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Associated Press 19y

Kraig Kinser wins Knoxville Nationals

KNOXVILLE, Iowa -- Kraig Kinser kept the family name out
front at the Knoxville Nationals.

Kinser claimed the pole position earlier in the day and then led
from start to finish in the 30-lap feature Sunday night to claim
the $140,000 first-place check, the richest prize in sprint car
racing.

It was the first Nationals title for Kinser, but the latest in a
long string for his family.

His father, Steve, known as "The King of the Outlaws," has won
the Nationals 12 times. Their cousin, Mark Kinser, was a three-time
winner.

"I'm still breathless," Kraig Kinser said after climbing two
fences to celebrate his victory. "This is awesome."

The championship race was moved to Sunday night after being
rained out on Saturday.

Donny Schatz, who started in the No. 2 position, chased Kinser
the whole race but never got close enough to try to pass him. Danny
Lasoski, winner of the last two Nationals whose car is owned by
NASCAR star Tony Stewart, got around Schatz briefly after the two
bumped on the next-to-last lap, but had to settle for third.

Kinser pumped his fist after getting out of his car, then raced
to the 5-foot fence surrounding victory lane and climbed it. From
there, the 20-year-old driver ran to the center of the track to hug
his father, who finished seventh.

Kraig Kinser then climbed to the top of the wire fence in front
of the grandstand and pumped his fist twice as the crowd roared its
approval for the first new champion at Knoxville since Lasoski won
his first title in 1998.

"Not bad for a 20-year-old," Steve Kinser said moments later.

The Kinsers became the first father-son combination to win at
Knoxville. Kraig, who wasn't even born when Steve won his first
Nationals title in 1980, got some fatherly advice before the race.

"He just said there's no reason to be nervous. It's just
another race," Kraig Kinser said. "That's how we tried to run
it."

Kinser rode the cushion on the high side of the track for most
of the race and got off the mark quickly on the two restarts, on
the 19th and 24th laps. When faced with lapped traffic, he got
around those cars easily.

"We just had a good car," Kinser said. "I got out as hard as
I could for 30 laps."

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