JIMMY KITE RETURNS TO MIDGET RANKS AT IRP
JIMMY KITE RETURNS TO MIDGET RANKS AT IRP -FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- STOCKBRIDGE, Ga., Monday, June 17, 2002 - Jimmy Kite, a regular on the North American Auto Racing Series (NAMARS) Championship MidgetCar Series in the 1990s, returns to pilot the high-speed open wheelers this weekend at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP). Kite will race in one of NAMARS’ premier events, the 30-lap Kroger 250, on the .686-mile Clermont, Indiana-oval. The Stockbridge, Georgia-resident is reuniting not only with a series he once frequented but he will do so in a familiar car, the #95 Beast-Ford of Jerry Covington. Kite, who won a NAMARS feature in 1997 at Salem Raceway, last drove the #95 midget in 1999. “I am really looking forward to getting back into a midget, especially at IRP,” remarked the inspired 26-year old. “I love this track and it has always been good to me. You have to be so quick in a midget, especially at a track like IRP where everything is happening so quickly anyway, that it is a lot of fun. I have been racing winged-sprint cars on dirt, Silver Crown cars on pavement and when Jerry asked me to run the #95 midget at IRP, I knew in a heartbeat that this would be fun. The only trick was making the arrangements with Joe (Reddick, Kite’s sprint car owner in Missouri) and my family. My cousin Jerry is getting married this weekend so I had to ask him if it’d be OK if I missed that important day. Everyone wished me well and told me to get to Indy. So, here I am, ready to go. I can’t wait to get out and run in front of an Indiana short track crowd! We’ll try and win one for everyone back in Georgia and Missouri.” In 2002, the three-time Indianapolis 500-starter has been racing the #12 Reddick Maxim chassis/ O-Donely powered winged-sprint car on dirt tracks in Missouri as well as the #59 Westcon Racing/ Westcon Elevator/ Bloomer Beast in USAC Silver Crown pavement competition. “I have been having a lot of fun racing on the short tracks this year and running the midget will be the icing on the cake for the short-track stuff,” continued Kite . “We are getting closer to closing a deal to run Indy cars so I want to enjoy every bit of short tracking I can before that all comes together.” Kite began racing quarter-midgets at the age of eight and worked his way up through mini-sprints, midgets, sprint cars and Silver Crown cars to the Indy Racing League. He is a five-time national champion in various open-wheel series with countless victories. He has a career total of 22 Indy Racing events and $1,232,000 in career IRL earnings. Kite will be appearing at the Speedway, IN Hooters Restaurant on 38th Street Friday, June 21 for a two-hour autograph session from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. ### Digital images and bio available upon request. Editors, please do not publish any contact information other than web sites. Thank you. Contact: Tom Moore, Kite Motorsports Public Relations 770-466-5442 (phone), 770-466-5443 (fax), 404-229-3703 (cell) Tom@DarkhorseCom.com (email) www.DarkhorseCom.com NAMARS, Inc. 1432 Main St. Speedway IN 46224 317.248.1240 317.248.1280/fax www.NAMARS.com