Jimmy Kite Travels North to Connecticut with Westcon PRA Effort
Jimmy Kite Travels North to Connecticut with Westcon PRA Effort STAFFORD SPRINGS, Conn., August 13, 2006 - Jimmy Kite, Stockbridge, Ga., travels to the Northeast for the one-day Premier Racing Association (PRA) Big Car Series' show at Jack Arute's Stafford Motor Speedway this week. The PRA Big Car 100-lap feature event is scheduled for Tuesday evening, August 15. It will be the five-time Indianapolis 500 starter's first visit to the Stafford Springs, Conn.-area track owned by longtime IRL IndyCar Series pit and college football sideline reporter Jack Arute. The event marks the third race of the season for the new PRA Series and the first time that the traditional, high horsepower, open-wheel cars have raced at the paved-oval in the track's 79-year history. Kite has high expectations for the No. 5 Westcon Elevator/Westcon Racing Bloomer Engines Beast. "We had a really good car at IRP [O'Reilly Raceway Park, formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park] and we feel like we have some unfinished business. The Westcon guys have been working hard on the car since then and we're looking forward to racing at Stafford. We've been fast and we all hope to carry that into Connecticut. With the $50,000 bonus [the Valvoline $50,000 Challenge] being paid for the winner of the PRA race and the midget race, it's going to be a really big field for both races. So, the competition is going to be even tougher than it has been. It's going to be a great show for the fans up there." Kite is not currently scheduled to race in the midget portion of the evening and, therefore, will not be eligible for the $50,000 bonus. The 1997 USAC Silver Crown Series Rookie of the Year is eager to race on the track of friend Jack Arute. Arute and Kite formed a friendship after years of working together in the IndyCar Series where Kite has 34 starts dating back to 1997. Good-natured ribbing between the two has been a hallmark of their relationship both in the garage and on the air. "Hopefully, Jack Arute will make some money and I can win it and take some back from him. Back running the Indy cars, Jack was always asking when I was coming to his neck of the woods to race? At Indy this year he came walking up to me and said 'so you finally get to come run my race track.' I told him I was looking forward to getting his autograph when I was there. on a check. But, honestly, I hear the track is great and I'm really looking forward to racing there. I'm glad I'm finally getting to race in Jack's neck of the woods." Kite currently sits ninth in the PRA Big Car season championship standings with 389 points after two races. He earned a season-high finish of eighth at Illiana Raceway on June 14. 460 points are available in each round- 400 points to the winner, 20 points to the fast qualifier, 20 points to a driver that leads a lap and an additional 20 to the driver that leads the most laps. Practice for the Big Car race begins at 1 PM (EDT) while the Stafford gates open to the public at 4 PM. Qualifying will begin at 7 PM with racing beginning at 8 PM. To learn more about Jimmy Kite, please visit www.JimmyKite.com <http://www.jimmykite.com/> . For the Jimmy Kite Fan Club, log-on to www.JimmyKiteFans.com <http://www.jimmykitefans.com/> . More on the PRA Big Car Series can be found by visiting www.PRARacing.com <http://www.praracing.com/> . ### Digital images and bio available upon request. Editors, please do not publish any contact information other than web sites. Thank you. contact: Tom Moore, Jimmy Kite Motorsports Public Relations 615-778-1614 (office), 615-509-5000 (cell), Tom@DarkhorseCom.com