Kings Royal race report

Mark Kinser Claims $50,000 at Kings Royal
By Richard Day

ROSSBURG, OH (July 21) -- Neither a four-hour rain delay nor the 10 drivers starting ahead of him could keep Mark Kinser from winning his first Kings Royal championship Saturday at Eldora Speedway.

Kinser, who took the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series points lead with a runner-up run in Friday's "Night Before the Kings Royal" race, drove the #5M Mopar Maxim past Danny Wood in turn four late in the 22nd lap to take the lead on his way to claiming the $50,000 reward.

"I wondered if I was ever going to win one of these," Kinser said. "Starting 11th on a fast track like we had tonight, I wasn't sure we even had a shot, but this Mopar car was great tonight.

"The Eldora Speedway crew did a great job just getting us a race track tonight, and I thank them for all their hard work."

Kinser, whose 13th victory of the season gave him a 38-point advantage over Danny Lasoski in their battle for the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series championship, spread the credit around.

"My dad (Karl Kinser), Justin (Adams), Willie (Kahne) and Dennis (Kohler) gave me a car that could work anywhere on the race track," Mark said. "Those (early) cautions helped and the (open) red flag helped tremendously. Karl Kinser's the best there is.

"Actually, Paul McMahan showed me the bottom (of the track) early, and then he got off it."

Late afternoon thunderstorms delayed the 18th Annual Kings Royal four hours. TNN: The National Network taped the race for a July 28th telecast.

Kinser, the second-fastest qualifier in the 42-car field, finished fifth in the Second O'Reilly Heat Race and qualified for the 40-lap main event by finishing second in the "B" Feature. It was the first time he raced in a "B" Feature since early March.

Danny Wood won the Third O'Reilly Heat Race and the CHANNELLOCK Dash for the right to start the "A" Feature on the pole. He drove Sher-Don Motorsports' #21W Pepsi Avenger into the lead as the green flag fell in the main event.

O'Reilly Heat Race winners Brian Carlson and Ed Lynch, Jr., collided and spun on the front straightaway as Wood crossed the finish line to complete the opening lap.

Wood was .8 seconds ahead of four-time Kings Royal champion Steve Kinser when they entered lapped traffic during the eighth lap. Wood was lapping Brian Sauder two laps later when Sauder slid over the cushion and flipped into the retaining wall in turn one. Sauder collided with Carlson and Andy Hillenburg, whose crew replaced the top wing on his #2 Luxaire J&J during the open red period.

"The King of the Outlaws" challenged Wood in every corner during the two laps after the race resumed, but was unable to drive his #11 Quaker State Maxim into the lead.

Jeff Shepard, who started inside the ninth row, was battling Jason Meyers for ninth place when he hit the turn four retaining wall and flipped late in lap 14.

Mark Kinser was on the move after the green flag replaced the red, passing Craig Dollansky, Joey Saldana, Stevie Smith and Hillenburg on successive laps to move into third place by the middle of lap 18.

After Shane Stewart stopped on the front stretch to bring out the caution flag early in the 19th lap, Mark took over second place by beating cousin Steve down the back straightaway on the restart.

Mark raced wheel-to-wheel with Wood early in the 22nd lap before surging ahead deep in the fourth corner. Steve Kinser passed Wood for the runner-up spot with a high move through turn two three laps later.

Mark, who was 1.2 seconds ahead of Steve when he caught the back- markers during the 30th lap, doubled his advantage within three laps. He took the checkered flag with three seconds to spare as cousin Steve was the runner-up for the second straight year.

Hillenburg held off 10th-starting Craig Dollansky for third place. Stevie Smith finished fifth, ahead of Wood, McMahan, Donny Schatz, Jason Meyers and Joey Saldana.

A broken rear end in NASCAR Winston Cup star Tony Stewart's #20L J.D. Byrider Eagle during hot laps caused Lasoski to take only one lap at the end of the qualifying session. Forced to take a provisional for the first time this season, "The Dude" raced into 17th place from inside the 13th row.

Former Kings Royal champions Sammy Swindell and Johnny Herrera also suffered rear end problems and failed to qualify for the main event.

The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series "Month of Money" continues Tuesday at Lernerville Speedway when the fire-breathing, mudslinging sprint cars race for the $34,000 first prize in the 10th Annual Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup. The series will complete the Wirtgen Shootout and run a full double-feature event at Williams Grove Thursday and Friday, then race at Hagerstown Speedway Saturday.

-WoO