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 PHOENIX,
AZ (February 21) -- Defending World of Outlaws Series champion Steve
Kinser dominated the Cactus Classic finale on Saturday at Manzanita
Speedway leading all 30 laps en route to his 498th main event victory.
Kinser rode a pair of Hoosier D12 tires to victory on the 1/2-mile
oval. The 18-time World of Outlaws champion also pocketed $12,000 for
the top finish. The 48-year-old Kinser is atop the series standings as
Team-Hoosier aims for its 5th consecutive crown in sprint racing's
premier sprint car series.
Thirty-one cars were on hand at Manzanita Speedway on
Saturday with 27 cars opting to trust the Hoosier brand. In
qualifying, Danny Lasoski set fast time for the second night in a row
circling the track in 15.656 seconds followed by Craig Dollansky at
15.850 seconds. Both drivers ride on Hoosier tires. In addition to
three of the four opening night transfer spots (Kinser, Shaffer,
Schatz), Team-Hoosier also claimed nine of the top ten times in
qualifying.
In heat race action, Danny Lasoski and Dean Jacobs
were both winners riding on Hoosier tires, while Steve Kinser won the
Dash race and as a result earned the pole position for the 30-lap
feature.
In the feature race, Steve Kinser and his pair of
Hoosier D12/D12's (left rear/right rear) powered into the lead at the
drop of the green flag. Kinser continued to stretch his lead which
amounted to nearly 15 car-lengths when the checkered flag fell on lap
30. Donny Schatz (D12/D12) was the next Hoosier-shod finisher in third
followed by Jason Sides (RD12/D12) and Tim Shaffer (RD12/RD12) in
fourth and fifth, respectively.
Other top-ten finishers on the Hoosier brand were
Daryn Pittman who had charged from 17th to finish in seventh place.
Brian Paulus was equally impressive finishing in eighth after starting
18th. Kraig Kinser finished in ninth followed by Danny Lasoski in
tenth.
Added to the $3,000 he collected for finishing in
second place in the opener, Kinser earned $15,000 in the World of
Outlaws Series U.S. season-opening event. Kinser also stands atop the
driver standings as he seeks an unprecedented 19th World of Outlaws
Series title.
The Outlaws are back in action this Saturday night at
California's Perris Auto Speedway for a one-night show. Danny Lasoski won last year's race using a
Hoosier D10/RD12 rear drive combination.
Hoosier's Todd Seitz traveled to Arizona for the
two-night show to monitor tire performance and report the details for
this report. Special thanks also to David Allio for contributing the
photo for this race summary.
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