Mark Kinser Dominates Eagle Nationals Opener
                         By Richard Day
    EAGLE, NE (June 28) - Mark Kinser put together a near-perfect
performance when the Skoal Outlaw Series opened the 13th Annual
Eagle Nationals before a capacity crowd at Eagle Raceway Friday.
    Kinser, the leader in the World of Outlaws point standings,
set quick-time, won the Vivarin Dash and led all but three laps
in winning the Preliminary Feature. The only portion of the
preliminary program Mark didn't perfect was the First Quaker
State Heat Race.
    Mark received his 18th EcoWater Quick-Time Award of the year
after circling Eagle's high-banked, 1/3-mile oval in 11.730
seconds. Then he gave himself the pole position in the Vivarin
Dash by picking the #0 inversion pill for the seven-lap race.
    Kinser burst into the lead as the green flag fell in the
feature, and opened a six-car-length advantage within four laps.
Sammy Swindell battled Steve Kinser for the runner-up spot during
the opening lap, steering his #1 ChannelLock Gambler into the low
groove in turn one and racing wheel-to-wheel with him in the
second corner. Steve was equal to the challenge, however, winning
a back-straightaway drag race to maintain the position.
    Mark was catching the backmarkers late in the sixth lap when
Don Droud, Jr., allowed the #1BK Burger King sprinter to crash
into the turn-one fence. Kinser raced away from the field as the
green flag replaced the red, and put five car-lengths between his
#5M Wirtgen Maxim and cousin Steve within a lap.
    Mark, the 1986 Eagle Nationals champion, rode the rim to a
half-straightaway lead and caught the backmarkers again in the
10th lap. Steve kept his #11 Quaker State Maxim in the low groove
and closed to within three car-lengths during the next two laps,
however.
    The field was even tighter after Skip Jackson took the #10V
Clark Construction Trostle for a spin in the fourth corner and
brought out the caution flag late in the 13th lap.
    Jeff Swindell, who passed Stevie Smith early in the ninth
lap, took fourth place from Dave Blaney with a low move into the
fourth corner five laps later. Third Quaker State Heat Race
winner Andy Hillenburg surrendered eighth place the next time
around when mud filled his right rear wheel, forcing him to stop
his #2 STP J&J in turn one.
    The Swindell brothers and Blaney were battling for third when
Steve Kinser bounced off the cushion and his right rear wheel
filled with mud late in lap 17. He was experiencing handling
problems when Tim Baker stopped in turn one with a blown engine.
The red flag replaced the yellow seconds later when Joe Gaerte
and Lance Blevins collided. Steve, the two-time defending Eagle
Nationals champion, surrendered fifth place when he went to the
work area to have his crew remove the mud from his wheel. "The
King of the Outlaws" restarted the race at the rear of the field
and raced back into 14th place during the final five laps.
    "The Buckeye Bullet" reeled in Mark within a lap after the
race resumed. He steered the #10 Vivarin J&J deep into the second
corner and won a back-straightaway drag race to take the lead.
Mark took the high line into turn four and, although he raced
next to Blaney, was unable to regain first place.
    Mark returned the favor three laps later, however, diving low
into the fourth corner when Blaney slid out of the inside groove.
    Sammy Swindell, a two-time winner at Eagle Raceway, took the
low line into turn three to pass Blaney for the runner-up spot
late in the final lap. He was two car-lengths behind when Mark
took the checkered flag.
    Following Kinser, Sammy and Blaney across the finish line in
the Preliminary Feature were Smith, Jeff Swindell, Jim Carr,
Gaerte, First Quaker State Heat Race winner Johnny Herrera,
Hillenburg and Joey Saldana. WoO
            1996 World of Outlaws/Skoal Outlaw Series
                   13th Annual Eagle Nationals
                    Eagle Raceway, Eagle, NE
              Friday, June 28, Preliminary Program
    Qualifications:  1. Mark Kinser, Kinser 5M, 11.730; 2. Steve
Kinser, Kinser 11, 11.768; 3. Sammy Swindell, Swindell 1, 11.883;
4. Stevie Smith, Motter 71M, 11.923; 5. Jim Carr, McCarr 7M,
12.005; 6. Joey Saldana, Stanton 75, 11.035; 7. Jeff Swindell,
Two Winners 7TW, 12.055; 8. Dave Blaney, Luna 10, 12.062; 9. Skip
Jackson, VanderEcken 10V, 12.999; 10. Joe Gaerte, Gaerte 3G,
11.106; 11. Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2, 12.135; 12. Terry
McCarl, Gray 51, 12.175; 13. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47, 12.183;
14. Jac Haudenschild, Elden 22, 12.200; 15. Lance Blevins,
Blevins 21, 12.220; 16. Don Droud, Jr., Kormack 1BK, 12.394; 17.
Tim Baker, VanderMeen 29T, 12.448; 18. Marlon Jones, Oswalt 1J,
12.463; 19. Dion Hindi, Hindi 11A, 12.463; 20. Pat Bourke, B&B
Excavating 27, 12.532; 21. Brian Paulus, P&P Motorsports 28,
12.546; 22. Todd Splain, Splain 1x, 12.798; 23. Larry Pinegar,
Pinegar 1L, 12.908; 24. Peter Murphy, RSCN Racing 12, 13.118; 25.
Dick Spadero, Spadero 29, 13.443; 26. Dennis Parker, Parker 2BK,
13.492; 27. Rodney Droud, Droud 2x, 13.568; 28. Mark Finnell,
Finnell 27F, 13.651; 29. Mallory Armfield, Armfield 2MA, 13.821;
30. Dan Marsh, Marsh 80, 13.965; 31. Rick Halverstadt,
Halverstadt 69, 14.265; 32. Dan Kage, Jr., Kage 26, 14.420; 33.
Dwight Carter, Carter 4U, 14.509; 34. Gerald Cressman, Cressman
56, 16.473.
    First Quaker State Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Johnny Herrera,
2. Tim Baker, 3. Jim Carr, 4. Mark Kinser, 5. Skip Jackson, 6.
Brian Paulus, 7. Dick Spadero, 8. Mallory Armfield, 9. Dwight
Carter. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
    Second Quaker State Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Marlon Jones, 2.
Joe Gaerte, 3. Steve Kinser, 4. Jac Haudenschild, 5. Joey
Saldana, 6. Gerald Cressman, 7. Dennis Park, 8. Dan Marsh, 9.
Todd Splain. (first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
    Third Quaker State Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Andy Hillenburg,
2. Dion Hindi, 3. Sammy Swindell, 4. Lance Blevins, 5. Jeff
Swindell, 6. Larry Pinegar, 7. Rodney Droud, 8. Rick Halverstadt.
(first five qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
    Fourth Quaker State Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Terry McCarl, 2.
Dave Blaney, 3. Don Droud, Jr., 4. Stevie Smith, 5. Pat Bourke,
6. Peter Murphy, 7. Mark Finnell, 8. Dan Kage, Jr. (first five
qualified for the Preliminary Feature)
    Vivarin Dash (seven laps):  1. Mark Kinser, 2. Steve Kinser,
3. Sammy Swindell, 4. Dave Blaney, 5. Stevie Smith, 6. Jeff
Swindell, 7. Jim Carr, 8. Joey Saldana. (finish determined the
first eight starting positions in the Preliminary Feature)
    B Feature (12 laps):  1. Peter Murphy, 2. Larry Pinegar, 3.
Rodney Droud, 4. Dennis Parker, 5. Rick Halverstadt ($160); 6.
Mark Finnell ($135); 7. Brian Paulus ($110); 8. Dick Spadero
($85); 9. Dan Kage, Jr. ($70); 10. Gerald Cressman ($60); 11.
Dwight Carter ($50); 12. Todd Splain ($50); 13. Mallory Armfield
($70); 14. Dan Marsh ($70). (first four qualified for the
Preliminary Feature)
    Preliminary Feature (25 laps):  1. Mark Kinser ($4,010); 2.
Sammy Swindell ($2,310); 3. Dave Blaney ($1,610); 4. Stevie Smith
($1,410); 5. Jeff Swindell ($1,260); 6. Jim Carr ($1,160); 7. Joe
Gaerte ($1,110); 8. Johnny Herrera ($1,060); 9. Andy Hillenburg
($1,035); 10. Joey Saldana ($1,010); 11. Jac Haudenschild ($910);
12. Marlon Jones ($710); 13. Dion Hindi ($610); 14. Steve Kinser
($510); 15. Skip Jackson ($310); 16. Pat Bourke ($310); 17. Peter
Murphy ($280); 18. Larry Pinegar ($280); 19. Lance Blevins
($260); 20. Tim Baker ($260); 21. Terry McCarl ($260); 22. Don
Droud, Jr. ($260); 23. Dennis Parker ($280); 24. Rodney Droud
($280).
    Lap leaders:  Mark Kinser 1-20, 24-25; Dave Blaney 21-23
         EcoWater Quick-Time Award winner:  Mark Kinser
                               WoO