Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Now first off before i go to far i must admit i have never followed the WOO series heaps closely, but have always had the drivers i have had a soft spot for. Namely Joey Saldana and Kraig Kinser.

Kraig is the one i'm starting to wonder about. I was always under the impression he was "The next big thing" in sprintcar racing, but it seems he has disappointed badly this season. Last season he struggled bad, but i let that go without thinking to much of it as it was his first season back in a sprintcar after a long lay off. But that excuse doesn't really hold this year after running the full schedule last year and again this year and not improving at all.

It seems since he crossed and tried his hand at NASCAR he has pretty well sucked. 2005 he was a career best 5 mains and obviously got Knoxville as well.

So ym question is whats up with Kraig? He has good equipment, assuming it is near what Donny has and he still make no impression on most nights. Is he just not that good and never has been that good or is there more to the story?

Well this goes back too the second car of a two car team debate....last week we were sayin the same thing about Dollansky until he won at Lebanon Valley in the past Kraig always ran better after Knoxville so I guess we will just have to wait and see but I think he will turn his season around.

wow. these Kraig Kinser threads are taking over this place. they show up more and more. Who knows what the problem is? Either Kraig will get tired of being in the back or Tony will get tired of his car being back there. then something will change. until then we will keep getting these threads about once a week.

This two car team shit is getting old. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this only the 2nd year of Stewarts 2 car team? What people are thinking is the 20 car being crappy for awhile now. Lasoski had it moving and destroyed that when he felt invincible. Since then - let's be honest here - the drivers that have been in the 20 car are only average at best. So what would one expect? Kinser, Saldana and Schatz are three of the racers I feel can dominate every night. They're staying where they are. Only two other racers I feel that might be able to do that - Meyers and Kaeding? Put one in there and see what happens. Bottom line is when you put an average driver at best in a car - expect just that - average, nothing more nothing less.

I still feel that running a 2 car team and not running identical equipment is a mistake, always will. It didn't do much for Dollansky until this week... but it HAS to be the right choice. You don't have to reinvent the wheel to win in racing, amigos. Look at what works: Nascar has multiple car teams all over the place... and it's an ADVANTAGE. Yes, they have a bit of funding (understatement) and the champ usually wins about $10m in purses over the year... but their business model works. You take what you learn on 1 car... share the info... double the testing data to crunch.

Every driver has a feel for the car they like... be it engine setback or wheelbase or reverse tubes. Kinsers run Maxim chassis of their choice, for example. Sponsor issue with running another car? Good luck somewhere else in another car, Kraig.

If I was the best driver on the planet (TStewart) my 2nd car would be a J&J/Shaver identical to the 15... you could put 20 stickers on any 15 car and be ready to roll. You don't mess with what works. You eliminate variables. Why in the world would you NOT emulate the most successful team in sprint car racing over the last 5 years? When that team is under the same roof at you... it's inexcusable.

The 20 team has tried the "same stuff" the 15 has and does so that variable is not there, contrary to what many on here may believe. But....I am told what the 15 car does and works for them is not close to what the other guys can run. That is why Donny and Ricky are just so much faster than everyone else some nights, and why some nights they are not. He can just make some things work with his driving style that others can't. It was explained to me by someone close to the 20 car......The reason Donny is so fast is "Donny is just that good right now".

www.harleytrikes.com

KOOL: I have to respectfully disagree. Kraig doesn't run a J&J/Shaver with Afco shocks, etc. "same stuff" in my post is referring to exactly the same. To duplicate your test data all the variables (chassis, motor, shocks, bars, etc.) have to be the same... otherwise your info doesn't help. Sure all the chassis companies could attempt to duplicate the heights/measurements of another brand... but it's still different.

I'm totally onboard with your explanation of Schatz having setups and his driving style matching it, it being different than others. Everyone has a feel they're looking for, the neverending attempt to be comfortable in the car.

I suppose my argument against that logic is... Kraig isn't running that well being comfortable in the car/motor/shocks he "likes". What would happen if he ran something he wasn't comfortable with? He'd do worse?

Kraig is young enough to learn some new tricks and new ways of doing things... I'd vote that when what you're doing isn't working that it's time to try something else. No one better to emulate than that 15 team under the same roof.

Here is a question that I have had over the last few seasons, if Schaltz has been the hottest driver on the planet, why he is he the ONLY driver who runs a J&J, Shaver and Afco shocks combination?? You would think half the Outlaw teams would try and run that exact same combination. I remember years ago when Karl Kinser ran the funky hood and body style and then half the field showed up with cars looking like his.I think Schaltz is the only driver running a Shaver engine right now with the Outlaws as well.

I said it before, i will say it again------JIMMY CARR

Dollansky will be history before the years end

I thought Shaver only sells 410's to Schatz. I'm sure he sells other 410's - but as far as outlaws, I'm sure it's only to Schatz. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

At one time Shaver & Gaerte were the two top selling Sprint car engine builders in the country selling 100's of engines a year. Now I would guess that Don Ott is on top in terms of volume for the 410's. Why wouldn't Shaver sell an engine to anyone who wants to pay the $$$$$ ???

Jimmy Carr has been the Director of Operations for TSR for at least a couple of years, which means, in all likelihood, he does not DIRECTLY do anything to Kraigs car - at least as far as set up goes.

I thought that I read on here that Mike Cool had returned as Kraig's CC?.......

Maybe we need to just accept that KK is in a bad spot....

1) His last name is the same as the most famous and successful driver to ever live....That's a tough thing to live up to....

2) He'll never be the driver that his Dad is/was...his stats over the past five years have proven that...

3) He's a good driver, but he's not his dad......

Chuck.....

If you look at the points for drivers 6-10, it is not as bad as all of the nay sayers would have you believe.

Only one of the drivers in 6-10 has one win. He has the same wins, top 5 and top 10 stat as Haud, and he is not too far off of the Sides and Dollansky.

While it may be argued that he should be doing better than he is with the resources that he has, I think that he is doing a good job. All of the drivers in front of them are all quality drivers.

seeing as there are very few on "the tour", neither one is doing very good

Tony was fair and patient with Paul McMahon....

He'll finish the season with Kraig...

and hire Jason Meyers in a new 14 car for next year....

hmm maybe the driver has more importance than the average fan thinks....

Here's the 'straight skinny' on Kraig's lack of success.

It's all TMAC's fault !!!!!!

LOL LOL LOL LOL ... easy boys ...just having some levity here ...

R.A.

S.H.S.

Jason and Donny on the same team???

I kind of doubt it, but anything can happen........

Chuck.....

Dean bunzai i may have misspelled his name, but the crew chief that haudenschild had a couple of years ago is dollansky new crew chief. Reportingly will be with dollansky starting this weekend.

Dean "Bonzai" Bruns.....

Chuck.....

Thats him!