with three of those coming in a sprint car. He finished seventh at the three-eighths-mile during Indiana Sprint Week and was ninth in the fall during a co-sanctioned USAC/MSCS event. The veteran driver earned his best 2012 Lawrenceburg finish in a USAC National Midget Series event during Indiana Midget Week, coming home fourth. Hines was victorious at the track twice in 2011 in weekly sprint car competition and scored a win with the USAC National Midget Series at Lawrenceburg in 2010.

“Being the first race of the year at Lawrenceburg, you have to make sure you are ready for a variety of situations, as the track can do a lot of different things the first time cars are on it,” he explained. “I’ve had some good runs there in the past and really want to get a USAC Sprint Car win there. Everyone is very anxious to get on the track, so there is going to be a very strong field and some tough competition.”

Hines opened the 2013 USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series season in February at Bubba Raceway Park in Florida, during the three-night Bubba Army Winternationals at the three-eighths-mile located in Ocala. He was victorious on the second and third nights of the event to bring his career total of wins with the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series to 45. In the opener of the event he was caught up in a fourth-lap, four-car accident and worked his way back through the field to finish 11th.

Hines heads to Lawrenceburg Speedway tied for third in the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series standings, just seven markers out of the lead. Over 35 events remain on the 2013 calendar that will take the series from coast-to-coast over about a ninth-month span.

“We have a long season ahead of us and are in a good position heading into the Midwest races,” Hines noted. “We put in plenty of hours in the shop during the off-season and weren’t really sure what to expect when we unloaded in Florida, having put this all together in just a few short months. We felt like we had the right pieces in place and then to go out and win a couple of races validated that for sure and I’m excited for the rest of the season.”

Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Hansen’s Welding Inc., Parker Machinery, Motor City Auto Transport, Turbines, Inc., Afco Racing Products, Daum Crop Insurance, Schoenfeld Headers, Allstar Performance, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers and Bell Racing.

For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter atwww.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin.