Huset's: Race report

'King of the Outlaws' regains points lead at Huset's.

BRANDON, SD (July 2)-- Steve Kinser entered Tuesday's Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series event tied with Danny Lasoski atop the point standings. "The King of the Outlaws" steered clear of a spinning lapped car midway through the "A" Feature on his way to winning the race and regaining sole possession of the points lead before a record crowd at Huset's Speedway.

"I thought I was in that wreck back there," Kinser said. "I got on the brakes pretty hard, but I still thought he (Leonard Lee) was going to take out my front end. Luckily, just about the time I thought there was no way I was getting out of it, he drifted back down to the inside on the track. I knew someone (Jac Haudenschild) was back there right behind me. I could feel him back there, and I was thankful for that yellow to give me an open track again.

"We come out here to win races and win championships. Sure, the points are important, but we still concentrate on winning races every night. When you can pull into the track and have the confidence to know that you have what it takes to run up front, it does a lot for your motivation."

Kinser's flag-to-flag victory-- his 11th this season-- pushed him 16 points ahead of the defending series champion. The fifth victory of his career at Huset's Speedway was Kinser's first at the high-banked, 3/8-mile oval since August 23, 1993.

"The King of the Outlaws" was the eighth-fastest qualifier in the 29-car field. He earned the right to start the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' 34th main event of the season on the front row by winning the Second O'Reilly Auto Parts Heat Race.

Kinser drove his #11 Quaker State Maxim around pole-sitter Craig Dollansky in the fourth corner as the green flag fell in the "A" Feature to take the lead. Jac Haudenschild, who started outside the second row, took the high line around Dollansky between turns one and two for the runner-up spot early in the opening lap.

Tim Shaffer raced into fourth place late in the third lap, steering the #83 Beef Packers Eagle into the low groove in the third corner to pass Lasoski.

Kinser was six car-lengths ahead of "The Wild Child" when he entered lapped traffic five laps into the race. Donny Schatz started inside the sixth row and raced past five cars in the first five laps. The 1997 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year award winner rode the rim around Lasoski between turns three and four to take over fifth place late in the sixth lap.

Lee, whose crew changed his engine following the heat races, spun in front of the leaders on the back straightaway eight laps later. "The King of the Outlaws" and Haudenschild narrowly missed colliding with the #16L and each other.

Kinser controlled the ensuing restart, and was eight car-lengths ahead of "The Wild Child" when he caught the back-markers again during the 18th lap. The #5 Maxim hit the outside retaining wall in the second corner two laps later, causing Haudenschild to fall an additional 10 car-lengths behind.

Schatz, who won the First Heat Race, steered his family's #15 Parker Stores J&J to the lowest point in turn four to pass Shaffer for fourth place as the checkered flag waved.

"The King of the Outlaws" claimed the $10,000 first prize with a straightaway to spare.

"The track kind of threw us a little bit of a curve tonight," Kinser said. "Usually when we come here, it takes a little bit of rubber. But it looks like they dug the track up a little bit, and they gave us something you can race on top to bottom. The top got a little slower over in (turns) three and four toward the end, but you could still move around quite a bit if your car was working."

Dollansky finished in third place, ahead of Schatz, Shaffer, Lasoski, Brad Furr, fast qualifier Stevie Smith, Sammy Swindell and World of Outlaws Gumout Series points leader Tyler Walker.

Dollansky's 13th top-five finish of the season pushed him ahead of Mark Kinser into third place in the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series point standings. Kinser, winner of seven "A" Features at Huset's Speedway, finished 13th Tuesday.

Smith paced the qualifying session for the sixth time this season, circling the high-banked, 3/8-mile oval in 10.640 seconds, an average speed of 126.880 seconds.

-WoO