WOO: Knoxville report 96-08-17

• Richard Day
• MNI - Motorsport News International
• Tue Aug 20 06:22:42 EDT 1996

           Mark Kinser Captures First Nationals Title
                         By Richard Day
    KNOXVILLE, IA (August 17) - What a difference a year can
make.
    Mark Kinser was the picture of dejection after leading the
first 17 laps of the 1995 Amoco Knoxville Nationals' championship
feature, only to have cousin Steve Kinser and Jeff Swindell pass
him.
    Leading all 30 laps from the pole in Saturday's 36th Annual
Amoco Knoxville Nationals had Mark beaming and hugging his
father, car owner, crew chief and 11-time Nationals champion,
Karl Kinser, in front of a national television audience on TNN:
The Nashville Network.
    Kinser, who also hugged his wife, Cindy, in victory lane,
learned before the Nationals that this time next year he'll be a
daddy for the first time.
     "This whole year has been great," Mark told TNN's Steve
Evans. "I just found out before we came to Knoxville that my wife
is pregnant. I think somebody up above has been looking out for
us."
    With 23 other drivers out to foil Karl's prediction that Mark
would win in his 13th Nationals appearance, the #5M Wirtgen Maxim
was the car to beat in the $309,500 championship race.
    "I thought that was a mighty bold statement," Mark said. "One
thing about Karl Kinser; he doesn't say anything unless he means
it or thinks it can be done."
    Kinser fell behind outside polesitter Sammy Swindell when
flagman Doug Clark threw the green flag in the 30-lap feature. He
caught the 1983 Nationals champion in turn three, however, and
raced into the lead with a low move in the fourth corner.
    Mark was a half-straightaway ahead of the Swindell brothers
when Paul McMahan and Dean Jacobs crashed and "B" Feature winner
Dale Blaney spun to avoid them in turn three.
    Sammy and Jeff exchanged the runner-up spot during the lap
after the race resumed before Joe Gaerte stopped on the front
straightaway with a mechanical problem late in the sixth lap.
    Dave Blaney steered the #10 Vivarin J&J into the high groove
as the green flag replaced the yellow, and proceeded to pass
Steve Kinser and Jeff Swindell in successive laps as the leaders
approached lapped traffic.  Mark caught the backmarkers during
    the 11th lap, and increased his advantage to a half-stretch
midway through the race. "The Buckeye Bullet" passed Sammy for
second place deep in turn one early in the 16th lap, then lined
up three cars behind Mark after Greg Hodnett flipped in the
second corner two laps later. Blaney was unable to keep pace with
Kinser as the race resumed, falling behind by a half-straightaway
within four laps.
    Craig Dollansky, a regular in Knoxville Raceway's weekly
racing program from 1991 to 1995, started making his way toward
the front of the field with nine laps remaining. He passed Sammy
for fourth place, then took third from Steve Kinser after "The
King of the Outlaws" allowed his #11 Quaker State Maxim to hit
the outside retaining wall with two laps remaining.
    Mark took the checkered flag with eight car-lengths to spare.
    "It couldn't have been a better night," Mark told the sellout
crowd from victory lane. "Blaney and Steve, Sammy and Jeff always
run really well here, but my crew did an excellent job.
    "The Wirtgen Maxim really ran well tonight. I could actually
work right in the middle in the slick stuff and just let the car
come around there and get back under horsepower.
    "Running with my father has been quite an experience," Mark
added. "The last two years, I've won more races than I did the
previous five years."
    Blaney said he just didn't have enough to catch Kinser after
the 18th-lap red period.
    "After I got by Steve, Sammy and Jeff, I felt like I had to
race in the right line to catch Mark," he said. "That red kind of
took me out of it."
    Dollansky held off "The King of the Outlaws" for third place.
Sammy and Jeff finished fifth and sixth, respectively, ahead of
18th-starting Andy Hillenburg, Jeff Shepard, Frankie Kerr and
Stevie Smith.
    Randy Hannagan, the last driver to qualify for the main
event, started outside the 12th row. He passed nine cars during
the first half of the race and crossed the finish line in 13th
place.
    Tyler Walker, the 13th-place finisher in the "B" Feature,
received Rookie of the Nationals honors.
    Johnny Herrera, the defending Knoxville Raceway track
champion, was running second in the "C" Feature when a steering
malfunction caused the #47 Casey's General Stores Maxim to crash
into the wall in the second corner, ending his night. WoO
            1996 World of Outlaws/Skoal Outlaw Series
    36th Annual Amoco Knoxville Nationals Knoxville Raceway,
Knoxville, IA Saturday, August 17, Feature Program #49 E Feature
    (10 laps):  1. Tommie Estes, Jr., 2. Ray Lee Goodwin, Jr., 3.
Don Goeden, 4. John Hall, 5. Nick LoSasso ($600); 6. Gerald
Cressman ($500); 7. Marlon Jones ($475); 8.  Kenny Hansen ($450);
9. Wally Henson ($425); 10. Bobby McMahan ($400); 11. Calvin
Landis ($375); 12. Lyle Howey III ($350); 13.  Judi Bates ($325);
14. J.R. Topper ($300); 15. Chris Walraven ($295); 16. Joe Roe
($290); 17. Sid Blandford ($285); 18. Robert Jackson ($280); 19.
Tommy Scott ($275). DNS - Shane Carson.  (first four qualified
for the "D" Feature)
    D Feature (12 laps):  1. Donny Schatz, 2. Billy Pauch, 3.
Kevin Gobrecht ($900); 4. Randy Smith ($800); 5. Ronald Laney
($700); 6. Mike Peters ($600); 7. John Kearney ($500); 8. Len
Thompson ($475); 9. Don Goeden ($850); 10. Vance Peterson ($425);
11. Tommie Estes, Jr. ($800); 12. Rich Bubak ($375); 13. Chad
Radel ($350); 14. Todd Taeger ($325); 15. Bobby Mincer ($300);
16. Ray Lee Goodwin, Jr. ($695); 17. Rick Montgomery ($290); 18.
John Hall ($685); 19. Rick Martin ($280); 20. Troy Parsons
($275); 21. Mitchell Moore ($270); 22. Dion Hindi ($270). (first
two qualified for the "C" Feature)
    C Feature (15 laps):  1. Travis Cram, 2. Mike Reinke, 3.
Jerry Richert, Jr., 4. Tim Shaffer ($1,300); 5. Jim Carr
($1,200); 6. Kevin Huntley ($1,100); 7. Billy Pauch ($1,500); 8.
Tim Engler ($900); 9. Bob White ($800); 10. Steve Coelho ($750);
11. Daniel Coggeshell ($700); 12. Leonard Lee ($650); 13. Ronnie
Day ($625); 14. Jeff Tuttle ($600); 15. Brian Paulus ($575); 16.
Gary Wright ($550); 17. Johnny Herrera ($525); 18. Manny Rockhold
($500); 19. Tony Moro ($475); 20. Donny Schatz ($1,025); 21. Ryan
Jamison ($425); 22. Steve Beitler ($400). (first three qualified
for the "B" Feature)
    B Feature (22 laps):  1. Dale Blaney, 2. Randy Hannagan, 3.
Joey Saldana, 4. Paul McMahan, 5. Larry Neighbors ($3,000); 6.
Brent Antill ($2,500); 7. Jaymie Moyle ($2,000); 8. Shawn Moore
($1,750); 9. Bobby Davis, Jr. ($1,500); 10. Jerry Richert, Jr.
($2,200); 11. Lance Blevins ($1,300); 12. Rocky Hodges ($1,200);
13. Tyler Walker ($1,100); 14. Aaron Berryhill ($1,000); 15.
Travis Cram ($1,700); 16. Skip Jackson ($800); 17. Don Droud, Jr.
($750); 18. Scott Whitworth ($700); 19. Van Gurley, Jr.  ($650);
20. Ed Lynch, Jr. ($600); 21. Mike Reinke ($1,350); 22.  Dave
Calaman ($550). (first four qualified for the championship
feature)
    Championship Feature (30 laps):  1. Mark Kinser ($100,000);
2. Dave Blaney ($50,000); 3. Craig Dollansky ($25,000); 4. Steve
Kinser ($20,000); 5. Sammy Swindell ($15,000); 6. Jeff Swindell
($12,000); 7. Andy Hillenburg ($10,000); 8. Jeff Shepard
($9,000); 9. Frankie Kerr ($8,000); 10. Stevie Smith ($7,000);
11. Terry McCarl ($6,000); 12. Danny Lasoski ($5,500); 13. Randy
Hannagan ($6,000); 14. Danny Smith ($4,500); 15. Keith Kauffman
($4,000); 16. Todd Shaffer ($3,750); 17. Kenny Jacobs ($3,500);
18. Dean Jacobs ($3,250); 19. Dale Blaney ($4,000); 20. Greg
Hodnett ($3,000); 21. Joey Saldana ($4,000); 22. Dennis Moore,
Jr. ($3,000); 23. Joe Gaerte ($3,000); 24. Paul McMahan ($4,000).
                  Lap leader:  Mark Kinser 1-30
             Rookie of the Nationals:  Tyler Walker
                               WoO