Steve Kinser Snaps Winless Streak in I-80 Prelim
                            By Richard Day
    GREENWOOD, NE (May 2) - Here's a phrase Skoal Outlaw Series fans
haven't heard very often in 18 1/2 years:  Steve Kinser has gone six
weeks between victories.
    It's true. When "the King of the Outlaws" won the Preliminary
Feature at I-80 Speedway Thursday, it was his first visit to victory
lane since March 23rd at the Devil's Bowl.
    "It's been a while since we won one," Kinser admitted following
his second victory in a World of Outlaws Preliminary Feature this
season.
    It was anybody's race during the first lap, as three different
drivers raced ahead of the 24-car field. After Randy Hannagan's
fourth-corner spin brought out the caution flag on the original start,
Sammy Swindell burst into the lead from the pole. Kinser passed
Swindell deep in turn one, only to have cousin Mark Kinser take the
inside line in the second corner to pass him for the lead.
    Mark won a drag race to the finish line by inches to lead the
first lap, but Steve steered the #11 Quaker State Maxim into the high
groove to pass him in turn one.
    Steve opened an eight-car-length advantage during the third lap,
and entered lapped traffic two laps later. He was a half-straightaway
ahead of his closest pursuers by lap eight.
    Mark narrowed the gap to six car-lengths midway through the race,
only to have Swindell divert his attention from the leader for the
next three laps. Sammy steered his #1 ChannelLock Gambler to the
lowest point in turn one early in the 12th lap, but Mark was equal to
the challenge.
    The battle for fourth place between Dave Blaney and Danny Lasoski
raged for 11 laps before "The Buckeye Bullet" put five car-lengths
between himself and Lasoski during the 13th lap. Five laps later,
however, "The Dude" caught the defending Skoal Outlaw Series champion
and returned the favor.
    Andy Hillenburg drove his #2 STP J&J past five cars during the
first 15 laps, and took sixth place from Joey Saldana the next time
around. Jeff Swindell won a front-straightaway drag race to the finish
line to relegate Saldana to eighth place later in lap 16.
    Mark closed to within three car-lengths of the leader with three
laps remaining, only to have the engine in the #5M Wirtgen Maxim start
smoking. Mark's loss of power allowed Sammy, Lasoski and Blaney to
relegate him to fifth place by the end of the race.
    Swindell raced to within two car-lengths of the leader during the
19th lap, but was five car-lengths behind when Kinser took the
checkered flag.
    Lasoski held off Blaney to finish in third place. Rounding out the
top 10 in the Preliminary Feature were Mark Kinser, Hillenburg, Jeff
Swindell, Saldana, Stevie Smith and Johnny Herrera.
    Mark, who won the Skoal Outlaw Series' first "A" Feature at I-80
last May, opened the festivities by claiming his sixth EcoWater Quick-
Time Award of the year. His 14.549-second qualifying lap was only .054
seconds off one-lap record he set at the high-banked, 1/4-mile oval
last season. He also won the First Quaker State Heat Race.
     Brian Paulus was battling Dion Hindi for the lead with four laps
remaining in the "B" Feature when his #28 Charles Field Dentistry
Gambler clipped the turn-two guardrail and flipped. Hindi went on to
win the race, while Paulus was credited with a 12th-place finish. WoO
              1996 World of Outlaws/Skoal Outlaw Series
                     I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, NE
                  Friday, May 2, Preliminary Program
    Qualifications:  1. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 14.549; 2. Joey
Saldana, Roth 83, 14.830; 3. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 14.918; 4. Dave
Blaney, Luna 10, 14.953; 5. Sammy Swindell, Swindell 1, 14.964; 6.
Randy Hannagan, Stanton 75, 15.054; 7. Danny Lasoski, Forbrook 5,
15.075; 8. Don Droud, Jr., Kormack 1BK, 15.112; 9. Johnny Herrera,
Sonner 47, 15.121; 10. Stevie Smith, Motter 71M, 15.129; 11. Jeff
Swindell, Two Winners 7TW, 15.130; 12. Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2,
15.173; 13. Joe Gaerte, Gaerte 3G, 15.177; 14. Aaron Berryhill,
Berryhill 97, 15.275; 15. Jac Haudenschild, Elden 22, 15.288; 16. Gary
Wright, Action Motorsports 9, 15.317; 17. Skip Jackson, Vanderecken
10v, 15.358; 18. Terry McCarl, Gray 51, 15.378; 19. Lance Blevins,
Blevins 21, 15.439; 20. Marlon Jones, Oswalt 1J, 15.478; 21. Brian
Paulus, P&P Motorsports 28, 15.630; 22. Dion Hindi, Hindi 11H, 15.659;
23. Jim Carr, McCarr 7M, 15.661; 24. John Hunt, Crown Enterprises 63,
15.873; 25. Randy Smith, Ball 3B, 15.922; 26. Travis Cram, Cram 92,
16.134; 27. Gerald Cressman, Cressman 56C, 16.336; 28. Jeff Griffis,
Morris 91, 16.388; 29. Todd Splain, Splain 1x, 16.442; 30. Mark
Finnell, Finnell 44, 18.064; 31. Chad Mellenberndt, Mellenberndt 97,
no time.
    First Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Mark Kinser, 2.
Gary Wright, 3. Danny Lasoski, 4. Stevie Smith, 5. Dave Blaney, 6. Joe
Gaerte, 7. Lance Blevins, 8. Dion Hindi, 9. Jeff Griffis, 10. Randy
Smith. DNS - Chad Mellenberndt. (first six qualified for the
Preliminary Feature)
    Second Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Skip Jackson, 2.
Jeff Swindell, 3. Sammy Swindell, 4. Joey Saldana, 5. Don Droud, Jr.,
6. Aaron Berryhill, 7. Marlon Jones, 8. Jim Carr, 9. Travis Cram, 10.
Todd Splain. (first four qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
    Third Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Terry McCarl, 2.
Andy Hillenburg, 3. Steve Kinser, 4. Jac Haudenschild, 5. Johnny
Herrera, 6. Randy Hannagan, 7. John Hunt, 8. Gerald Cressman, 9. Mark
Finnell, 10. Brian Paulus. (first four qualified for the Preliminary
Feature)
    Vivarin Dash (five laps):  1. Sammy Swindell, 2. Steve Kinser, 3.
Randy Hannagan, 4. Mark Kinser, 5. Dave Blaney, 6. Joey Saldana, 7.
Danny Lasoski, 8. Don Droud, Jr. (finish determined the first eight
starting positions in the Preliminary Feature)
    B Feature (12 laps):  1. Dion Hindi, 2. John Hunt, 3. Lance
Blevins, 4. Marlon Jones, 5. Gerald Cressman, 6. Randy Smith, 7. Jim
Carr ($160); 8. Travis Cram ($135); 9. Jeff Griffis ($110); 10. Todd
Splain ($85); 11. Mark Finnell ($70); 12. Brian Paulus ($60); 13. Chad
Mellenberndt ($40). (first six qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
    Preliminary Feature (20 laps):  1. Steve Kinser ($4,010); 2. Sammy
Swindell ($2,310); 3. Danny Lasoski ($1,610); 4. Dave Blaney ($1,410);
5. Mark Kinser ($1,260); 6. Andy Hillenburg ($1,160); 7. Jeff Swindell
($1,110); 8. Joey Saldana ($1,060); 9. Stevie Smith ($1,035); 10.
Johnny Herrera ($1,010); 11. Joe Gaerte ($910); 12. Jac Haudenschild
($710); 13. Terry McCarl ($610); 14. Gary Wright ($510); 15. Dion
Hindi ($330); 16. Lance Blevins ($330); 17. Skip Jackson ($260); 18.
Randy Hannagan ($260); 19. Don Droud, Jr. ($260); 20. John Hunt
($280); 21. Marlon Jones ($280); 22. Gerald Cressman ($280); 23. Aaron
Berryhill ($260); 24. Randy Smith ($280).
            Lap leaders:  Mark Kinser 1, Steve Kinser 2-20
            EcoWater Quick-Time Award winner:  Mark Kinser
                                 WoO