NEW CASTLE, Ind. — Oct. 2, 2013— It takes some events years and even decades to be tabbed as a “Must See” event. The Gold Crown Midget Nationals at Tri-City Speedway have acquired this moniker in just its first few years of existence. With midget drivers from across the country gathering at the three-eighths-mile, the competition is some of the toughest all year and that’s exactly what Tracy Hines likes, to race against the best night in and night out. He’ll do that this week as the Fifth DuPont Gold Crown Midget National hit the track for three full nights of racing.
The DuPont Gold Crown Midget Nationals at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill., are schedule for Thursday, Oct. 3, Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5. The final night will feature a 40-lap $10,000-to-win A-Feature. The event will be co-sanctioned by the Honda USAC National Midget Series and the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series.
“The Gold Crown has turned into quite an event over the last few years,” said Hines. “It’s one of the last big events of the season in the Midwest and always draws a strong field of cars. Granite City (Tri City Speedway) really lends itself to good midget racing, with how much room there is on the track and the multiple grooves.”
Last season, Hines won the opener of the Gold Crown Midget Nationals aboard the Parker Machinery/Powered by Toyota Spike, leading all 25 laps of the preliminary main event. The win was the second of his career in a midget at Tri-City Speedway. Hines opened the night by coming from the fourth starting spot to win the third heat race. In the finale of the 2012 Gold Crown Midget Nationals, Hines finished ninth, with the second night of the three-night event rained out.
“We had a great car on the first night of last year’s event,” he noted. “It was a shame the second night got rained out. We were just a little off on the final night and with how deep the field was, it was tough to make up much ground in the main event.”
In 2011, Hines finished fifth on the first night of the Gold Crown Midget Nationals, with a stout 54-car field in attendance. He opened the night by finishing fifth in the fifth heat race, coming up just one spot short of transferring to the main event. The veteran driver would win the B-main to earn a spot in the 25-lap preliminary feature. On the second night, Hines raced his way from the C-main all the way into the A-Feature, eventually finishing 11th in that 25-lapper. The native of New Castle, Ind., came home third in the first B-main during the finale of the 2011 Gold Crown Nationals to earn a spot in the main event on Saturday night, where he would place 13th.
Hines also has competed on the former half-mile at Tri-City Speedway in a midget, scoring a win at the historic track in 2003. He enters the Gold Crown Midget Nationals this week third in points with the Honda USAC National Midget Series Dirt Championship, just two markers out of the second spot.
Last weekend, Hines raced with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Indiana, finishing 22nd in the main event, after having mechanical problems in the main event. He opened the night as the 20th-fastest qualifier and won the fourth heat race.
Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Parker Machinery, Powered by Toyota, Hansen’s Welding Inc., Turbines, Inc., Afco Racing Products, Daum Crop Insurance, Schoenfeld Headers, Allstar Performance, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers and Bell Racing.
For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter atwww.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin.
