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SARVER, PA. – Steve Kinser has reached Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Victory Lane only three times in 2008. By his standards that’s not a great season.
On Tuesday night he took steps to turn things around as he led all 40 laps of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at the Lernerville Speedway to claim the $40,000 top prize.
“We needed a pay day I can tell you that,” commented a very happy Kinser after the win. “Motor prices and fuel prices are eating up the money. It’s nice to get out here and win a big race especially hear at Lernerville.”
It was Kinser’s second career win in the event that honors the memory of the former track owner and promoter. It was his 16th career win at the speedway with his last win in the Memorial Cup coming back in 1994.
“Don (Martin) was a good friend and he was one of the premier promoters in the United States,” said Kinser about Martin. “He did a great job with this race track, he got along with everybody and treated everybody well. He was a super nice guy.”
The win was the 546th of his illustrious career and it gives him a much needed confidence boost as the tour invades the Northeast for the second time this season.
“Over the year’s I’ve run good in the East,” stated Kinser about his luck in the East Coast. “We’ve had a good racecar the last month, but we’ve been hit or miss with different things.”
Kinser, of Bloomington, Ind., took the lead the drop of the green flag. He raced out in front as several challenges attempt to take the lead away including Craig Dollansky, Jason Myers and Donnie Schatz. They each had their crack at ‘the King of the Outlaws’ but none of them could make the move to secure the lead.
Kinser survived the many mid-race cautions as well as one red flag period on lap 28 to take home his biggest win of the season at the half-mile oval.
Schatz, the two-time defending champion of this event, had to settle for a runner-up position after falling behind early in his Tony Stewart Racing No.15. Myers, of Clovis, Ca, made changes late in the races causing him to fade back to third.
Joey Saldana brought his Kasey Kahne Racing No.9 from the 16th starting position to fourth while Kerry Madsen, St. Mary’s, New South Whales, Aust., came home in fifth.
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MAKING BOLD MOVES: Kinser started on the pole for the event after winning the dash and he took full advantage of this starting position as took the lead at the green flag. He quickly raced into slower traffic and on lap 7 he made a bold three wide move on the back straightaway to put several slower cars between himself and the rest of the competition.
FIRST CAUTION: Ed Lynch Jr. of Apollo, Pa, brought out the first caution of the event on the 17th circuit when he spun in turn two. This bunched up the field once again and placed them on the rear of the No.11k.
A COUPLE MORE CAUTIONS: Caution usually breed cautions and that was the case once again. The field slowed on lap 22 for debris, on lap 26 when Paul McMahan slowed on the backstretch and stopped.
“The worst problem I had all night was that I couldn’t going on the restarts,” said Kinser. “I wasn’t very good for about three laps after the restarts.”
TAKING A SHOT: After the lap 26 caution, Myers was able to stay with Kinser on the restart and on lap 27 Myers took a shot at the lead in turns three and four. Kinser got a bad run off of turn two and Myers pulled up to the rear of his car on the back straightaway. As they raced into the corner, Myers dove low and slid up in front to lead for a moment. Kinser turned down and drove off the bottom to remain the leader.
“I spun so bad coming out of two I was amazed he (Myers) didn’t pass me on the back chute,” stated Kinser about Myers. “That was about the worst I came out of the corner right there all night. Like I said it took three or four laps for me to get going.”
AN OPEN RED: On lap 28 the red flag was displayed when Daryn Pittman spun in turn four collecting Sam Haftertepe Jr. getting him upside down. It was declared an open red giving all drivers a chance to work on their cars.
“I didn’t make much of a change,” said Kinser. “I made a front shock change, but I left the car pretty much the way it was.”
FINISHING STRONG: One final caution came out on lap 32 when Dollansky slowed with mud packed into his right rear tire. Kinser was masterful on the restart and raced away from the field to score the victory at the Butler County oval.
GET GOING EARLIER: Schatz, of Fargo, N.D., came home in second after starting fifth. Schatz fell back in the dash and early on he faded as far back as eighth. He was unable to rebound from those struggles.
“They gave us 40 laps; it just took to long to get going there,” said the former two-time race-winner Schatz. “I didn’t run the right race early on; I needed to get some more spots.”
NEEDED SOME TRAFFIC: If Schatz received an opportunity in slower traffic he may have had a chance to get by Kinser for the lead. Unfortunately he never got that opportunity late in the event.
“I feel like if we had been racing in lapped traffic it may have been a different story,” commented Schatz. “I’m not disappointed by any means, we didn’t get beat by a lapped car we got be by this guy (as he put his hand on Kinser’s should).”
MAKING AN EFFORT: Myers chased Kinser for several laps trying to get by for the race lead. Myers, the winner of the other Outlaw event this season at Lernerville, tried on lap 27 to take the lead as he went low and slid up in front of Kinser, but it was to no avail.
“Honestly there was really no chance of holding onto that,” stated Myers. “I can’t follow him in there; I needed lapped traffic tonight and with all those yellow’s there was really no chance to get him.”
QUALIFYING: Chad Kemenah, of Findlay, OH., set fast time with a lap time of 13.631 for the 47 cars attempting to qualify for the event. Four heats were held with Paul McMahan, Myers, McCarl and Dollansky scoring victories. The Crane Cams Dash went to Kinser while Cory Good won the C-Main and Rob Eyler won the B-Main.
LERNERVILLE SPEEDWAY DON MARTIN MEMORIAL SILVER CUP A-MAIN (40 laps): Starting Position [#] 1) 11-Steve Kinser[1] [$40,000], 2) 15-Donny Schatz[5] [$15,000], 3) 14-Jason Meyers[3] [$6,500], 4) 9-Joey Saldana[16] [$5,000], 5) 55-Kerry Madsen[12] [$4,500], 6) 8K-Chad Kemenah[8] [$4,000], 7) 83-Shane Stewart[6] [$3,500], 8) 22-Greg Hodnett[18] [$3,000], 9) 20-Kraig Kinser[22] [$2,500], 10) 1-Jeff Shepard[14] [$2,250], 11) 51-Fred Rahmer[21] [$2,000], 12) 4-Danny Smith[7] [$1,800], 13) 24-Terry McCarl[2] [$1,500], 14) 21-Daryn Pittman[15] [$1,250], 15) R19-Jac Haudenschild[11] [$1,100], 16) 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[17] [$1,100], 17) 7S-Jason Sides[23] [$1,100], 18) 5C-Chad Hillier[27] [$100], 19) 18-Tony Bruce Jr.[25] [$100], 20) 25-Chad Layton[24] [$1,100], 21) 6F-Bob Felmlee[26] [$100], 22) 4G-Rod George[28] [$50], 23) 2-Craig Dollansky[4] [$1,000], 24) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[10] [$1,000], 25) 6-Paul McMahan[9] [$1,000], 26) 19-Stevie Smith[20] [$1,000], 27) 9S-Kevin Schaeffer[13] [$1,000], 28) 5A-Rob Eyler[19] [$1,000]
Lap Leaders: Steve Kinser 1-40
Chicken Hawk Hot Lap Award: Steve Kinser
Penske Power Position Award: Jason Meyers
SuperClean Start of the Night Award: Lance Dewease
KSE Hard Charger Award: Kraig Kinser
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