Tony Stewart Racing, Kinser Head West For World of Outlaws Sprint Series Action

With rain winning out in last week’s Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series event, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) and driver Kraig Kinser will head west this week for the series’ first California appearance of the year. Kinser and the WoO Sprint Series will return to the lightning-fast 1/3-mile Thunderbowl Raceway bullring in Tulare, Calif., on Friday and Saturday.

This weekend’s races will mark Kinser’s first appearance at the facility since October 15, 2005, when he finished fourth. In the WoO Sprint Series’ last event at Thunderbowl Raceway on October 13, 2007, Kinser’s TSR teammate, Donny Schatz, won the A-main.

Kinser also has some local ties to the state as his wife, Danielle, hails from nearby Chico, Calif. She and Kinser welcomed their first son, Kash, in January of this year. The 23-year-old Kinser will look to post his first career victory at Thunderbowl Raceway this weekend in front of many friends and family members, including a few of his in-laws.

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 this weekend’s events can catch all of the action from Thunderbowl Raceway 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 Thunderbowl Raceway will open Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. PST. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. each day. The official track Web site is www.thunderbowlraceway.com. Tickets can be purchased by calling (559) 688-0909.

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

Your best finish at Thunderbowl Raceway was a fourth-place run in your last appearance at the facility in 2005. What helped you finally break through to run well there?

“We were able to finish a race the last time we ran at Tulare and that’s the key to being in a good position at the checkered flag. I’d had some trouble with having tires let go during the A-main at the track in the past. As a whole, racing in California has always been rough for me. I’ve had some good runs at Calistoga Speedway and at Silver Dollar Speedway, but never at Tulare. I am looking forward to racing in Tulare this weekend and I know that TSR has worked hard to be ready for whatever the track may throw at us.”

After competing in six straight events during the World of Outlaws Sprint Series season opener a few weeks ago, will last week’s rainout affect the team’s momentum?

“I hope having a week off doesn’t slow us down. In fact, it may be a way for us to put our mishaps in Florida behind us. The middle part of that six-day run was pretty rough on the team. But we were able to turn it around on the last night and post a decent finish for Bass Pro Shops and Chevy. At this point, our goal is to focus on moving forward and I think that having a few extra days may actually be a good way for us to come out on a better note this weekend in California.”

What do you enjoy most about racing in California?

“The tracks in California are really fun to compete on. They’re smaller and they tend to be heavier than some of the others we race on during the season. I also know a lot of people in California from having raced there in the past and traveling with my family while growing up. My in-laws live in northern California as my wife, Danielle, is from Chico. It will be a lot of fun to race in Tulare this weekend. I’m looking forward to getting to see some people I’ve not seen for a few years. Also, my father-in-law and brother-in-law will be there and it would be fun to get my first win at the track with them there.”

For complete WoO Sprint Series results from Thunderbowl Raceway, 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