World Of Outlaws to Visit Santa Maria Speedway

Santa Maria is the closest the World of Outlaws will come to Los Angeles this year. Steve Kinser & Co. will be performing in their winged sprint cars Friday and Saturday nights on the one-third mile banked clay oval at Santa Maria Speedway.

The Outlaws drive 1,500-pound racing machines that generate an amazing 800 horsepower and carry billboard-sized wings intended to keep the cars stabilized on the racing surface. In previous years, the Outlaws made two visits to California, at the start of the season and toward the close, but this year they did not schedule the spring races.

Kinser, 38, a four-time winner at Santa Maria and 12-time World of Outlaws champion, comes to the West Coast off an impressive victory last Saturday in the Knoxville Nationals. Kinser overcame rain and a strong challenge by Stevie Smith to win the $70,000 payoff. It was his ninth victory on the Knoxville, Iowa, track.

“It’s been a tough year, and I’m happier to have won this one than any I’ve had yet,” Kinser said. “I needed that one to make it a good year.”

Kinser drives the No. 11 Maxim prepared by his uncle, Karl Kinser.

Kinser also won Monday night at Sioux Falls, S.D., and increased his series lead over Dave Blaney, 7,898 points to 7,792. Smith is third with 7,632 points.

Saturday night’s 40-lap main event will be the 13th time the Outlaws have raced at Doug Fort’s Santa Maria oval, which is located about two miles north of the city on Highway 101--about 200 miles north of Los Angeles.

Sammy Swindell, who won his fifth Santa Maria main event last year, will not be on hand this week as his sponsor is negotiating for another Busch Grand National stock car ride. Swindell had been driving Grand National cars all season until Harold Arnett, his car owner, sold the ride two weeks ago.

Swindell returned to sprint cars at Knoxville but qualified only 18th and failed to make the main event. He won the 15-lap C feature.

Kinser, a two-time Indiana high school wrestling champion before he started wrestling sprint cars, won at Santa Maria in 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1991.

The Outlaws will run a 25-lap main event Friday night along with heats and 40 laps Saturday night. The top four finishers Friday, plus the two fastest qualifiers will race in a seven-lap dash to determine the first six positions for Saturday’s main event.

Next Tuesday night, a number of Outlaws drivers, including Kenny Jacobs, Jac Haudeschild, Johnny Herrera, Andy Hillenberg and Jeff Swindell, will compete along with sprint car fans in the “Sprint for Kids” benefit for Easter Seals at the Ascot Slic Trac , 1700 S. Anaheim Blvd., in Anaheim.

Racing will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with time trials, qualifying races and a 40-lap main event matching professional drivers with anyone interested in paying a tax-deductible $100 entry fee for the event.

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Financial World, the nation’s oldest business magazine, will be a sponsor on the Leader Cards car driven by Buddy Lazier for the next two years. The sponsorship came about after Financial World researched a cover story, “The World of Corporate Promotions,” and found that “motorsports delivered the best promotional return on a corporation’s dollar investment.”

Motorsports Notes

POWERBOATS--The California Outboard Boat Racing Assn. will conduct a series of championship races Sunday at the Long Beach Marine Stadium in conjunction with the International Sea Festival. More than 80 boats are expected, including Formula 1 champ boats headed by 1991 national champion Craig Wendt of Huntington Beach.

STOCK CARS--NASCAR Winston Racing Series sportsman, pro stocks and mini stocks will be featured Saturday night at Saugus Speedway, along with a destruction derby. . . . Orange Show Speedway will present pro and street stocks Saturday night, followed by a train race. . . . Sportsman, street and pony stocks will run Saturday night at Cajon Speedway.

SPRINT CARS--Frank Lewis has announced that this will be his last year as president of the California Racing Assn. An election is scheduled Oct. 14 to select his successor. . . . With points leader Lealand McSpadden missing last week’s CRA race because of head injuries suffered at the Belleville Midget Nationals two weeks earlier, Mike Kirby closed to within 42 points, 1056-1014. McSpadden, winner of six main events this season, is expected to return Saturday night when the series moves to Bakersfield Speedway. . . . The Southern California Modified Midget Assn. will hold a micro sprint race Sunday at Speedway USA.

SPEEDWAY BIKES--Billy Hamill, Greg Hancock and Sam Ermolenko will represent the United States in the World Speedway Finals on Sunday in Pocking, Germany. . . . Speedway USA in Victorville will hold the National Speedway Sidecar championships Saturday night. Other local racing: Tonight at Lake Perris Speedway, Friday night at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, and Wednesday night at Glen Helen Park in San Bernardino. . . . Joel Smith has been named general manager at Glen Helen Park.

OFF ROAD--The 26th annual Baja 1000 on Nov. 12 will start and finish in Mexicali, rather than Ensenada, it was announced by Sal Fish, president of SCORE International, the sanctioning body. . . . The Ultra Custom Wheels Closed Course championship race will be run Friday night and Saturday afternoon as part of the 55th annual Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster. Jim Smith, the 1991 desert racing champion, heads the entry list in his Ford truck. Other contenders are Scoop Vessels, Steve Kelly and Mike Leslie. The course is 8/10 of a mile, inside the fairgrounds.

MOTORCYCLES--Kenny Roberts Jr., son of the three-time world champion, will ride in his first world Grand Prix when the United States GP is held Sept. 12 at Laguna Seca Raceway. Roberts will ride in the 250cc class along with Jim Filice, the 1988 USGP 250 winner. . . . Wayne Rainey’s victory, plus Kevin Schwantz’s fifth place finish last Sunday in Czechoslovakia, enabled the Yamaha rider to take the lead for the first time in quest of his fourth straight world championship. One race remains, Sept. 5 at Misano, Italy, before the USGP.

MISCELLANY--Jet dragsters and Top Gas West funny cars will compete along with the Super Street Assn. cars Saturday night at the Los Angeles County Raceway in Palmdale. On Sunday, the National Motorcycle Racing Assn. will hold drag races at the same facility. . . . Skip Barber Racing School Formula cars will race Sunday at Willow Springs Raceway.