World of Outlaws at Route 66 Raceway

'The King' Extends Points Lead at Route 66 By Richard Day JOLIET, IL (June 29) -- No driver lives by the adage, "finishing second means you're the first loser," more than Steve Kinser. The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' 15-time champion and current

points leader finished second in four of the previous eight races and was ready to win an "A" Feature Thursday. He did just that, leading all 30 laps on his way to claiming the $10,000 first prize at Route 66 Raceway. "We've had so many second-place finishes the last three weeks or so, and I think we maybe could've won half of them," Steve said. "That's what happens when you get to racing for points; sometimes you just take what you can get." Kinser's fifth main event victory of the season gave him a 169- point advantage over cousin and defending and two-time series champion Mark Kinser in the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series standings. Mark's 18th-place finish was only his second out of the top five in the last 10 races. "The King of the Outlaws" was the fifth-fastest qualifier in the 28-car field. He won the Second NAPA AUTO PARTS Heat Race and earned the right to start the main event outside the front row by following Sammy Swindell across the finish line in the Second CHANNELLOCK Dash. Kinser and Swindell raced wheel-to-wheel down the front straightaway and through turn one as the green flag fell in the series' 28th "A" Feature of the season. Steve steered his #11 Quaker State Maxim around Sammy high in the second corner to take the lead. "The King of the Outlaws" was seven car-lengths ahead of Swindell when he entered lapped traffic five laps later. Kinser executed a daring move between Christi Passmore and Boston Reid in turn three to open a half-straightaway advantage the next time around. Swindell drove his #1 CHANNELLOCK Stealth to within three car-lengths of Kinser in dense lapped traffic two laps later, however. Stevie Smith, winner of two of the other three races the series has run at Route 66 Raceway, used a high move in turn four to pass Third NAPA AUTO PARTS Heat Race winner Craig Dollansky for fourth place later in the ninth lap. Brian Paulus' fourth-corner spin took the leaders out of lapped traffic one lap later. Kinser raced away from the field as the green flag replaced the yellow, and opened a full straightaway lead within five laps. Dale Blaney, who started inside the seventh row, started making his way to the front during the race's middle stages. He steered the #93 Amoco Maxim into the high groove in turn three to pass Johnny Herrera for sixth place late in lap 13. He passed Dollansky deep in turn four seven laps later and used a high move between the first and second corners to pass Smith early in the 24th lap. The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' 1998 Rookie of the Year passed Andy Hillenburg for third place deep in turn two four laps later. "We were running the top pretty good there, but then I found a spot where I could go into one high and then cut across the bottom getting off turn two," Blaney said. "I think we broke a valve spring after the caution. The motor just didn't seem to want to go like it did earlier -- otherwise, think I could have gotten by Sammy -- but we're happy with third from 13th tonight." Swindell gained on Kinser in dense lapped traffic and closed to within 15 car-lengths with 3 1/2 laps remaining. The series' three- time champion was seven car-lengths behind when Kinser took the checkered flag for the 440th time in his career. "We got to going good there early, and sometimes you just catch the breaks in traffic and get those guys in the best spot," Kinser said. "There at the end, I caught some guys racing side-by-side, and there wasn't a whole lot I could do with them. I wanted to get in front there on the start because I knew the Quaker State car was strong tonight. If I hadn't made it (on the first lap), I think we could have just held our spot there until we got to traffic." Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year points leader Danny Wood started outside the eighth row. He passed Dollansky high between turns three and four late in the final lap to claim his first top-five finish in a Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series "A" Feature. Herrera finished in seventh place, ahead of Smith, Vivarin Fast- Time Award winner Joey Saldana and Danny Lasoski. Saldana received his sixth Vivarin Fast-Time Award of the season for pacing the qualifying session with a 123.212 m.p.h. lap around the semi-banked, 1/2-mile oval. WoO