Fw: Release Kinder

----- Original Message -----
From: <PR4Racers@aol.com>
To: <usar@bellsouth.net>
Cc: <Jk0821@aol.com>
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 12:38 PM
Subject: Release Kinder


> For Immediate Release
>
>
> Kinder Has Tough Race at Lakeland
>
> LAKELAND, Florida  (June 1, 2002) -- John Kinder, driver of the 08 Multi
> Media Graphics Chevrolet would just as soon forget the race at Lakeland
this
> past weekend.
>
> "I have been driving stock cars for more than ten years and never did we
ever
> have so much go wrong in a single night," said John.  "It was a very long
and
> frustrating night.  First, we had a power steering pump go out during
> practice, and this was a new part!  It seemed to set the stage for what
was
> about to happen to us all night," he added.
>
> Despite the early on problems during practice, John had a good qualifying
> run, placing him in 12th spot of the 39-car field.  But when the green
flag
> fell, just a few laps into the race, John radioed crew chief Ronnie
Griffin
> and advised he had a sway bar problem and he felt the bar broke.  Well, he
> was right!   A Heim joint on the sway bar broke clean in half, causing the
> bar to be unfunctional.
>
> For more than 100 laps John muscled the car the best he could, driving
with a
> broken sway bar waiting for a caution so he could pit and the team could
try
> to fix it.  When he pitted, they were able to take on four tires and made
a
> quick repair to the bar, but it had already done additional damage, which
> John would come to learn about a little later in the race.
>
> As John returned to the track, a few laps later he radioed in again, and
> said, "You are not going to believe this, it feels like we lost the spring
on
> the accelerator, and sure enough, bad luck struck again, as one of the two
> springs broke clear in half.  And if that was not enough a few more laps
> later, John said, "The right front shock, just left go" Again the driver
was
> correct, the right front shock Heim joint broke clear in half, now he was
> driving with a broken sway bar, broken shock, one accelerator spring, but
he
> continued to race, holding his own with what he had to work with.  "We
were
> just trying to turn as many laps as we could without getting into anyone's
> way.  I had a handful of a race car to drive, but we just kept at it, it
was
> very frustrating," John said.
>
> The car kept getting worse, so finally the crew chief and John decided to
pit
> and take the time to make temporary repairs to see if they could get the
car
> to work long enough to make the distance of the race. The team went down
> several laps while repairs were made under green flag conditions. "We had
no
> choice, John was doing an outstanding job, muscling the car around the
track,
> but we were concerned, for his safety, so we just brought the car in made
> what repairs we could then sent him back out." said crew chief Griffin.
>
> "We just rode since I could not race hard, so I just tried to turn laps to
> pick up as many points as possible and stay clear of the leaders. I had a
> great car when we got to the track but, this big monkey decided to crawl
in
> and ride with me, and he was not very kind," said Kinder.
>
> Then, with about 30 laps to go, once again, the monkey reared its ugly
head.
>  As John was entering turn three the center of the right front wheel tore
> completely lose sending the right front wheel flying off the car.  "How
John
> saved the car from hitting the wall, I don't know, but I did know our
night
> was over," said Jim Kinder, John's father and CEO PowerBase Motorsports,
the
> team owner.
>
> John retired the 08 car, frustrated and pretty tired from the nights
events.
> In the end, John finished 26th 39 laps down.  "I just don't understand it.
> Brand new parts broke all night long, and in over ten years of racing
stock
> cars, I never had this type of thing happen to me.  Parts fail, I know
that
> and it has happened before, but I never had so many things go wrong all in
> the same night.  Guess it just was not my night to race.
>
> The guys on the crew did a great job keeping me on the track.  I really
felt
> bad for them, they worked so hard, all day long, we laid down a good
> qualifying run and we were ready to settle in for a great race, but I
guess
> it just was not meant to be," said John.  "I have had to overcome many
> obstacles in racing, and tonight is just another example of how tough our
> sport is.  We will overcome and be back ready to challenge for the lead in
> Myrtle Beach." He added.  "As our slogan on our pit cart reads, Never say
> Never, so we will just regroup, fix and repair, check and double check
> everything and go at it again in a couple of weeks," Kinder said.
>
> For additional information about John and the PBM team, visit their web
site
> at www.johnkinder.com
>
> Contact:
> Jim Richards
> pr4racers@aol.com
> 864-505-5293
>
> John Kinder
> jkinder@johnkinder.com
> 864
>