The last time Kraig Kinser finished as high as eighth in the World of Outlaws point standings, he ended the season with a win and averaged a top 10 every three races.
So far in 2021, he’s off to the same pace.
Through 15 official World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series features, Kinser has already collected six top 10’s. That’s the first time he’s reached that mark since the 2013 season – back when the tour was still sponsored by STP.
Although, he’s assured that he’s not doing anything different. Kinser and his team are just performing better.
“Not much has changed,” Kinser said. “We’re getting qualified a little better, but you know it’s sprint car racing. It can change in a hurry. Really not much in our program has changed too much. It’s the same motor. Same cars. Just for whatever reason, the luck is running a little better right now.”
Now, that’s not to say we’ve seen a normal start to the year with the World of Outlaws.
After the West Coast swing was canceled, the tour has been filling weekends on the schedule throughout the months of March and April. It created a string of races on 1/3rd-mile mid-sized tracks and 1/4th-mile bullrings.
That’s where the No. 11K team thrives.
“We’re just in the right spots to keep putting ourselves in good positions and that’s all we can hope for,” Kinser said.
The team rattled off four-straight top 10 runs at Lake Ozark, Pevely, and Kokomo to establish himself at eighth in the point standings.
Kinser’s uncharacteristic P20 at Haubstadt came as a surprise, going into the unique weekend at Bristol, but that’s not to say the veteran didn’t enjoy his experience at the asphalt track covered in dirt.
“It’s definitely neat coming back to a track that’s really big in racing and just seeing the colosseum here,” Kinser said. “It’s definitely impressive, that’s for sure. It’s just one of those places you like going to because it has so much of that rich history involved with it and it’s definitely neat to come here and feel something a little different.”
The results at Bristol for a plethora of drivers can be a ‘throw the film away’ situation as far as the rest of the season goes. That’s what the 11K team will do after a P18 and P14 in Tennessee.
But, as the Outlaws travel to the Jacksonville Speedway (IL) bullring on Thursday ahead of the half-mile track at I-70 over the weekend, they hope to make noise again.
“Anything you do, that can build up confidence is going to help,” Kinser said. “I’ve had good starts to the season before.”
As mentioned earlier, this is Kinser’s best start in nearly a decade.
Now the question turns into just what he can do with it.
| World of Outlaws Sprint Car Standings | ||||
| Position | Driver | Points | Behind | |
| 1 | Brad Sweet | 2142 | – | |
| 2 | David Gravel | 2082 | -60 | |
| 3 | Carson Macedo | 2048 | -94 | |
| 4 | Sheldon Haudenschild | 2038 | -104 | |
| 5 | Aaron Reutzel ® | 2036 | -106 | |
| 6 | Logan Schuchart | 1992 | -150 | |
| 7 | Donny Schatz | 1982 | -160 | |
| 8 | Kraig Kinser | 1882 | -260 | |
| 9 | Brock Zearfoss ® | 1828 | -314 | |
| 10 | Gio Scelzi | 1750 | -392 | |
