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‘King of the Outlaws’ To Make Final Run at 21st WoO
Crown
During 2014 Campaign Dubbed ‘Salute to the King’
INDIANAPOLIS
(Dec. 11, 2013) – Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws (WoO)
STP Sprint Car Series champion, announced today the upcoming
2014 WoO campaign will be his final season chasing the series
championship. The Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) driver, who won the
series’ first championship during the WoO inaugural season in
1978, is looking to join a long list of greats who have closed
their career hoisting championship hardware. His final season
with the WoO, called “Salute to the King,” kicks off in February
with the DIRTcar Nationals in Florida.
Kinser, an icon in short-track racing, has dominated the WoO
series during his 36 seasons of competition. The Bloomington,
Ind., native has earned 576 career WoO A-Feature triumphs and
has filled the record book with accomplishments that likely will
not be matched. His goal for this 2014 season is to add to those
records while battling for the title.
“We’re really excited to make one more run at a World of Outlaws
championship,” said Kinser, who will celebrate his 60th birthday
June 2. “Racing with the Outlaws has been my life for almost 40
years. It’s all I’ve known. My family has been around it. I’ve
had the pleasure of running up and down the road racing all
across this incredible country, and even in Canada, Mexico and
Australia with this series. I knew it wasn’t going to last
forever. I feel like we have a great team here capable of
winning a lot of races and challenging for the championship this
year.”
The “Salute to the King” campaign begins in Florida with the
DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville as the
WoO kicks off its 37th season. A complete schedule with more
than 90 nights of racing at 53 tracks will be released in the
coming days. Throughout his remarkable career, Kinser has won
WoO A-Features at 142 facilities, including 42 that will be part
of this year’s schedule. Kinser has experienced the enormous
success at the most prestigious dirt tracks in the country. He
has 34 career WoO A-Feature wins at both Eldora Speedway in
Rossburg, Ohio, and Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway and 26 WoO
A-Feature triumphs at historic Williams Grove Speedway in
Mechanicsburg, Pa. Those three tracks will host multiple events
in 2014, providing Kinser with more opportunities to add to his
already lofty numbers.
“Steve Kinser has been an icon in short-track racing for decades
and has been the face of the World of Outlaws, really, since he
won his first three titles starting in 1978,” WoO CEO Brian
Carter said. “We are extremely thrilled for him to chase his
21st title with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series this
year. It’s going to be an amazing season.”
Kinser won his first career WoO A-Feature at Eldora Speedway in
May 1978 and, even though many things have changed since that
first win, a number of constants remain. His competitive spirit
has never wavered, and it’s what drives him to keep competing
for victories night after night. That drive to win was one of
the things that motivated another young Hoosier to follow his
dream of becoming a racecar driver. WoO races at Indiana dirt
tracks in the 1980s were can’t-miss attractions for a kid from
Columbus, Ind., named Tony Stewart. “The King of the Outlaws”
was Stewart’s idol growing up and, for the past four seasons,
Kinser has competed with the WoO in a car owned by Stewart.
Having Kinser drive for TSR has fulfilled a dream for the
three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.
“I never missed an Outlaw show in the area when I was growing
up,” Stewart said. “We waited for those nights like they were
holidays. It was incredible watching Steve race with Sammy (Swindell)
and Doug (Wolfgang). He was our guy, being from Indiana, and
when he won, it gave us all something to brag about. And he won
a lot. A few years ago, when we had the chance to get him to
drive for TSR, it was like a dream come true. When we got him on
board, my goal was for him to drive for us for the remainder of
his career. I’m really excited for him to go out and have a
great season. He’s the best ever and I’m couldn’t be more
proud.”
In each of his 35 WoO seasons, Kinser has driven the No. 11 and
represented several brands throughout his career. Last season,
Bad Boy Buggies partnered with TSR and Kinser carried their
colors in front of packed grandstands from coast to coast. The
company, a leader in off-road utility vehicles for hunting and
outdoor lifestyles, is extremely thrilled to be riding with
Kinser on the No. 11 Bad Boy Buggies/J.D. Byrider/Chevrolet
Performance Maxim during the upcoming “Salute to the King”
season in 2014.
“We’re excited and proud to be a part of Steve’s final run at
another championship with the Outlaws,” said Eric Bondy, vice
president, consumer business, Bad Boy Buggies. “His place in
history is guaranteed, but his fire to compete and win races is
as strong today as it was 30 years ago. We look forward to an
awesome year together.”
The “Salute to the King” season will include a number of special
promotions. The first of several announcements to will be made
in late January prior to the season-opening events in Florida.
Details will be available at www.tonystewartracing.com,
www.WorldofOutlaws.com, www.stevekinser.com and
www.BadBoyBuggies.com and promoted on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/TonyStewartRacing and Twitter at @TonyStewart_rcg.
Steve Kinser Driver of the No. 11 Bad Boy Buggies/J.D. Byrider/Chevrolet
Performance World of Outlaws STP Sprint Series Car
Date of Birth: June 2, 1954
Hometown: Bloomington, Ind.
Residence: Bloomington, Ind.
Marital Status: Married, Dana
Children: Daughter – Stevie; Sons – Kraig and Kurt
Highlights: 20-time World of Outlaws (WoO) STP Sprint Car Series
champion … Competed in the first career WoO race on March 18,
1978 at Devil’s Bowl Speedway … Has won every major Sprint car
race during his racing career … 576 career WoO Sprint Car Series
A-Feature victories … 12-time Knoxville (Iowa) Nationals
champion…Finished 14th in the 1997 Indianapolis 500. Qualified
for the race on May 10 and later that evening won the 415th WoO
feature of his career at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. …
Fourteen-time National 410 Sprint Car Driver of the Year …
Nineteen-time American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters
Association All-American honoree.
About Bad Boy Buggies
Bad Boy Buggies is a leader in off-road utility vehicles for
hunting and outdoor lifestyles. Bad Boy Buggies pioneered the
category of electrically powered 4x4 vehicles, ideal for hunting
and outdoor recreation due to their silent, odorless operation
and environmentally friendly, emissions-free drivetrains.
Today, the Bad Boy Buggies product line ranges from
four-wheel-drive electric hunting machines such as the Recoil, a
fully electric, 4WD vehicle with an innovative, highly efficient
72-volt AC electric drivetrain, to the Work Series of diesel and
gas-powered utility vehicles, including the Bad Boy Buggies XD,
a versatile 4WD, diesel-powered utility vehicle with a total
capacity of 1,600 pounds. In 2010, the Bad Boy Buggies brand and
product line were acquired by E-Z-GO, a business unit of Textron
Inc.
For more information, please visit www.badboybuggies.com.
About The World of Outlaws
The World of Outlaws®, a sports entertainment company based in
Concord, N.C., is a world leader in the sanctioning and
promotion of dirt track auto racing, and owns and operates the
highest profile national touring series for dirt track racing in
the North America, the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. The World of Outlaws
sanctions nearly 150 events annually at dirt tracks across the
United States and Canada. In addition, World of Outlaws races
can be heard online at DIRTVision.com ®. To learn more about the
World of Outlaws, visit WorldofOutlaws.com.
About Tony Stewart Racing
Tony Stewart Racing is a championship-winning organization
competing in USAC and the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car
Series. From its 25,000-square-foot facility in Brownsburg,
Ind., TSR fields USAC entries for four-time USAC champion Bryan
Clauson and three-time USAC champion Bobby East. And in the
World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series, TSR campaigns the No. 11
Bad Boy Buggies/J.D. Byrider/Chevrolet Performance/Maxim for
20-time series champion Steve Kinser and the No. 15 STP/Armor
All/Chevrolet Performance/J&J for five-time series champion
Donny Schatz. TSR has earned a total of 18 owner championships –
14 in USAC and four in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car
Series. For more information, please visit us on the Web at
www.TonyStewartRacing.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TonyStewartRacing
and on Twitter at @TonyStewart_rcg. |
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