Weather Gives Sprint Car Teams Extra Long Break

HARRISBURG, N.C. — It’s been a slow start to the season for competitors on the World of Outlaws sprint-car trail. With various weather-related cancellations and a couple of built-in off-weekends, the series has only raced one time since its three-race opening stand at Volusia Speedway Park Feb. 8-10.
It will not return to action until Saturday at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.
Thus, the teams have taken various approaches to keep busy. Many have gone racing with other series and tracks. Jason Meyers, Danny Lasoski and Craig Dollansky have won events during the off time, but still other teams have sat dormant.
Among those is the two-car Tony Stewart Racing operation with drivers Donny Schatz and Kraig Kinser.
Jimmy Carr is the crew chief for Kinser and the team manger for TSR since 2001.
“This isn’t fun for us,” Carr said by phone prior to heading for a test session at Cleveland, Tenn., last week. “We are used to being on the move,” Carr said. “We weren’t quite ready anyway, so we needed some time and then we went to Florida and crashed some cars, so we were behind. We needed the time to get ready. This will give us some time to go test with both cars and with Tony’s 360 and we’ll get some stuff figured out.”
The extra time off has been even more difficult for Kinser, who is making the transition back to sprint cars after two seasons racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
 “The Outlaws are a tough group to race with. They beat up on you,” said the son of 20-time series champion Steve Kinser. “And I felt like I already went through this stage one time before, trying to succeed with them. Now, I feel like I have to prove myself again that I can succeed with them, that I’m going to be here night in and night out racing to win.”
Carr believes Kinser really needs the schedule to pick up to improve his comfort level.
“Kraig hasn’t had but four races and he’s had two years off,” he said. “He’s been driving stock cars and he is over driving the car so hard right now. He wants to win so bad. When we get a four- or five-race stretch where we race every night, he will calm down. He has a ton of talent and when he slows down, he is going to win a ton of races.”
It is also the first season for TSR as a two-car operation and the time off has slowed the team’s learning process.
Schatz, the two-time defending series champion, has been catching up on projects at his North Dakota home.
“Racing is what I do, so sitting around and waiting for the next race has been kind of hard, but it is what it is. I’ve had the chance to have some free time that I didn’t get in the off-season because I was racing in Australia.
“I’ve spent a lot of it working on my house, and I’ve been able to do the work myself, which I really enjoy. When we are racing all the time, some of those projects get put off and you never have time to do things the way you want.”
 Schatz has also been getting ready for the season.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym working on my stamina and conditioning,” he said. “My mind is fresh and focused on the season ahead.”