USAC Sprinters headline Sheldon Kinser Tribute at Bloomington
26 August 1999
BLOOMINGTON, IN - Following ten years of building the Sheldon Kinser Memorial into one of the most competitive and popular events on the summer racing calendar, Bloomington Speedway and the USAC Stoops Freightliner sprint car series have joined forces to drive the action one notch higher. The Sheldon Kinser Memorial has always attracted a large competitive field as part of Bloomington's Pennzoil Cup. This year's 40-lap race, on Friday, August 27, boasts a $4,000 winner's payoff and $2000 lap prize fund. (This is a change from the 30-lap format announced earlier.)New for 1999 are the USAC sanctioning and point implications. Dave Darland, winner of the 1997 Sheldon Kinser Memorial at Bloomington, won the most recent USAC sprint car event at Salem Speedway this past Sunday. Having a spectacular weekend, he also claimed victory in a midget and finished second in a sprinter at Bloomington last Friday, and won the USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet race on the mile track in Springfield, Illinois on Sunday.
Darland is battling with defending USAC sprint car champion Tony Elliott, and one of the hottest chauffeurs of the summer, Tracy Hines, for the title that Sheldon earned in 1977, '81 and '82. Two-time USAC champ Brian Tyler, and Eric Gordon are lurking in the shadows if the front-runners make a miscue. Previous Sheldon Kinser race winners Kevin Thomas (4 times), Jack Hewitt, Kevin Briscoe and Kevin Doty are also competing with USAC this season. Add to the list of those expected to compete Bloomington's Pennzoil Cup champion Derek Scheffel, Brad Fox, Robbie Rice, Terry Pletch, Kenny Carmichael, Eric Burns, Justin Marvel, Chris LaFollette, Jerry Coons Jr., Billy Puterbaugh, Pete Abel, Lenny and Tyler Waltz, Bill Rose, Kent Christian and Jonathan Vennard, to name a few.
Again this year, the lap prize awards will support the Rich Vogler Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Half of each $100 lap prize will go directly to the scholarship fund, and half to the driver leading the lap. For additional information about the Scholarship Fund, contact Eleanor Vogler at 7901 Sharon Drive, Plainfield, IN 46168.
Bloomington's 1999 Pennzoil Cup sprint car season awards will be presented during the evening. The racing card includes Bloomington's O'Neal Wood Products Modifieds and the Tire & Wheel Center Street Stocks, racing for $500-to-win purses.
General admission is $20, gates open at 5:30. Youths 12 and under are free with and adult. The pit gate opens at 4:30 and pit admission is $25. Hot laps begin at 6:30 with racing at approximately 7:45.
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