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[/media-credit]Bloomington, Ind.—Sept. 16, 2012— Kraig Kinser has always been fast at Deer Creek Speedway in Minnesota, but never quite had the best of luck or finishes he was looking for at the high-banked three-eighths-mile. He was able to turn that around on Saturday, Sept. 15, as he recorded the best finish of his career at the always racy track, with a sixth-place performance, wrapping up a two-race weekend for the World of Outlaws in the Upper Midwest aboard the Hendrickcars.com Maxim.
The native of Bloomington, Ind., lined up ninth for the 35-lap FVP Clash at the Creek main event at Deer Creek, which was slowed by a couple of cautions before a single lap was completed. On the first complete restart, Kinser moved up a row, due to the driver ahead of him jumping the initial start. The third-generation driver used a strong start to move up to fourth by the sixth lap. Kinser ran among the top-six for the first half of the race, at one point going three-wide with Kerry Madsen and Chad Kemenah as the trio battled for the fourth spot.
Following a red flag on the eighth circuit, the remainder of the 35-lapper went straight through without any slowdowns or stoppages. Kinser worked his way back into the fifth spot on lap 21, before falling back to sixth on the next go-around. He would run sixth the rest of the way, en route to recording his 39th Top-10 finish of the season.
“It was a very racy track at Deer Creek, and a great show for the fans,” said Kinser. “Toward the end we had that long green flag run and got into traffic and were really mixing it up while battling for fourth. The Hendrickcars.com car was running pretty well and we were able to keep pace with the leaders for most of the race We want to be in the Top-Five, but with some of the bad luck we’ve been having lately, we’ll take a sixth and move on.”
Kinser was third-fastest in time trials of the 28 entrants at Deer Creek. He started the third eight-lap heat from the fourth position and finished in that same spot to earn a spot in the dash. He lined sixth in the dash and ran ninth in that six-lap contest, which put him on the inside of the fifth row for the 35-lap A-Feature.
“We are getting back to where we need to be with our qualifying package,” he shared. “Earlier this year we were near the front almost every night right off the truck and that’s what we are looking to do down the stretch here as well. Qualifying well gives you a lot better chance to make it in the dash, and making it in the dash is pretty important nowadays with how close everyone is.”
The weekend began for Kinser at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa, and the Sixth Annual Arnold Motor Supply Shootout. After getting caught in an accident just past the halfway point of the 30-lap main event, that led to a couple of trips to the work area, Kinser worked his way back to a 15th-place finish. The third-generation driver was 17th in time trials, just missing the heat race inversion by one spot. He lined up fifth in the first eight-lap heat race and finished in that same position, which put him on the outside of the ninth row for the A-Feature.
Kinser returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at Eagle Raceway in Nebraska for an event that was postponed by rain earlier this season. He then heads to the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio on Friday, Sept. 21 for the opener of the 4 Crown Nationals weekend, followed by a visit to Lernerville Speedway in Western Pennsylvania for the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday, Sept. 22. The 2005 winner of the Knoxville Nationals is currently sixth in the World of Outlaws championship standings on the strength of 39 Top-10 finishes.
“We have another busy week this week with a lot of traveling as well,” noted Kinser. “After this week, we’ll be down to just weekend racing and being able to get back to the shop in between races, which always helps. It’s getting down to it now, and our focus is to end the season on a strong note.”
Clay County Fair Speedway & Deer Creek Speedway Results
| Date | Time Trials |
Heat Start |
Heat Finish | Dash Start | Dash Finish | Feature Start | Feature Finish | Points |
| Sept. 14 | 17th | 5th | 5th | N/A | N/A | 18th | 15th | 6th |
| Sept. 15 | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 6th | 9th | 9th | 6th | 6th |
Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Clay County Fair Speedway & Deer Creek Speedway
0.375- Miles around Clay County Fair Speedway and Deer Creek Speedway
1- Night of racing in the state of Minnesota this season
2- Career Top-10 finishes at Deer Creek; Races at Clay County Fair Speedway in 2012
4- Starts at Deer Creek Speedway
6- Appearances at Clay County Fair Speedway
8.3- Average finish in six career starts at Clay County
9- Average finish in main events with the World of Outlaws this season
9.2- Average starting spot in A-Feature races this season
11.920- Qualifying time at Deer Creek Speedway
12- Average finish in four career starts at Deer Creek
13.523- Lap in time trials at Clay County Fair Speedway
39- Top-10 finishes this season
177- Miles from Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa, to Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn.
8227- Points earned through Sept. 15
Up Next
Sept. 19: Eagle Raceway, Lincoln, Neb.
Sept. 21: Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, Ohio
Sept. 22: Lernerville Speedway, Sarver, Pa.
Keep up with all the action
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