New Castle, Ind.—Sept. 13, 2012— There’s just something about quarter-mile dirt tracks in Indiana and sprint car racing that go hand-in-hand. Tracy Hines knows very well the lore of the bullrings in his home state, and will get a chance to race at two of the legendary venues in the Hoosier state this weekend.
Hines will compete in the Fall Classic with the Midwest Sprint Car Series (MSCS) on Friday, Sept. 14 at Bloomington Speedway aboard his MP Environmental Shaver-powered DRC. He’ll then take to the track with the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series on Saturday, Sept. 15 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., for the Haubstadt Hustler. The event will be a co-sanctioned USAC/MSCS event that pays $10,000 to the winner of the 50-lap main A-Feature.
“Anytime we get to race two nights in the same weekend in Indiana is great,” said Hines. “Both events will draw a very strong field of cars, so we’ll really have to be on our game both nights. We’ve been fast the last few races on quarter-mile tracks, and I feel like we have a pretty good set-up for both Bloomington and Haubstadt. As long as Mother Nature cooperates it should be a great weekend.”
Hines has made three starts at Bloomington Speedway this season, with two of those coming aboard a sprint car and one in a midget. He finished fifth in May with the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series at the track. The veteran driver made his second sprint car start of 2012 at the historic venue during Indiana Sprint Week. He finished eighth at the quarter-mile in June with the USAC Mopar National Midget Series. Hines won a USAC Sprint Car event at Bloomington in 2005.
“We ran really well at Bloomington the first time we went there this season,” he shared. “During the Sprint Week show we were a little off, and have found a few things since then that I think will help going back this weekend. There is going to be a strong field there, so the heat races are going to be very, very important.”
Hines has also made three starts at Tri-State Speedway this season, again with two of those coming in a sprint car and one in a midget. His first start at the high-banked oval came in May in a sprint car event that was co-sanctioned by USAC and MSCS. Hines returned to Haubstadt in June for the Hut 100, which was co-sanctioned by the USAC Mopar National Midget Series and the Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget Series. He made his most recent start at Tri-State in July during the Indiana Sprint Week event.
Last season in the Haubstadt Hustler, Hines finished eighth, after opening the night with a third-place showing in the third eight-lap heat race. That event was run under the MSCS format, utilizing the draw to line up heat races rather than time trials. Hines was victorious with the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series at Tri-State Speedway in 2002.
“The Haubstadt Hustler is a unique event,” Hines stated. “We had a pretty good run there last year. To run 50 laps at a track like that, you really have to be on it, and also have some luck on your side and try to keep your nose clean. On long green flag runs at a track like Haubstadt, the laps click off pretty quick, so you really don’t have a lot of time to be patient there. You have to be charging hard from the drop of the green.”
In his most recent USAC sprint car start at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., on Saturday, Sept. 8, Hines finished 19th after a car in front of him spun early in the race, leaving him nowhere to go. The native of New Castle, Ind., got upside down, which ended his night. He began the event by qualifying 10th, and followed that up with a third-place finish in the second 10-lap heat race.
The race scheduled for Friday, Sept. 7 at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., was interrupted by rain following the second heat race and has yet to be rescheduled. Hines opened that night as the third-fastest qualifier of the 31 entrants.
Hines is currently fourth in the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series championship standings. The 2002 USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series champion has one victory on the season, with that coming at the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio in April. He has recorded 16 Top-10 finishes and has eight Top-Five performances this year.
Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: MP Environmental, DRC, Shaver Specialties, AFCO Racing Shocks, Bell Race Gear, FatHeadz, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers, ROD END Supply, Schoenfeld Headers and Stanton Racing for their continued support.
For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, including a complete 2012 schedule, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com.
