Kinser and Tony Stewart Racing’s Bass Pro Shops Team Prepare for World of Outlaws Sprint Series Racing Action
In Three States
INDIANAPOLIS (June 10, 2008) – The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series will tackle three very different race tracks in three states this week as its competitors continue to gain momentum. Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Kraig Kinser will return to State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Mo., Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., and Eagle (Neb.) Raceway for the first time since 2005.
Kinser and the No. 20 Bass Pro Shops/Chevy/Maxim team roll into the half-mile dirt oval of State Fair Speedway for Wednesday’s Ditzfield Transfer Summer Nationals. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Michael Ross Memorial Foundation (MRMF), which was founded in honor of Tony and Kathy Ross’ son following his passing due to complications from Tay-Sachs disease. The MRMF is a non-profit charity organization supporting Bay Cliff Health Camp in Big Bay, Mich. In his last appearance at State Fair Speedway, on June 22, 2005, Kinser finished eighth.
The WoO Sprint Series will then roll into Huset’s Speedway on Friday for its first appearance of the year at the 3/8-mile dirt oval. The track has been kind to Kinser in the past as he grabbed a second-place finish in his last appearance at the facility on June 28, 2005.
The No. 20 Bass Pro Shops/Chevy/Maxim team’s last race of the week will take place at the 1/3-mile bullring that is Eagle Raceway. Kinser finished sixth in his last appearance at the track on September 17, 2005, and will look to win his first WoO Sprint Series A-main event of the season.
Kinser enters this week’s racing action ranked 15th in the WoO Sprint Series championship standings. He has made 15 series starts thus far in 2008, having earned one top-five and four top-10 finishes.
Wednesday at State Fair Speedway, pit gates will open at 3 p.m. CDT and grandstand gates open at 5 p.m. Racing is set to begin at 7 p.m. Advance tickets for the event can be purchased at Yeager’s Cycle in Sedalia, Mo., or by calling (660) 826-2925. The official Web site of the track is www.statefairspeedway.com.
On Friday at Huset’s, pit gates open at 3 p.m. EDT with grandstands opening to advance ticketholders at 4 p.m. Gates will open to those purchasing tickets at the gate at 5 p.m. Hot laps are tentatively scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the Huset’s event can be purchased by calling (605) 582-3536, or by visiting the track’s Web site, www.husets-speedway.com.
For Saturday’s race at Eagle Raceway, pit gates will open at 2 p.m. CDT. Grandstand gates will open at 4 p.m. with hot laps set to begin at 6:15 p.m. Eagle Raceway event tickets can be purchased by calling the speedway at (402) 238-2595. The official Web site is www.eagleraceway.com.
Race fans unable to attend this weekend’s events can catch all of the action on DIRTVision.com. Fans can listen live as Johnny Gibson, “Voice of the Outlaws,” calls the action as he does at all WoO Sprint Series events on the DIRTVision.com cybercast, as well as on the DIRT Radio Network. Go to www.DIRTVision.com for more information on all the site features, including updated results from each night of racing, as well as a chat room to interact with other race fans.
Quotes from Kraig Kinser, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Maxim:
With three races on tap for this week, are you looking forward to competing at three tracks in three different states?
“I am looking forward to racing three times this week but we’ll just take it one step at a time. Our first focus will be Sedalia, and then we’ll turn our attention to Huset’s and Eagle as we head to those races. We’ve raced at all three tracks a few times and it comes down to getting myself back up to speed at all of them. We’ve been decent at all of these tracks in the past and we’ll do our best to continue getting better each night. We definitely want to focus on running as well as we can and putting Bass Pro Shops and Chevy up front as often as possible.”
Some people may perceive you as a short-track driver. What’s your take on the different-sized tracks the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Series competes on all over the country?
“When I first started racing, I had always thought I was better on the smaller tracks. When I came out and started racing with the Outlaws, it seemed like I faired better on the bigger tracks we visited. I guess it just comes down to how well your set-ups are working on any given night. The bigger tracks are more about speed and momentum. The smaller tracks are about maneuverability and traffic. The trick to doing well is to utilize the knowledge and past experience you have at a facility and adapt to the track as it is for that given night of racing.”
For complete WoO Sprint Series results from this week’s action, log on to www.worldofoutlaws.com/sprint. For information regarding TSR, Bass Pro Shops, J.D. Byrider, Chevy or Kinser, log on to www.tonystewartracing.com, www.basspro.com, www.byrider.com, www.chevy.com or www.kraigkinser.com.
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In less than three decades, Bass Pro Shops has grown from a small display in Springfield, Mo., into the nation’s leading retailer of premium outdoor gear. Bass Pro Shops has established itself as a cutting-edge innovator in the highly competitive world of outdoor retailing often imitated by other outdoor retailers. Now totaling 49 locations nationwide, and planning to add up to five more stores in 2008, Bass Pro Shops have become destination locations for over 80 million consumers each year with their unique combination of entertainment, outdoor education and conservation appreciation. Bass Pro Shops has won the prestigious “Trendsetter of the Year” award, as well as Chain Store Age’s “Retailer of the Year” award and Sporting Goods Business' “Specialty Retailer of the Year” award. The company also has been named the #1 Outdoor Retailer in America by Sporting Goods Business magazine for the past two years. For more information regarding Bass Pro Shops, store locations and racing involvement, log on to www.basspro.com.