‘King’ Kinser shooting for 21st Outlaw title

Photo courtesy of Tony Stewart Racing

‘King’ Kinser Shooting for 21st Outlaw Title
Sprint Car Legend Begins Fourth Season with Tony Stewart Racing in Florida

INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 13, 2013) – Nine times during his illustrious career, Steve Kinser has started the World of Outlaws (WoO) STP Sprint Car Series season by winning the season-opening event, including two seasons ago when he won two of the first three races during the 40th annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. In seven of those seasons, Kinser went on to claim the coveted WoO title and, this Friday night, he’ll be looking to earn his 10th victory in season openers as he begins his 34th campaign as part of “The Greatest Show on Dirt.”

Kinser will kick off his fourth season driving for three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. This season, Bad Boy Buggies has joined Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) as a new marketing partner and lead sponsor on Kinser’s familiar No. 11. The Bloomington, Ind., native is coming off a season during which he finished fifth in the championship standings after posting four WoO triumphs to give him 574 A-Feature wins in his career.

Four of those victories have come at Volusia Speedway Park. “The King” won his first race at the half-mile, dirt oval during the 2005 Speedweeks and then scored his second in the 2010 finale. He won the first two races of the 2011 season to kick off a campaign that saw him win nine times en route to a third-place finish in the standings. Kinser placed second when the Outlaws made their debut at the track back in February 1981.

Other than the change in primary sponsorship on the TSR No. 11, Kinser will be very familiar with his surroundings this season. His longtime crew chief Scott Gerkin will once again lead the team and be aided by crewmen Gary DuBois, who has been with Kinser since 1995. The team will also work closely with the crew of the Steve Kinser Racing No. 11k team, which is led by Mikey Kuemper and Kinser’s daughter Stevie. The team is looking forward to putting up some good finishes in Florida before the series heads west for five weeks of racing during the month of March and the first two weeks of April.

The DIRTcar Nationals begin with a pair of All-Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC)-sanctioned races Wednesday and Thursday prior to three complete WoO events beginning Friday evening. For all five races at Volusia Speedway Park, the pit gates open at 1 p.m. EST, and the grandstands open at 5 p.m. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Tickets for the race weekend can be purchased by calling Volusia Speedway Park at (386) 985-4402. For more information on the event, visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com.

Race fans unable to attend this weekend’s races 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 STP Sprint Car 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.

Steve Kinser, Driver of the No. 11 TSR/Bad Boy Buggies/J.D. Byrider/Chevrolet Performance Maxim:

The start of a new season always brings excitement, but this year also brings a new sponsor to your car. Does that add to the expectations?

“It’s exciting for all of us to have a new partner like Bad Boy Buggies join our program at Tony Stewart Racing. I’ve been fortunate during my career to work with some great companies and have been able to build a lot of great relationships. To be able to represent Bad Boy Buggies this year will allow us to provide them with exposure to a tremendous group of fans who truly appreciate quality products. I know we’re all going to do everything we can to compete for wins and give them something to be excited about.”

For the ninth straight year, the World of Outlaws begins the season at Volusia Speedway Park. In 2010 and 2011, you were victorious at the track. What is it going to take to be competing for victories this weekend?

“I think it’s going to take being strong on the track right out of the box. I really like running Volusia even though we didn’t have the results we wanted last year, but I’m not sure that was all in our control. The place is a good, fast racetrack, even if the surface gets slick. It’s the kind of track we really like to run on. I’d say having the guys on this team is a big reason we have been so good down there. They’ve been up and down the road over the years. They work hard over the winter. And they are just as competitive as I am, so winning is what they expect.”

Steve Kinser, Driver of the No. 11 TSR/Bad Boy Buggies/J.D. Byrider/Chevrolet Performance Maxim:

Do you still get fired up for the first race of the year?
“Absolutely. I still enjoy racing and being around the race fans. I’m such a competitor and we’ve been home here since November and I’d say I was ready the first of December to get back out there and compete. The competition is probably what gets me fired up more than anything else. It’s just something I’ve done for most of my life. So, yeah, I’m really fired up to get to Volusia and see if we can put it all together and get a win. I can tell you there’s not a better adrenaline-filler than winning a race. I’m really excited to get this season started.”

Tony Stewart Racing's Steve Kinser: Career Results at Valusia Speedway Park

Year         Date                 Sanctioning Body           Qualifying            Start            Finish
2012        2/19                 World of Outlaws             16                       15                12
                 2/18                 World of Outlaws             19                       25                17
                 2/17                 World of Outlaws               9                         3                 9
                 2/16                 ASCoC                            19                       17                10
                 2/15                 ASCoC                            11                         2                21
2011        2/12                 World of Outlaws               6                         1                 2
                 2/11                 World of Outlaws             10                         3                 1
                 2/10                 World of Outlaws              7                          1                 1
                 2/9                   ASCoC                            26                        24               15                            
                 2/8                   ASCoC                             8                       ---              DNQ

2010        2/7                   World of Outlaws           10                        2                   1

                 2/6                   World of Outlaws            4                         4                   3

                 2/4                   ASCoC                          11                         9                   3

                 2/3                   ASCoC                            7                         6                  4

2009       2/8                   World of Outlaws            5                         3                  5

                2/7                    World of Outlaws           4                        12                 6

                2/6                   World of Outlaws            4                        12                 6 

                2/5                    ASCoC                           10                        7                 5

                2/4                    ASCoC                            3                         6                 5

                2/3                    ASCoC                           16                      10                  9 

2008      2/10                  World of Outlaws            21                      18                5

               2/9                    World of Outlaws            10                        6               19

               2/8                    World of Outlaws             5                         6               19

               2/7                     ASCoC                             2                        17               7

               2/6                     ASCoC                             8                         3                4

               2/5                     ASCoC                             3                         3                3

2007     2/11                  World of Outlaws             25                       22               24

              2/10                  World of Outlaws             16                       14               13

              2/9                     World of Outlaws            10                       15                11

              2/8                      ASCoC                             7                         3                15

              2/7                      ASCoC                           --                         --                 24

2006     2/10                   DNC

              2/9                     DNC

              2/8                     DNC

2005     2/13                  World of Outlaws             1                        1                   1

              2/11                  World of Outlaws            15                       4                   2

              2/10                   ASCoC                             6                       5                    2

1996     2/8                     DNC     

DNC = Did Not Compete         ASCoC= All Star Circuit of Champions