I finally found at least one WoO race where Steve started in dead last and ended up winning the deal, I am sure there are more, but it takes a ton of time to go through all this stuff and I started with 1978 and I am on Year #2
1979 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series
Lernerville Speedway, Sarver, Pennsylvania
Wednesday, August 29th, A Feature #54
Qualifications:
1. Keith Kauffman, Kauffman K33, 16.41 (New Track Record); 2. Kramer Williamson, Weikert 29, 16.49; 3. Smokey Snellbaker, Lloyd 56, 16.56; 4. Bobby Allen, Allen 1A, 16.69; 5. Lee Osborne, Osborne 81X, 16.76; 6. Jack Sodeman, Sodeman 23, 16.81; 7. Sammy Swindell, Jeffrey 91, 16.89; 8. Lynn Paxton, Boop 1, 16.90; 9. Buddy Cochran, Kosior 8, 16.95; 10. Rick Ferkel, Ferkel 0, 17.07; 11. Johnny Beaber, Crash 10, 17.08; 12. Davey Brown, Brown 21B, 17.08; 13. Johnny Lewis, Lewis 81, 17.10; 14. Dub May, Spurlock 18, 17.15; 15. Clark Kothera, Kothera 21, 17.15; 16. Randy Wolfe, LPS Racing 5W, 17.16; 17. Gus Linder, Linder-Krimes 69, 17.22; 18. Jack Hewitt, Kemenah 3X, 17.41; 19. Ed Murphy, Ziegler 42, 17.44; 20. Kenny Jacobs, Jacobs 34X, 17.55; 21. Steve Travers, Tom Quinn 19, 17.59; 22. Ed Lynch Sr., Benamati 44, 17.65; 23. Gary Edwards, Edwards 34, 17.70; 24. Paul Kline, Kline 75, 17.75; 25. Bill Bowser, Bowser 88, 18.19; 26. Don Davidson, Boston 3D, 18.22; 27. Herb Buck, Folk 3C, 18.27; 28. Davey Jones, Jones 76, 18.28; 29. Jerry Matus, Dionese 15, 18.32; 30. Brad Doty, Doty 28X, 18.43; 31. Jim Gorichky, Benic 2, 18.43; 32. Billy Eash, Banda 8X, 18.56; 33. Bill Bailey, Bailey 28, 18.73; 34. Jay Proie, Proie 9, 18.77; 35. Steve Kinser, Kinser 11, No Time.
Ferkel arrives just in time to make the cut for qualifications. Kinser and the team arrived late to the track and will start all events from the tail. The team hauls into Earl Gaerte's shop for a few days in Indiana after the races at Riverside to install a fresh 350 cu. in. engine.
Helmet Dash
1. Smokey Snellbaker, 2. Kramer Williamson, 3. Bobby Allen, 4. Keith Kauffman.
First Heat Race (8 Laps)
1. Gus Linder, 2. Buddy Cochran, 3. Johnny Lewis, 4. Steve Travers, 5. Jerry Matus, 6. Bobby Allen, 7. Lee Osborne, 8. Bowser, 9. Bill Bailey.
Second Heat Race
1. Smokey Snellbaker, 2. Lynn Paxton, 3. Kenny Jacobs, 4. Davey Brown, 5. Randy Wolfe, 6. Davey Jones, 7. Billy Eash…
Third Heat Race
1. Ed Murphy, 2. Sammy Swindell, 3. Kramer Williamson, 4. Clark Kothera, 5. Johnny Beaber, 6. Gary Edwards,
7. Herb Buck, 8. Jim Gorichky…
Fourth Heat Race
1. Ed Lynch Sr., 2. Rick Ferkel, 3. Dub May, 4. Keith Kauffman, 5. Brad Doty, 6. Steve Kinser, 7. Jack Sodeman,
8. Don Davidson, 9. Jack Hewitt, 10. Jay Proie.
B Feature (15 Laps)
1. Lee Osborne, 2. Steve Kinser [14]; 3. Jack Hewitt, 4. Bill Bowser, 5. Bobby Allen, 6. Gary Edwards, 7. Don Davidson, 8. Herb Buck, 9. Bill Bailey, 10. Davey Jones, 11. Jay Proie, 12. Jack Sodeman, 13. Billy Eash, 14. Jim Gorichky.
Steve Kinser wins his 29th career WoO A Feature.
A Feature (40 Laps)
1. Steve Kinser [24] $2,000; 2. Kramer Williamson, 3. Johnny Lewis, 4. Steve Travers, 5. Kenny Jacobs, 6. Buddy Cochran, 7. Jack Hewitt, 8. Randy Wolfe, DNF-9. Sammy Swindell, DNF-10. Jerry Matus, DNF-11. Bill Bowser, DNF-12. Lynn Paxton, DNF-13. Keith Kauffman, DNF-14. Brad Doty, DNF-15. Lee Osborne [3]; DNF-16. Johnny Beaber, DNF-17. Ed Murphy, DNF-18. Dub May, DNF-19. Clark Kothera, DNF-20. Smokey Snellbaker, DNF-21. Rick Ferkel, DNF-22. Davey Brown, DNF-23. Gus Linder, DNF-24. Ed Lynch Sr.
On the initial start, Ferkel gets bumped out of turn 4 breaking his steering and into an out of control spin down the frontstretch, gets tagged by Linder sending both cars upside down. Brown and Lynch join the melee and each suffer front race ending front-end damage. Linder was only four points behind sitting 2nd in the track points received a shattered left kneecap and undergoes surgery on the following Friday at St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh and his out of racing four at least four weeks. Snellbaker suffers from an issue with the in-out box within a lap of the restart sending his pit side. Paxton into the lead once the green is out for the opening ten laps until Sammy finally takes to the low line through turns 3-4 and takes the lead to open the 11th lap. Within five laps, Sammy opens about a four-second lead on the field. Osborne was running all race in the 3rd spot when he suffers from mechanical issues on the 18th lap and he ducks pit side. Sammy is leading Paxton, Kauffman and Williamson with about a five lapped car buffer when Doty spins on the 26th lap which left Paxton and Kauffman nowhere to go and all three tangle. Kauffman is done for the day as Paxton replaced a flat tire. Paxton was back on the track for about one more lap and then he was doe for good. Sammy loses his head and the race when his in-out box loses a fork on the 29th lap sending him to the well stacked pit area. Williamson inherits the lead with Kinser now in the 2nd spot. Kinser takes the lead from Williamson on the 34th lap and takes the remaining distance in the race of attrition as only eight cars were running a the Checkers.
Steve Kinser-"I knew this car was working good enough to get by Kramer. At first we were lugging a little, then finally when we got the ledges kicked off the track and the corners stayed heavy and tacky, I felt like I could go. It was quite an experience for me because I had never missed a qualifying time trial before…the one Dick Gaines crashed. We planned on bringing the new car until I crashed it at Kokomo."
