'King' Takes Tire Tussle at Thunder Hill
                            By Richard Day
    MAYETTA, KS (June 23) - While tire problems plagued Steve Kinser
during Knoxville Raceway's Iowa Ethanol Classic, he was one of the few
to make the right choice when the Skoal Outlaw Series invaded Thunder
Hill Speedway Sunday.
    While two drivers suffered flat tires, five risked their running
positions to change rubber and two more finished the "A" Feature with
no air pressure left in their right rears, "The King of the Outlaws"
won his second race in as many events at Thunder Hill.
    "I didn't know if I had enough tire to finish," Kinser told the
standing-room-only crowd from victory lane. "I peeked back several
times to see if it was OK. I really wasn't sure if we could finish or
not."
    The $6,000 victory, Steve's seventh of the year, pushed him past
Andy Hillenburg into third place in the World of Outlaws points race.
    Although rain fell lightly during the "B" Feature and before the
evening's main event, Thunder Hill's racing surface started taking
rubber early in the 30-lap "A" Feature. Vivarin Dash winner Mark
Kinser burst into the lead from the pole, and immediately steered the
#5M Wirtgen Maxim into the high line in the first and second corners
while dropping into the low groove in turns three and four.
    While outside polesitter Sammy Swindell chased Mark, Steve steered
his #11 Quaker State Maxim to the inside to pass Jeff Swindell and 
EcoWater Quick-Time Award winner Dave Blaney and reeled in the leaders. 
He passed Sammy for the runner-up spot deep in the second corner early 
in lap four.
    Sammy followed Steve in the low groove and made it a three-car
battle for the lead. Steve caught Mark in turn two early in the fourth
lap and raced wheel-to-wheel with him on the back straightaway before
taking the lead in the third corner. Mark slid out of the low groove,
allowing Swindell to pass him, too.
    "B" Feature winner Jimmy Lambert brought out the caution flag when
he spun into the first corner early in the second lap. Rich Bubak also
stopped on the back straightaway with a suspension problem.
    Kinser raced away from the field when the green flag replaced the
yellow, and opened an eight-car-length advantage within two laps. Mark
challenged Sammy for the runner-up spot as the leaders caught the
backmarkers 10 laps into the race.
    Mark and Sammy caught Steve as Johnny Herrera stopped the #47
Casey's General Stores Maxim on the back straightaway with a broken
throttle linkage late in the 12th lap. They were unable to keep pace
with Steve on the restart, however, and he put 10 car-lengths between
himself and this closest pursuers within two laps.
    Hillenburg's #2 STP J&J turned sideways in the second corner and
collided with Stevie Smith midway through the race. Although both kept
going, it temporarily slowed their pursuit of the leader.
    Sammy narrowed the gap as Kinser caught a pack of backmarkers
during the 16th lap, and caught him in heavy lapped traffic two laps
later. As quickly as Swindell caught him, however, "The King of the
Outlaws" steered clear of the lapped traffic opened a seven-car-length
advantage within two laps.
    Blaney and Mark exchanged third place during the 23rd and 25th
laps, before the #7TW Gold Eagle Maxim suffered a flat right rear
tire, forcing Jeff Swindell to surrender fifth place. Hillenburg,
First Quaker State Heat Race winner Lance Blevins and Smith also 
surrendered their running positions when they took on new rubber 
during the caution period.
    Joe Gaerte suffered a similar fate within a lap after the race
resumed, stopping with a flat right rear tire. Greg Hodnett and Blaney
changed tires during the caution, and raced back into seventh and
eighth place, respectively, during the final three laps.
    Jim Carr and Jac Haudenschild suffered flat tires during the
white-flag lap, but kept going to finish 11th and 15th, respectively.
    Steve was four car-lengths ahead of Sammy when he took the
checkered flag. Mark Kinser held off a late charge by sixth-row
starter Danny Lasoski for third place. Jeff came back to edge Joey
Saldana - the only other driver who didn't change tires - for fifth.
Completing the top 10 in the main event were Hodnett, Blaney,
Hillenburg and Gaerte. WoO
              1996 World of Outlaws/Skoal Outlaw Series
                  Thunder Hill Speedway, Mayetta, KS
                 Sunday, June 23, Feature Program #29
    Qualifications:  1. Dave Blaney, Luna 10, 14.785; 2. Sammy
Swindell, Swindell 1, 14.863; 3. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 14.854; 4.
Greg Hodnett, Helm 11H, 14.990; 5. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 15.007; 6.
Jerry Stone, Crown Enterprises 63, 15.044; 7. Joe Gaerte, Gaerte 3G,
15.104; 8. Jeff Swindell, Two Winners 7TW, 15.215; 9. Ray Lee Goodwin,
Goodwin 6E, 15.266; 10. Stevie Smith, Motter 71M, 15.282; 11. Danny
Lasoski, Forbrook 5, 15.311; 12. Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2,
15.415; 13. Joey Saldana, Stanton 75, 15.544; 14. Johnny Herrera,
Sonner 47, 15.573; 15. Jim Carr, McCarr 7M, 15.620; 16. Lance Blevins,
Blevins 21, 15.772; 17. Aaron Berryhill, Berryhill 97, 15.795; 18. Jac
Haudenschild, Elden 22, 15.860; 19. Kevin Whitworth, Whitworth 11W,
15.985; 20. Dion Hindi, Hindi 11A, 16.001; 21. Jimmy Lambert, Lambert
92, 16.159; 22. Darrin Kay, Kay 03, 16.180; 23. John Kearney, Kearney
86, 16.243; 24. Ron Kefholz, Kefholz 20, 16.400; 25. Taylor Weld, Weld
92W, 16.443; 26. Rich Bubak, Bubak 9, 16.469; 27. Kim Kennedy, Kennedy
1K, 16.480; 28. Mitchell Moore, Moore 55, 16.551; 29. Ken Stolfus,
Stolfus 7, 17.559; 30. Terry LoSasso, LoSasso 6, 17.620; 31. Bill
Cohee, Jr., Cohee 18C, 17.832; 32. Ricky Weld, Weld 07, 18.237; 33.
J.R. Topper, Topper 92J, 19.143.
    First Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Lance Blevins, 2.
Stevie Smith, 3. Greg Hodnett, 4. Dave Blaney, 5. Joe Gaerte, 6. Joey
Saldana, 7. Kevin Whitworth, 8. Mitchell Moore, 9. Darrin Kay, 10.
Bill Cohee, Jr., 11. Taylor Weld. (first six qualified for the "A"
Feature)
    Second Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Mark Kinser, 2.
Johnny Herrera, 3. Steve Kinser, 4. Aaron Berryhill, 5. Danny Lasoski,
6. Jeff Swindell, 7. Dion Hindi, 8. Rich Bubak, 9. John Kearney, 10.
Ricky Weld ($10); 11. Ken Stolfus. (first six qualified for the "A"
Feature)
    Third Quaker State Heat Race (eight laps):  1. Andy Hillenburg, 2.
Sammy Swindell, 3. Jim Carr, 4. Jac Haudenschild, 5. Ray Lee Goodwin,
6. Jerry Stone, 7. Jimmy Lambert, 8. J.R. Topper, 9. Kim Kennedy, 10.
Ron Kefholz, 11. Terry LoSasso. (first six qualified for the "A"
Feature)
    Vivarin Dash (five laps):  1. Mark Kinser, 2. Sammy Swindell, 3.
Dave Blaney, 4. Jeff Swindell, 5. Steve Kinser, 6. Greg Hodnett, 7.
Joe Gaerte, 8. Jerry Stone. (finish determined the first eight
starting positions in the "A" Feature)
    B Feature (12 laps):  1. Jimmy Lambert, 2. Darrin Kay, 3. Rich
Bubak, 4. John Kearney, 5. Kevin Whitworth, 6. Dion Hindi, 7. Kim
Kennedy ($210); 8. Mitchell Moore ($185); 9. J.R. Topper ($160); 10.
Ron Kefholz ($110); 11. Ken Stolfus ($100); 12. Terry LoSasso ($90);
13. Ricky Weld ($70), 14. Bill Cohee, Jr. ($60); 15. Taylor Weld
($60). (first six qualified for the "A" Feature)
    A Feature (30 laps):  1. Steve Kinser ($6,010); 2. Sammy Swindell
($3,510); 3. Mark Kinser ($2,510); 4. Danny Lasoski ($2,210); 5. Jeff
Swindell ($2,110); 6. Joey Saldana ($2,010); 7. Greg Hodnett ($1,610);
8. Dave Blaney ($1,510); 9. Andy Hillenburg ($1,410); 10. Joe Gaerte
($1,310); 11. Jim Carr ($1,160); 12. Stevie Smith ($1,110); 13. Jerry
Stone ($1,060); 14. Lance Blevins ($1,010); 15. Jac Haudenschild
($710); 16. Kevin Whitworth ($530); 17. Johnny Herrera ($410); 18.
Darrin Kay ($430); 19. Ray Lee Goodwin ($410); 20. Aaron Berryhill
($410); 21. Dion Hindi ($430); 22. Rich Bubak ($430); 23. Jimmy
Lambert ($430); 24. John Kearney ($430).
           Lap leaders:  Mark Kinser 1-5, Steve Kinser 6-30
            EcoWater Quick-Time Award winner:  Dave Blaney
                                 WoO