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

Heard from a friend of Steve's that he wants to run selected races in 2015 but he is not going to commit to chasing the WOO points. I'm guessing Steve might eliminate Canada and the West Coast swings.

If they expect to meet the demand I think they'd better start printing those farewell tour t-shirts now!  I'm betting they will be one of the coolest racing shirts ever. I know I want one. 

Put me in for one of each color. It's going to be a busy summer.

My first Sprint car/ Outlaw race was back in the 80's at Sante Fe Speedway and although Steve didn't win he put on an impressive run driving over the tires on the bottom of the track wringing everything he could out of that ride and I was hooked.

My friend also told me to watch this young kid named Jeff Gordon who was impressive as well.

Bring back Santa Fe, and LaSalle .

I fully expect to see Steve in 2015 running a limited schedule like Sammy has lots of years, or I am hoping anyways.

the statement out of Indy leads me to that conclusion cause it just says done running for points not done racing ever again

That one would have to be put under plexiglass and framed.  No way I'd want to spill any beer or hot dog juice on a keepsake like that. 

Stan Meissner

Peace, Out.

from: central coast of cali.

I hope the younger fans will look up and read about what Steve Kinser did in a sprint car during his career.  Alot of fans do not know that Steve has actually won twice as many features that the WOO list him as winning.  Ted J. never counted a friday night A main win as a feature win on a 2 day show.  Only a Sat. feature counted.  Steve also won features with other clubs and tracks but not WOO shows.  You will also notice Steve will not BS you, he just shortly tells you what happened.  Can you imagine the home life Steve has missed out on over the years.  Steve will also tell you he has had alot of help over the years with his wife family  and head pit man Scott Gerkin and of course Karl Kinser.

Well put--I think someone put a number to it a few years ago and he has over 1100 wins if you counted them the way they do today.  Simply astonishing.  

I imagine many of us would like to see Steve stick around a few more years but we all knew this day would come eventually. He may not be the dominant King of years past but he's still competitive and capable of winning. Whether he hangs up the helmet at the end of the 2014 season or continues to run selected races in '15, I think he is timing this almost perfectly. Not leaving too soon and not staying too long. 

Ok let Me throw this idea out if Steve decide to use retro paint schemes - at the Knoxville Nationals how about the car being painted like it was for his fist Nationals win   -    Vise Grip #20 of Trostles  - if everyone remembers he wrecked the 11 car and Karl and Bob put their stuff together in the 20

That would be cool (and probably no sponsor conflicts either).

Maybe he could get Karl to come back to wrench for a year.

Two sides of Steve Kinser that I have witnessed:

1. Intensity and domination: I was a brief member of the "anybody but Kinser" club but that was quickly overshadowed by the appreciation of his intensity. The man just doesn't give up.

One night at Lernerville during the feature, he got into a crash - I think he ended-up flipping - junked the front axle and ripped a shock mount off the frame.  They replaced the axle, wing, etc and he feverishly tried to get that shock mount welded by the track welder during a relatively short red flag - not in his pit, in the push-off lane. He wasn't putting it in the trailer! Didn't get it welded but went back out with no right front shock. He really had nothing to win - he had no chance even if he did get the shock mount welded. Anyone else would have put it on the trailer.

2. Watching cartoons (and more of #1): Williams Grove - 1984ish - took Fred Marks - of Marks and Kepler fame - to the Harrisburg airport to pick-up airfreighted Ron Shaver motors - one for Kinser. Kinser, who's last motor was pretty sick on Thurday night,showed up to pick-up his own motor in a short Chevy semi-custon van - not fancy (nothing was fancy about the Kinser operation those days) but had a bed and a tv and not much room for a motor crate.

I stuck my head inside the van door to tell Steve that the plane had landed, and there he was lying on the bed watching cartoons! Steve Kinser - King of the Outlaws, Mr. Intensity - watching Tom and Jerry!

There were no motors on the plane. As the airfreight guy explained it, the plane was likely heavy before take-off and the motors were the first thing to go to make weight. Steve gave the airfreight guy a bunch of grief - 'had a big race - no motor......'. That night, he started the feature a long way from the front and made his way to second (to Sammy, I think) with his "junk" motor.

Given the challenges outlaw sprint car racing- the travel, racing 80-100 + nights per year - Steve Kinser is, without doubt, the greatest racer ever! And I don't think his "contemporaries" would argue with that.

We as race fans have obtained a great deal of entertainment from Steve Kinser over the years. I think Steve Kinser deserves to sit on his deck on a summer night and have a barbequed hamburger and a cold one, and not hear a race car fire off.

Congratulations.

I don't have so many memories like most of the people here, but I want to say I'm glad I caught the last few years of The King's career!

Fred Marks, Gene Kelpler, are hero's of mine. 

Thank you Gentelmen.

Btw saw Fred at T -Cup this year and he say's "George l've seen a lot of sprint car races and this was one of the best ever" . Fred you are a hero and, love your clam chowder too!

C-ya in March 

Peace, Out.

from: central coast of cali.