Bloomington Speedway will host the Bob Kinser Memorial race on Friday. The $3000-to-win race highlights the racing action, along with a program for MMSA mini-sprints, modifieds and super stocks.
The pit gates will open at 3 p.m., with the main grandstands at 5 p.m. Racing is set to begin at 7 p.m. For more information, visit bloomingtonspeedway.com.
Bob Kinser was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1999 and was reported to have won 29 track and series championships and more than 400 features during a racing career that spanned more than 40 years. His career began at Bloomington Speedway, racing jalopies. He eventually moved on to race modifieds, supermodifieds and sprint cars throughout the Midwest.
Kinser won four straight South-Central Indiana Racing Association sprint car titles from 1965 through 1968. Kinser, who died in 2017 at the age of 86, won the track title in 1971 at 25th Street Speedway in Columbus.
During the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, Kinser competed with a wide variety of sprint car organizations, including American Speed Association, IMCA, Midwest Outlaw Super Series, All Star Circuit of Champions, California Racing Association, USAC and the World of Outlaws.
His over 400 feature wins came at Paragon, Bloomington, Kokomo, Haubstadt, Putnamville and Lawrenceburg in jalopies, bombers, late models and non-wing sprinters, in addition to scoring a USAC sprint win at Bloomington Speedway when he was 54.
The late Jim McQueen, one of sprint car racing’s best minds and tuners, once was asked about the best dirt sprint racer he’d encountered prior to the beginning of the World of Outlaws in 1978.
“It’s either Bob Kinser or Bubby Jones,” McQueen replied. “They win everything.”
Kinser was a weekend warrior because of his 9-to-5 job and four kids at home, but his battles with Dick Gaines, Bobby Black, Calvin Gilstrap, Cecil Beavers and Butch Wilkerson all over Indiana became legendary in the ’60s and ’70s. He drove for Jerry Shields, Karl Kinser, Dizz Wilson, Galen Fox and the Bayless Brothers among others.
Kinser’s last race was aboard Gil Sonner’s Casey’s General Stores No. 47 in the 1996 Goodyear Masters Classic at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.
In 1981, Kinser was elected to the Hoosier Auto Racing Fans Hall of Fame.
Bob’s sons Steve and Randy and grandson, Kraig, all became successful sprint car drivers, and Steve has joined his father in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
Area tracks rained out
All of the area race tracks canceled last weekend due to the rainy and chilly weather. With the promise of better weather this weekend, Brownstown, Lawrenceburg and Twin Cities hope to resume their 2019 schedule tonight.
Brownstown Speedway will host last week’s rained out program tonight with “kids night” and a full racing program featuring super late models, pro late models, modifieds, super stocks and pure stocks. For more info, visit brownstownspeedway.com.
Twin Cities Raceway Park in Vernon will be racing tonight with crate late models, pure stocks, hornets, 305 Racesaver sprints and MMSA mini-sprints. For further info, visit twincitiestrack.com.
Lawrenceburg Speedway will be back in action tonight with a regular racing program consisting of sprints, modifieds, pure stocks and hornets. Last weekend’s USAC National Sprint Car Series event that was rained out will not be made up. USAC will return to Lawrenceburg on July 21st as part of the annual Indiana Sprint Week festivities. For the latest info, visit lawrenceburgspeedway.com.
Paragon opener delayed
Paragon Speedway, under new management this year, saw its opening night rained out on April 19. The next scheduled event will be on Friday with sprints, modifieds, super stocks, bombers and hornets. For the complete 2019 schedule, go to paragonspeedway.com
Eldora season opener tonight
Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway located in Rossburg, Ohio, will open for the 2019 season tonight with a $5,000-to-win Sunoco Late Model Series event, along with the NRA 360 Sprint Invaders, modifieds and the Eldora stock cars.
Eldora Speedway officials recently confirmed 13 of its marquee event dates for the 2020 calendar of events.
The 26th running of the Dirt Late Model Dream, the original $100,000-to-win race, will be contested June 4 through 6, 2020. Full racing programs will be contested on both June 4 and 5 to seed the June 6 event.
The fastest sprint car racers in the world take center stage in summer’s most-fabled event, the Kings Royal Weekend, for the 37th time on July 16 to 18, 2020. Three full nights of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series action kicking off with the Jokers Wild on July 16, followed by The Knight Before on July 17 and culminating with the legendary Kings Royal on July 18.
For the eighth year, Eldora will play host to the only NASCAR National Series event contested on dirt and is held in primetime on July 30, 2020. The Eldora Dirt Derby will be the only standalone mid-week event on the 2020 NASCAR schedule.
The 50th World 100 Weekend — The Biggest Dirt Race in The World™ — is held the first Saturday following Labor Day and 2020 continues the tradition. On-track activity for the weekend will begin Sept. 10, 2020 and followed by another full racing program on Sept. 11, 2020. The 50th annual World 100 paying $53,000-to-win to dirt racing’s most coveted prize will be held Sept. 12, 2020.
The 4-Crown Nationals Weekend will celebrate its 39th running in 2020. The all open wheel extravaganza showcasing the USAC Silver Crown Championship, USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars, USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series, World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and Ollies Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions is scheduled for Sept. 25 and 26, 2020.
For more information on all of the 2019 events and the release of the 2020 schedule, head to eldoraspeedway.com.
This week in racing history
From 50 years ago in 1969, hometown driver Gene Petro won the feature race at 25th Street Speedway in Columbus. Jack Owens was second, followed by Teako Ray, Ron Eddy and Butch Bland.
Also, from 1969, Orval Yeadon won the opening race at Twin Cities over Phil Fultz, Johnny Robbins, Larry Exner and Marvin Deputy.
At Brownstown from 1969, Paul Crockett won the late model feature race over Don Hobbs, Kenny Simpson, Jack Owens and Jerry Brinegar.
From 30 years ago in 1989 at Brownstown, Jim Curry won the late model feature race over Roger Long, Daryl Herbert, Doug Ault and Kevin Claycomb. Earl Plessinger took the street stock main over Steve Trabue, Tom Seadler, Scott Patman and Jeff Terry. Shannon Stewart won the bomber feature race over Daryl Leveridge, Bob Johnson, Tim Cummings and Kevin Sebastian.
