Tony Stewart Racing, Kinser Roll Into Manzanita Speedway For World of Outlaws Sprint Series Action

Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) and driver Kraig Kinser roll into Phoenix this weekend hoping the area’s nickname Valley of the Sun will indeed ring true as, after two consecutive weeks of rainouts, the World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series is ready to get back on track. Kinser and the WoO Sprint Series will make their first of two appearances at Manzanita Speedway on Saturday.

This weekend’s race will mark Kinser’s first appearance at the facility since Oct. 11, 2005, when he finished 12th. In four career starts at the facility, Kinser has earned two top-10 finishes. In the WoO Sprint Series’ last event at Manzanita on Oct. 19, 2007, Danny Lasoski was the victor. Kinser’s TSR teammate Donny Schatz took the checkered flag in second place.

Saturday’s race at Manzanita Speedway will also be a homecoming for TSR team member Mike Kuemper, who hails from the Phoenix area. Kuemper, who is in his fifth year with the TSR No. 20 team, also competes in non-winged Sprint Car competition as a driver when his schedule allows.

The No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/J.D. Byrider team utilizes Kistler Engines-built Chevy power under the hood of Kinser’s Maxim chassis. This year marks TSR’s second season competing under the Chevy banner.

Race fans unable to attend Saturday’s event can catch all of the action from Manzanita Speedway on DIRTVision.com. Fans can listen live as Johnny Gibson, “Voice of the Outlaws,” calls the action as he does at all World of Outlaws 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.

The grandstand gates at Manzanita Speedway will open Saturday at 4 p.m. MST. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. The official track Web site is www.manzanitaspeedway.us. Tickets can be purchased by calling (815) 344-2023 or by logging on to www.slspromotions.com. They will also be available for purchase at the gate on Saturday.

Kraig Kinser, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Chevy/Maxim:

With two consecutive weekends of rain, what have you been doing with your down time? Have you enjoyed the break or are you ready to get back on the road?

“I think the whole TSR team is ready to get back on the road. The break has been great for me to get to spend time with my son Kash, especially since he’s just a few weeks old. But with us being a new team, the timing of this break may not be a good thing. We’ll be starting all over again this weekend at Manzanita. But, the break has given us a chance to put Florida behind us. We’ll focus on moving forward into the season and putting the Bass Pro Shops car in a position to win whenever possible.”

With the variety of tracks that the World of Outlaws Sprint Series visits each year, do you prefer the larger tracks like Manzanita Speedway or the shorter, bullring-type facilities?

“In this series, you compete a lot on both the bigger tracks and the bullrings. I think you get used to going back and forth between the different types of tracks each week the longer you compete in the series. In the past, I’ve run well on the smaller tracks, but I’ve also had some great runs on the bigger tracks, too. I think I’m pretty good on both types of tracks and I’m looking forward to getting to Manzanita Speedway this weekend.”

How does horsepower play into a large half-mile track such as Manzanita Speedway? Are the Chevy engines that Tony Stewart Racing competes with going to be an asset at the facility?

“Horsepower is the key at about 99 percent of the places we compete. The Chevy engines we run in the Bass Pro Shops car are definitely an asset to our team. They’re very competitive and a welcome advantage. Anything that you can use to stay in the front of the field is a benefit, and the Chevy engines Paul Kistler builds for us give us the opportunity to be up front each week.”

For complete WoO Sprint Series results from Manzanita Speedway, log on to www.worldofoutlaws.com. For information regarding TSR, Bass Pro Shops, Chevy or Kinser, log on to www.tonystewartracing.com, www.basspro.com, www.chevy.com or www.kraigkinser.com.