Bigger and Biggest: Tracy Hines Tackles Terre Haute & DuQuoin

NEW CASTLE, Ind.—August 27, 2014—  Last weekend, Tracy Hines competed on one of the smallest tracks he’ll face all season, the quarter-mile Kokomo Speedway in Indiana. This weekend, he’ll take on two of the largest, the half-mile Terre Haute Action Track in a Sprint Car and the one-mile DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in a Silver Crown machine.
 
Hines takes to the track on Friday, August 29 at the Terre Haute Action Track for the running of the Jim Hurtubise Classic for the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series. He will then head to the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois for the Ted Horn 100 for the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series on Sunday, August 31.
 
“Terre Haute and DuQuoin are two of the most historic dirt tracks you can go to,” said Hines. “I’m proud to be able to say that I’ve won at both. We’ve been pretty strong on the bigger tracks this year with the sprint car, so that has us optimistic for Friday night. We’ve definitely been fast on the mile tracks this year in qualifying and that is the key, in order to start up front.”

This season, the veteran driver has made one start at the Terre Haute Action Track, finishing eighth in the Tony Hulman Classic on May 21, aboard The Carolina Nut Company DRC. He lined up fourth for that event at the half-mile, after winning the third heat race. Hines opened the night as the third-fastest driver in time trials. In his career at the Terre Haute Action Track, Hines has two wins with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series.
 
Hines is a two-time winner with the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series at DuQuoin, taking the checkered flag first in 2005 and repeating that feat in 2006. In his career at the one-mile dirt oval, the native of New Castle, Indiana, has eight top-10 finishes in Silver Crown competition, with seven of those being top-fives, including five podium finishes. Last season, Hines finished 14th at DuQuoin. With the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series in 2014, Hines has five top-five finishes in six races, piloting the Hughs Brothers/Midwest Sheet Metal Beast for Lightfoot Racing. He set fast time and finished third on the mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in May, and also was fastest in time trials at the Illinois State Fairgrounds earlier this month, before rain postponed the 100-lap Tony Bettenhausen Memorial.
 
Last weekend, Hines competed in the third edition of the Sprint Car Smackdown for the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series at Kokomo Speedway in his home state of Indiana. The opening night of action on Thursday, August 21, was postponed by rain and run in the afternoon on Saturday, August 23. Hines finished 14th in that main event, after racing his way through the B-main. On Friday, August 22, he also crossed the line 14th in the main event. The finale of the event was pushed back to Sunday, August 24, with Hines finishing 14th yet again.

“The Smackdown didn’t go how we had hoped,” he noted. “The weather was definitely a challenge, but everyone at the track did a great job and were able to make do with the tough hand they were dealt. We would have liked to have contended for three wins, but we got a little behind in qualifying on the first two nights and then had some bad luck as well and had to dig ourselves out of that.”
 
Entering the Jim Hurtubise Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track, Hines is eighth in points with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series. With the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series, the 2000 series champion is second in the standings as he chases his second series crown.

Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank Primary Sponsors:  The Carolina Nut Company, Hansen’s Welding Inc,  Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts, and MPHG Promotions Inc. Associate Sponsors for 2014 include: ProSource Professional Resources, Turbines Inc., Daum Crop Insurance, Parker Machinery,  Stanton Racing Engines and Schipper Family Farms. Product Sponsors that are part of Tracy Hines Racing in 2014 include: Afco Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Autonet Mobile, Indy Race Parts, Bell Racing, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers, Hoosier Racing Tires, CSI Competition Suspension, Shadow Graphix, Driven Racing Oil, Sander Engineering, Hughs Brothers and Midwest Sheet Metal.
 
For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin and “Like him” on Facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/Tracyhinesracing.