'Buckeye Bullet' Snaps Winless Streak at Kokomo
                            By Richard Day
    KOKOMO, IN (June 13) - While most drivers are elated to win Skoal
Outlaw Series "A" Features, Dave Blaney's reaction to winning
Thursday's event at Kokomo Speedway was more of relief.
    "It's about time," the defending World of Outlaws champion told
the capacity crowd from victory lane. "We haven't won since before we
went to Pennsylvania."
    The $6,000 victory was Blaney's fourth of the season and his first
since May 19th at Hartford Speedway - 10 events ago. With Mark Kinser
finishing 13th, "The Buckeye Bullet" closed to within 71 points of
first place in the Skoal Outlaw Series point standings.
    Kinser was the class of the 36-car field in time trials, and
received his 15th EcoWater Quick-Time Award of the year. His 13.119-
second run around the semi-banked, 1/4-mile oval chopped .429 seconds
off the previous one-lap record and was .181 seconds faster than
second-quick Andy Hillenburg. In all, 11 drivers eclipsed Kokomo's
previous qualifying standard.
    Blaney, the fourth-fastest qualifier, finished second in the
Fourth Quaker State Heat Race. Mark, on the other hand, missed an
opportunity to start the Vivarin Dash on the pole when he finished
sixth in his heat race. Although he won the "B" Feature, Mark's
problems in the heat race forced him to start the main event inside
the fifth row. Blaney's second-place run in the Vivarin Dash entitled
him to the outside pole position in the 40-lap "A" Feature.
    Hillenburg, winner of the World of Outlaws main event at Kokomo
last June 14th, started on the pole and burst into the lead as the
green flag fell in the main event. Blaney stayed close behind
Hillenburg as Stevie Smith passed Danny Lasoski for fourth place
during the opening lap.
    "The Buckeye Bullet" steered the #10 Vivarin J&J deep into the
second corner, then won a back-straightaway drag race to take the lead
early in the second lap. He opened a six-car-length advantage within
two laps, and caught the backmarkers six laps into the race.
    Hillenburg was gaining on Blaney late in the eighth lap when
Rookie of the Year candidate Lance Blevins took the #21 Citgo J&J for
a spin in turn four.
    Lasoski passed Smith as the green flag replaced the yellow, then
took the low line through turn four to pass Johnny Herrera for third
place the next time around. Steve Kinser, a six-time winner at Kokomo,
drove his #11 Quaker State Maxim into fourth place as Blaney increased
his advantage to a half-straightaway during lap 14.
    Blaney was approaching a pack of backmarkers when Jeff Swindell
and the #7TW Gold Eagle Maxim spun to a stop in the second corner
early in the 15th lap. With a pair of lapped cars restarting between
him and Hillenburg, "The Buckeye Bullet" returned to his half-
straightaway comfort zone within a lap after the race resumed.
    The caution flag was flying again midway through the race when
Byron Reed's second-corner spin took Blaney out of lapped traffic.
Undeterred by the frequent breaks in the action, "The Buckeye Bullet"
raced away from the field again as the green flag replaced the yellow.
    Blaney was catching the backmarkers again when Mark Kinser drove
his #5M Wirtgen Maxim over a retaining tire and pushed it into turn
two, starting a string of three cautions in four laps. Greg Hodnett
clipped the same retaining tire and spun to a stop in the second
corner the next time around, and Herrera stopped the #47 Casey's
General Stores Maxim on the back straightaway to avoid a collision
with Kenny Jacobs with eight laps remaining.
    Although Blaney, Hillenburg, Lasoski and Steve Kinser lined up
nose-to-tail on the ensuing restart, "The Buckeye Bullet" was a half-
straightaway ahead of his closest pursuers within two laps.
    Hillenburg was battling "The Dude" for the runner-up spot in turn
four as Blaney took the checkered flag.
    "The cautions actually helped," Blaney admitted. "They kept us
from having to run in a lot of lapped traffic."
    Steve Kinser finished in fourth place, ahead of Smith, Sammy
Swindell, 18th-starting Jac Haudenschild, Joe Gaerte, Greg Hodnett and
Joey Saldana. WoO
              1996 World of Outlaws/Skoal Outlaw Series
                     Kokomo Speedway, Kokomo, IN
                Thursday, June 13, Feature Program #25
    Qualifications:  1. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 13.119 (new one-lap
record); 2. Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2, 13.300; 3. Joe Gaerte,
Gaerte 3G, 13.329; 4. Dave Blaney, Luna 10, 13.391; 5. Danny Lasoski,
Forbrook 5, 13.456; 6. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47, 13.462; 7. Sammy
Swindell, Swindell 1, 13.467; 8. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 13.493; 9.
Joey Saldana, Roth 83, 13.523; 10. Stevie Smith, Motter 71M, 13.529;
11. Kenny Jacobs, Ashworth 92, 13.546; 12. Rickey Hood, Herrera 45x,
13.563; 13. Randy Kinser, Kinser 14, 13.609; 14. Kelly Kinser, Kinser
4K, 13.622; 15. Lance Blevins, Blevins 21, 13.650; 16. Jeff Swindell,
Two Winners 7TW, 13.650; 17. Jim Carr, McCarr 7M, 13.668; 18. Jac
Haudenschild, Elden 22, 13.679; 19. Todd Kane, Holbrook 8J, 13.760;
20. Kevin Briscoe, Briscoe 5K, 13.791; 21. Byron Reed, B&S Racing 5R,
13.859; 22. Greg Hodnett, Helm 11H, 13.870; 23. Larry Bland, Bland 2B,
14.045; 24. Dan Dittrich, Dittrich 4D, 14.115; 25. Corey Smith, Smith
66, 14.139; 26. Tom Musgrave, Musgrave 56, 14.169; 27. Terry Pletch,
Pletch 29SR, 14.194; 28. Joe Miller, Miller 4M, 14.322; 29. Mike Mann,
Mann 37, 14.373; 30. Brian Paulus, P&P Motorsports 28, 14.364; 31.
Danny Williams, Jr., Bone 7, 14.373; 32. Pete Abel, Holt 04, 14.381;
33. Derek Davidson, Bayless 17B, 14.493; 34. Tony Jarrett, Jarrett 29,
14.605; 35. Todd Kelley, Kelley 21K, 15.051; 36. Jamie Fredrickson,
Fredrickson 58, 15.505.
    First Quaker State Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Byron Reed, 2. Randy
Kinser, 3. Joey Saldana, 4. Jim Carr, 5. Danny Lasoski, 6. Mark
Kinser, 7. Mike Mann, 8. Corey Smith, 9. Derek Davidson. (first five
qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Second Quaker State Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Greg Hodnett, 2.
Kelly Kinser, 3. Stevie Smith, 4. Andy Hillenburg, 5. Johnny Herrera,
6. Tony Jarrett, 7. Tom Musgrave, 8. Brian Paulus, 9. Jac
Haudenschild. (first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Third Quaker State Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Lance Blevins, 2. Todd
Kane, 3. Sammy Swindell, 4. Kenny Jacobs, 5. Larry Bland, 6. Joe
Gaerte, 7. Terry Pletch, 8. Todd Kelley, 9. Danny Williams, Jr. (first
five qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Fourth Quaker State Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Rickey Hood, 2. Dave
Blaney, 3. Jeff Swindell, 4. Steve Kinser, 5. Dan Dittrich, 6. Pete
Abel, 7. Jamie Fredrickson, 8. Kevin Briscoe, 9. Joe Miller. (first
five qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Vivarin Dash (seven laps):  1. Andy Hillenburg, 2. Dave Blaney, 3.
Johnny Herrera, 4. Danny Lasoski, 5. Stevie Smith, 6. Sammy Swindell,
7. Steve Kinser, 8. Joey Saldana. (finish determined the first eight
starting positions in the "A" Feature)
    B Feature (12 laps):  1. Mark Kinser, 2. Jac Haudenschild, 3. Joe
Gaerte, 4. Kevin Briscoe, 5. Mike Mann ($210); 6. Terry Pletch ($185);
7. Pete Abel ($160); 8. Joe Miller ($110); 9. Tony Jarrett ($100); 10.
Derek Davidson ($90); 11. Todd Kelley ($70); 12. Jamie Fredrickson
($60); 13. Danny Williams, Jr. ($60); 14. Tom Musgrave ($60); 15.
Corey Smith ($60); 16. Brian Paulus ($60). (first four qualified for
the "A" Feature)
    A Feature (40 laps):  1. Dave Blaney ($6,010); 2. Andy Hillenburg
($3,510); 3. Danny Lasoski ($2,510); 4. Steve Kinser ($2,210); 5.
Stevie Smith ($2,110); 6. Sammy Swindell ($2,010); 7. Jac Haudenschild
($1,630); 8. Joe Gaerte ($1,530); 9. Greg Hodnett ($1,410); 10. Joey
Saldana ($1,310); 11. Rickey Hood ($1,160); 12. Johnny Herrera
($1,110); 13. Mark Kinser ($1,080); 14. Randy Kinser ($1,010); 15. Jim
Carr ($710); 16. Jeff Swindell ($510); 17. Todd Kane ($410); 18. Lance
Blevins ($410); 19. Kenny Jacobs ($410); 20. Larry Bland ($410); 21.
Kelly Kinser ($410); 22. Byron Reed ($410); 23. Dan Dittrich ($410);
24. Kevin Briscoe ($430).
          Lap leaders:  Andy Hillenburg 1, Dave Blaney 2-40
            EcoWater Quick-Time Award winner:  Mark Kinser
                                 WoO