Steve Kinser is one of just two drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws this season that raced against Brad Doty. He competed against the Ohio native numerous times in the early days of the World of Outlaws, and during that span he struck up a great friendship with the fellow driver.
One of the most special wins of Kinser’s career came in 1989 when he won the inaugural Brad Doty Classic and the 20-time World of Outlaws champion was able to pick up another extra special win on Wednesday night, claiming the 21st Annual Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic at Limaland Motorsports Park in Ohio, an event that the Hall of Famer and Ohio native helped promote again this season.
Kinser took the lead from Jason Meyers on the 35th lap and would lead the remainder of the 40-lap contest to score his second win of the 2009 campaign and the fourth of his career at the pristine Limaland Motorsports Park, which is owned and operated by the University of Northwestern Ohio.
“Brad was a good friend and we traveled together a lot,” said Kinser. “We had team cars during the Coors Light days. I spent a lot of time with his family growing up and my family. It’s a very special race and I’m glad to win it.”
Kinser started sixth and got around Jason Sides and Dale Blaney on the opening lap to move into fourth. He then battled Daryn Pittman for the next eight laps before taking the third spot on the 10th circuit. He then patiently worked on Jason Meyers who was running second for a number of laps, before battling Sam Hafertepe Jr. when Meyers took the lead from him. After Hafertepe got into the wall and upside on the 29th lap while running second, Kinser moved into the runner-up spot and set his sights on Meyers.
On a lap-29 restart, Kinser kept pace with Meyers and looked coming off the fourth turn on the next lap for the lead. He was all over Meyers for the next couple of laps and went low off turn four on the 35th lap and slid up in front of Meyers to take the lead. He would pace the field for the rest of the way to earn the 552nd A-Feature win of his career with the World of Outlaws aboard the Quaker State Maxim.
“I was just hanging around and getting a little bit better and a little bit better,” explained the winner. “On that last restart, I started running the car just a little different and was picking the throttle up a little earlier and it would give me more speed coming off. It started working a little bit and I saw myself picking up. The car is getting better than it has been, so we’ll see what happens.”
Kinser nearly won the Brad Doty Classic in 2008, as he took the white flag as the leader, only to have Meyers get by him in turn four on the final lap to nip him at the line. That race was fresh on his mind on Wednesday night.
“No, you never like losing one on the last lap, no matter what it is,” he deadpanned, when asked if the win this year made up for last year’s near miss.
In each of his last seven starts at Limaland Motorsports Park, Kinser has finished first or second. He won for the first time at the track in 1978 and followed that up in 1979 with two more wins. He is the only driver that has won more than once with the World of Outlaws at the ¼-mile bullring and now has four triumphs there.
“We have run good here every time we have come me,” noted Kinser. “Karl (Kinser) and me won races here in the late 70’s and I’m giving up my age there, but everyone knows how old I am anyway, so it doesn’t matter. I’ve always liked this place and it’s a completely different race track now. I’ve won a lot of races here.”
Jason Meyers started on the pole and battled Sam Hafertepe Jr. tooth and nail for the first 29 laps of the race. The pair traded the lead officially three times, but unofficially they swapped it nearly a dozen times. Some laps they traded the lead two and three times before getting to the start finish line. Meyers wound up leading a total of 15 laps on the night as he sought his second consecutive win in the Brad Doty Classic in the GLR Investments KPC.
“What a great race,” said Meyers. “Congratulations to Steve (Kinser) and Scott (Gerkin) and everyone on that team. They did a great job tonight and beat us. He was a little bit better through the middle than we were and we were a little too loose. This entire team is doing a heck of a job and we have been getting going better here lately. We just have a little more tuning to do. It was a great race tonight and thanks to everyone for coming out here.”
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