Kinser Edges Blaney in Eagle Nationals Finale
                         By Richard Day
    EAGLE, NE (June 29) - Mark Kinser and Dave Blaney battled
around every inch of Eagle Raceway's high-banked, 1/3-mile oval
for 40 laps Saturday and took the checkered flag less than a car-
length apart.
    Everyone in the sellout crowd was standing during the final 
five laps when no more than two car-lengths separated the leaders, 
who exchanged the lead three times.
    In the end, it was Kinser claiming the $9,000 first prize and
his second Eagle Nationals championship in 11 years. The victory
increased Mark's advantage to 134 points in his battle with
Blaney for the lead in the Skoal Outlaw Series point standings.
    "I really had to fight hard to win this one," Kinser said
following his 11th "A" Feature victory in what is turning into
the best year of his career.
    Mark, who also won Friday's Preliminary Feature, raced to
victory from the pole in the Vivarin Dash for the right to start
the main event inside the front row. Steve Kinser, the fastest
qualifier in the 25-car field, claimed the second row inside
starting position by passing Stevie Smith and Sammy Swindell in
the seven-lap race.
    Mark burst into the lead as the green flag fell in the main 
event, only to have "B" Feature winner Mike Chadd, Mark Finnell 
and Dennis Parker crash in the fourth corner just seconds after 
the leaders completed the opening lap.
    Mark was driving his #5M Wirtgen Maxim away from the field
after the race resumed when Steve passed "The Buckeye Bullet" for
the runner-up spot deep in turn two.
    The leaders were catching the backmarkers two laps later when
Blaney steered the #10 Vivarin J&J high into the third corner to
pass Swindell for third place. The defending World of Outlaws
champion continued his run toward the front by racing around
Steve in turn four the next time around. All the jockeying for
position behind him allowed Mark to open a half-straightaway lead
by lap six.
    Blaney narrowed the gap as Mark trudged through heavy lapped
traffic during the next three laps. He was within three car-
lengths of the leader by lap 10, only to have Mark increase his
advantage again by the 13th lap. 
    "The Buckeye Bullet" made another run at the lead when Mark
slowed behind a pack of backmarkers during the 15th lap, only to
have him break out of lapped traffic and return to his half-
straightaway comfort zone within three laps.
    While Blaney challenged Mark for the lead, Steve and Sammy
put on a show of their own in their battle for third place.
    Blaney caught Mark again midway through the race, and battled
him for six laps before taking over first place with a slide move
in turn one. "The Buckeye Bullet" shot between Mark and the
inside berm and slid up in front of the #5M to complete the pass.
    Blaney rode the rim to a half-straightaway lead within three
laps, only to have Mark narrow the gap in lapped traffic.
    Kinser dropped into the low groove with six laps remaining,
and caught the leader the next time around. Mark won a front-
straightaway drag race by inches to regain first place on lap 37,
only to have Blaney do the same the next time around. Mark surged
ahead again to lead the 39th lap.
    Having lapped up to seventh place, the leaders dodged
backmarkers often as they battled each other. Mark stayed in the
low groove during the final lap, and took the checkered flag with
only inches to spare as Blaney searched for a route around a
lapped car.
    "I was running my own race, so I didn't really know where
anybody was," Kinser said in victory lane. "I wasn't surprised to
see Dave on the top. Lapped traffic played a big part in me
getting here."
    Sammy edged Steve for third place, while Smith, Jeff
Swindell, 13th-starting Andy Hillenburg, Marlon Jones, Joe Gaerte
and Jim Carr completed the top 10. WoO
            1996 World of Outlaws/Skoal Outlaw Series
                   13th Annual Eagle Nationals
                    Eagle Raceway, Eagle, NE
             Saturday, June 29, Feature Program #31
    Qualifications:  1. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, 12.282; 2. Joe
Gaerte, Gaerte 3G, 12.653; 3. Jim Carr, McCarr 7M, 12.655; 4.
Joey Saldana, Stanton 75, 12.779; 5. Jeff Swindell, Two Winners
7TW, 12.797; 6. Dion Hindi, Hindi 11A, 12.808; 7. Jac
Haudenschild, Elden 22, 12.812; 8. Johnny Herrera, Sonner 47,
12.839; 9. Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2, 12.958; 10. Marlon
Jones, Oswalt 1J, 12.995; 11. Don Droud, Jr., Kormack 1BK,
13.039; 12. Lance Blevins, Blevins 21, 13.063; 13. Pat Bourke,
B&B Excavating 27, 13.112; 14. Mike Chadd, Chadd 4, 13.250; 15.
Gerald Cressman, Cressman 56, 13.255; 16. Brian Paulus, P&P
Motorsports 28, 13.293; 17. Tim Baker, VanderMeen 29T, 13.399;
18. Dick Spadero, Spadero 29, 13.519; 19. Rodney Droud, Droud 2x,
13.561; 20. Mark Finnell, Finnell 27F, 13.650; 21. Dennis Parker,
Parker 3BK, 13.841; 22. Dan Marsh, Marsh 80, 14.100; 23. Rick
Halverstadt, Halverstadt 69, 14.228; 24. Dan Kage, Jr., Kage 26,
14.643; 25. Dwight Carter, Carter 4U, 15.073.
    First Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Jac Haudenschild, 2. Steve
Kinser, 3. Joey Saldana, 4. Marlon Jones, 5. Pat Bourke, 6. Brian
Paulus, 7. Rodney Droud, 8. Dan Marsh, 9. Dwight Carter. (first
five qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Second Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Johnny Herrera, 2. Jeff
Swindell, 3. Joe Gaerte, 4. Don Droud, Jr., 5. Tim Baker, 6. Mike
Chadd, 7.  Mark Finnell, 8. Rick Halverstadt. (first five
qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Third Heat Race (10 laps):  1. Andy Hillenburg, 2. Lance
Blevins, 3. Jim Carr, 4. Dion Hindi, 5. Gerald Cressman, 6.
Dennis Parker, 7. Dick Spadero, 8. Dan Kage, Jr. (first five
qualified for the "A" Feature)
    Finishing 1-4 in Friday's Preliminary Feature automatically
qualified Mark Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Dave Blaney and Stevie
Smith for the first four starting positions in the Vivarin Dash.
    Vivarin Dash (seven laps):  1. Mark Kinser, 2. Dave Blaney,
3. Steve Kinser, 4. Sammy Swindell, 5. Joe Gaerte, 6. Stevie
Smith. (finish determined the first six starting positions in the
"A" Feature)
    B Feature (12 laps):  1. Mike Chadd, 2. Rodney Droud, 3.
Brian Paulus, 4. Dennis Parker, 5. Mark Finnell, 6. Dick Spadero
($210); 7. Dan Kage, Jr. ($185); 8. Rick Halverstadt ($160); 9.
Dan Marsh ($110); 10. Dwight Carter ($100). (first five qualified
for the "A" Feature)
    A Feature (40 laps):  1. Mark Kinser ($9,000); 2. Dave Blaney
($5,000); 3. Sammy Swindell ($3,300); 4. Steve Kinser ($3,010);
5. Stevie Smith ($2,250); 6. Jeff Swindell ($2,085); 7. Andy
Hillenburg ($1,810); 8. Marlon Jones ($1,710); 9. Joe Gaerte
($1,510); 10. Jim Carr ($1,410); 11. Jac Haudenschild ($1,210);
12. Johnny Herrera ($1,110); 13. Lance Blevins ($1,060); 14. Joey
Saldana ($1,010); 15. Brian Paulus ($730); 16. Don Droud, Jr.
($610); 17. Pat Bourke ($510); 18. Dion Hindi ($510); 19. Tim
Baker ($510); 20. Gerald Cressman ($510); 21. Mark Finnell
($530); 22. Rodney Droud ($530); 23. Mike Chadd ($530); 24.
Dennis Parker ($530).
Lap leaders:  Mark Kinser 1-27, 37, 39-40; Dave Blaney 28-36, 38
                               WoO