World of Outlaws: Kinser Defends Winter Nationals Championship
21 October 1997
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Kinser defended his title in convincing fashion, leading all 30 laps from the pole despite repeated challenges of Sammy Swindell and Andy Hillenburg.
"Any time you win here, it's a great feeling," Mark said following his 22nd "A" Feature victory of the season. "It's a great place to race. They ran the very first World of Outlaws race here and it's one of my favorite tracks.
"Times have been tough since Knoxville (the Amoco Nationals in mid-August) and I lost some of my confidence. I always knew I had a good car and a good team and that I could get the job done; I just wasn't doing it. I have one of the best crews in the history of sprint car racing. My father, Karl, Dennis (Kohler) and Jamie (Adrian) do a great job of setting up the car for me."
Kinser set up the third Pennzoil World of Outlaws "A" Feature victory of his career at the Devil's Bowl by executing a last-lap pass of Swindell in the fourth corner as they headed for the checkered flag in the Vivarin Dash. Mark's 12th Vivarin Dash victory of the year gave him the luxury of starting the main event on the pole.
Kinser burst into the lead as the green flag fell in the "A" Feature. Swindell caught him on the front straightaway, but Mark beat him into the first corner. He had the #5M Wirtgen Maxim 10 car-lengths ahead of his closest pursuers within 3 1/2 laps.
Hillenburg started battling Swindell for second place during the fifth lap as Kinser increased his advantage to a half- straightaway. Mark entered lapped traffic six laps into the race.
Swindell narrowed the gap in dense traffic during the eighth lap, only to have Hillenburg steer his #2 STP J&J into the high groove in turn two to pass him for second place one lap later.
A mechanical problem forced Greg Hodnett to stop the #11H Selma Shell Maxim on the back stretch midway through lap 11. A lapped car separating the leaders kept Hillenburg from applying immediate pressure, and Kinser started rebuilding his lead.
Hillenburg was gaining on Kinser when the leaders caught the backmarkers again midway through the race. Andy caught Mark in the second corner, only to have Kinser beat him down the back straightaway during the 16th lap.
Swindell regained the runner-up spot and started challenging Kinser for the lead four laps later. He raced wheel-to-wheel with Mark through turn two during the 21st lap, but was unable to execute the pass.
Kinser opened an eight-car-length advantage as Hillenburg battled Swindell for second place during the next three laps. Mark was a half-straightaway ahead when Stevie Smith passed Andy for third with four laps remaining.
Swindell gained on Mark after he burst out of lapped traffic during the final lap, but was still four car-lengths behind when Kinser took the checkered flag.
"I never actually saw Sammy, but I could definitely hear somebody out there," Kinser said. "I got hung up in traffic there and I figured I'd better get going. So I went up to the top in three and four and everything worked out great."
Smith finished third and Dave Blaney beat Hillenburg across the finish line by less than a car-length to claim fourth place. Steve Kinser finished sixth, ahead of Danny Lasoski, Dale Blaney, Channellock Fast-Time Award winner Danny Wood and 19th-starting Jac Haudenschild.
"The Buckeye Bullet" moved five points ahead of Steve Kinser while Smith passed Greg Hodnett for sixth place in the point standings.
The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' Rookie of the Year race tightened again as Donny Schatz' first-corner flip early in the first lap of the "B" Feature kept him from qualifying for the main event. Paul McMahan, who lost 25 points when he failed to qualify for Friday's Preliminary Feature, closed to within 12 points of Schatz with a 13th-place finish in the main event.
The World of Outlaws is scheduled to run a $40,000 event at Southern New Mexico Speedway Tuesday, then head to California for a double-feature event at Perris Auto Speedway Saturday and Sunday.
1997 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series
24th Annual Winter Nationals
Devil's Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, TX
Saturday, October 18, Feature Program #67Qualifications: 1. Danny Wood, Holbrook 8H, 14.227; 2. Stevie Smith, Smith 19, 14.305; 3. Dale Blaney, Blaney/Hylton 93, 14.337; 4. Jeff Shepard, Stewart 4J, 14.456; 5. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 14.472; 6. Joe Gaerte, Gaerte 3G, 14.481; 7. Danny Lasoski, Black 1Z, 14.540; 8. Joey Saldana, Mox 17, 14.549; 9. Dion Hindi, Hindi 11D, 14.560; 10. Paul McMahan, Stanton 75, 14.564; 11. Shane Stewart, Stewart 9S, 14.650; 12. Tommie Estes, Jr., Threatt 29, 14.681; 13. Donnie Crawford, Hillenburg 1H, 14.686; 14. Peter Murphy, Williams 0, 14.692; 15. Bobby Davis, Jr., Archer 1A, 14.724; 16. Jac Haudenschild, Elden 22, 14.735; 17. Larry Neighbors, Neighbors 29N, 14.802; 18. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47, 14.837; 19. Ray Campbell, Campbell 6, 14.862; 20. Bill Robertson, Robertson 16, 14.883; 21. Craig Dollansky, Wahlie 1W, 14.913; 22. Donny Schatz, Schatz 15, 14.915; 23. Keith Kauffman, Johnson U2, 14.921; 24. Mike Peters, Grandstaff 66, 14.923; 25. Don Droud, Jr., DOCC Racing 1BK, 14.935; 26. Gary Wright, Action Motorsports 9, 14.939; 27. Greg Hodnett, Helm 11H, 14.955; 28. Shane Carson, Helms 12$, 15.019; 29. John Bankston, Bankston 8, 15.051; 30. Daryn Pittman, Pittman 11P, 15.065; 31. Van Gurley, Jr., Gurley 3B, 15.105; 32. Tyler Walker, Walker 35, 15.120; 33. Aaron Berryhill, Berryhill 97, 15.142; 34. Jeff Swindell, Two Winners 7TW, 15.150; 35. Jeff Mitrisin, Sereg 5J, 15.250; 36. Kenny Jacobs, RE Technology 7K, 15.259; 37. Lance Blevins, Blevins 21, 15.264; 38. Larry Pinegar, Pinegar 11L, 15.286; 39. Rick Ziehl, Ziehl 18, 15.371; 40. Bob Ewell, Ewell 85, 15.685; 41. Shawn Sander, Sander 48, 15.923; 42. Pete Frazier, Buchanan 6P, 15.992; 43. Larry Hartwell, Hartwell 10x, 16.022; 44. Jerry Vandenhul, Vandnhul 7V, 16.429; 45. Keith Dempsey, Dempsey 9D, 18.391; 46. Tom Johnson, Gano 22T, no time; 47. John Lambertz, Lambertz 12L, no time.
First Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Danny Wood, 2. Steve Kinser, 3. Dion Hindi, 4. Donnie Crawford, 5. Donny Schatz, 6. Daryn Pittman, 7. Larry Neighbors, 8. Jeff Swindell, 9. Lance Blevins, 10. Shawn Sander, 11. Don Droud, Jr., 12. Scott Christian. (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
Second Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Stevie Smith, 2. Paul McMahan, 3. Peter Murphy, 4. Joe Gaerte, 5. Craig Dollansky, 6. Johnny Herrera, 7. Shane Carson, 8. Van Gurley, Jr., 9. Larry Pinegar, 10. Pete Frazier, 11. Keith Dempsey; 12. Gary Wright. (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
Third Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Bobby Davis, Jr., 2. Dale Blaney, 3. Danny Lasoski, 4. Greg Hodnett, 5. Tyler Walker, 6. Ray Campbell, 7. Rick Ziehl, 8. Keith Kauffman, 9. Shane Stewart; 10. Jeff Mitrisin, 11. Larry Hartwell. (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
Fourth Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Jac Haudenschild, 2. Tommie Estes, Jr., 3. Joey Saldana, 4. Jeff Shepard, 5. Mike Peters, 6. Bill Robertson, 7. Kenny Jacobs, 8. Aaron Berryhill, 9. John Bankston, 10. Bob Ewell. (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
Finishing 1-4 in Friday's Preliminary Feature automatically qualified Sammy Swindell, Mark Kinser, Dave Blaney and Andy Hillenburg for the first four starting positions in the Vivarin Dash.
Vivarin Dash (five laps): 1. Mark Kinser, 2. Sammy Swindell, 3. Andy Hillenburg, 4. Stevie Smith, 5. Dave Blaney, 6. Danny Wood. (finish determined the first six starting positions in the "A" Feature)
C Feature (eight laps): 1. Jeff Swindell, 2. Shane Carson, 3. Kenny Jacobs, 4. Lance Blevins ($125); 5. Bob Ewell ($100); 6. Jeff Mitrisin ($80); 7. Larry Pinegar ($70); 8. Pete Frazier ($60); 9. Shawn Sander ($50); 10. Jerry Vandenhul ($40); 11. Scott Christian ($30); 12. Keith Dempsey ($30); 13. Rick Ziehl ($30); 14. Larry Hartwell ($30). (first three qualified for the "B" Feature)
B Feature (12 laps): 1. Gary Wright, 2. Tyler Walker, 3. Craig Dollansky, 4. Daryn Pittman, 5. Kenny Jacobs ($220); 6. Bill Robertson ($175); 7. Jeff Swindell ($170); 8. Ray Campbell ($100); 9. Johnny Herrera ($90); 10. Don Droud, Jr. ($80); 11. Mike Peters ($60); 12. Larry Neighbors ($50); 13. Shane Carson ($70); 14. Lance Blevins ($70); 15. Aaron Berryhill ($50); 16. Van Gurley, Jr. ($70); 17. John Vandenhul ($50); 18. Donny Schatz ($50). (first four qualified for the "A" Feature)
A Feature (30 laps): 1. Mark Kinser ($12,000); 2. Sammy Swindell ($6,000); 3. Stevie Smith ($3,500); 4. Dave Blaney ($3,200); 5. Andy Hillenburg ($3,000); 6. Steve Kinser ($2,500); 7. Danny Lasoski ($2,300); 8. Dale Blaney ($2,200); 9. Danny Wood ($2,100); 10. Jac Haudenschild ($2,000); 11. Jeff Shepard ($1,500); 12. Joey Saldana ($1,400); 13. Paul McMahan ($1,300); 14. Joe Gaerte ($1,200); 15. Tyler Walker ($1,020); 16. Daryn Pittman ($1,020); 17. Bobby Davis, Jr. ($800); 18. Tommie Estes, Jr. ($600); 19. Peter Murphy ($600); 20. Dion Hindi ($600); 21. Craig Dollansky ($620); 22. Gary Wright ($620); 23. Greg Hodnett ($600); 24. Donnie Crawford ($600).
Lap leader: Mark Kinser 1-30
Channellock Fast-Time Award winner: Danny Wood
1997 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series
Point Standings Through October 19th
Pennzoil World of Outlaws Pennzoil World of Outlaws
Driver Point Standings Car Owner Point Standingsi
1. Sammy Swindell . 10,215 1. Karl Kinser 5M . 10,282
2. Dave Blaney . . . 10,021 2. Sammy Swindell 1 10,215
3. Steve Kinser . . 10,016 3. Blaney/Hylton 10 10,021
4. Jac Haudenschild . 9,802 4. Steve Kinser 11 . 10,016
5. Andy Hillenburg . . 9,607 5. Jack Elden 22 . . . 9,802
6. Stevie Smith . . . 9,445 6. Andy Hillenburg 2 . 9,607
7. Greg Hodnett . . . 9,427 7. Smith Racing 19 . . 9,445
8. Johnny Herrera . . 9,053 8. David Helm 11H . . 9,427
9. Joe Gaerte . . . . 8,938 9. Gil Sonner 47 . . . 9,053
10. Mark Kinser . . . . 8,852 10. Joe Gaerte 3G . . . 8,938
11. Jeff Swindell . . . 8,834 11. Jim Wahlie 1W . . . 8,847
12. Donny Schatz . . . 8,503 12. Two Winners 7TW . . 8,834
13. Paul McMahan . . . 8,491 13. Danny Schatz 15 . . 8,503
14. Dion Hindi . . . . 7,012 14. Gary Stanton 75 . . 8,021
15. Danny Lasoski . . . 5,793 15. Dion Hindi 11D . . 7,012
16. Lance Blevins . . . 4,446 16. Joe Blevins 21 . . 4,946
17. Craig Dollansky . . 3,965 17. Dennis Roth 83 . . 3,255
18. Joey Saldana . . . 3,381 18. Brad Gray 51 . . . 2,770
19. Randy Hannagan . . 2,755 19. Dan Oswalt 1J . . . 2,100
20. Garry Brazier . . . 2,461 20. John Zemaitis 1Z . 1,839
Pennzoil World of Outlaws Pennzoil World of Outlaws
Driver Earnings "A" Feature Winners
1. Sammy Swindell $404,425 1. Mark Kinser . . . . . 22
2. Mark Kinser . . $393,400 2. Sammy Swindell . . . 19
3. Dave Blaney . . $357,330 3. Dave Blaney . . . . . . 9
4. Steve Kinser . $297,195 4. Steve Kinser . . . . . 5
5. Jac Haudenschild $236,120 5. Stevie Smith . . . . . 4
6. Greg Hodnett . $208,100 6. Jac Haudenschild . . . 2
7. Stevie Smith . $206,760 7. Hillenburg, Hodnett,
8. Andy Hillenburg $188,880 Herrera, J. Swindell, Kelly
9. Danny Lasoski . $143,340 Kinser, Brent Kaeding . . . 1
10. Johnny Herrera $142,625 Pennzoil World of Outlaws
11. Jeff Swindell . $124,220 Preliminary Feature Winners
12. Joe Gaerte . . $122,025 1. Sammy Swindell . . . 11
13. Donny Schatz . . $94,435 2. Mark Kinser . . . . . . 6
14. Paul McMahan . . $93,235 Vivarin Dash Pole Leaders
15. Craig Dollansky . $59,505 1. Sammy Swindell . . . 18
16. Dion Hindi . . . $37,990 2. Mark Kinser . . . . . 12
17. Lance Blevins . . $37,045 Channellock Fast-Time
18. Joey Saldana . . $32,975 Award Winners
19. Garry Brazier . . $32,125 1. Mark Kinser . . . . . 31
20. Randy Hannagan . $29,620 2. Jac Haudenschild . . 18
By Richard Day of Racing PR
