Archive for category: Kyle Reinhardt

Kyle Reinhardt rolled into Port Royal, PA last week with his Capitol Renegade / Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers / Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants / J&J Auto Racing No.91 for the three-day Tuscarora 50 extravaganza that accompanies the Juniata County Fair.

The Neptune City, NJ native has struggled at the fairgrounds half-mile the past couple seasons, but this time he had some reasons for optimism, including fresh equipment and recent improved performance.

September 8:  Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA

     [49 cars, Qualifying 6th in Group D, Heat 5th (6), B-main 4th (6), A-main 24th (24)]

Opening night of the three day event saw 49 teams register for the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) sanctioned show, putting the five group/five heat format for the series into motion.

Reinhardt was the 7th of 10 cars in Group D to go under the clock.  He logged the 6th fastest lap in the group, landing him outside row three to start the fourth heat race.  He grabbed 5th on the opening lap and was part of a tight three car battle for third, but he was unable to secure one of the top four spots needed to transfer directly to the main event.  He finished 5th.

In the 12-lap B-main, Reinhardt again started 6th needing to reach the top four to make the finale.  With four laps remaining, he worked his way past Zeb Wise and into the 5th position as the pair entered turn three.

On lap ten, the caution flag appeared for 3rd place A.J. Flick, moving Reinhardt into 4th for the restart with two laps remaining.  He used the middle of the track to keep Wise at bay and close on third place Michael Walter.  At the line, Reinhardt finished 4th by 0.111 seconds.  It was good enough to put his No.91 in the show.

Reinhardt started 24th in the 30-lap A-main, but early on he developed a suspension issue that hindered the performance of his machine.  The end result was a 24th place finish.

Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team were presented with the ASCoC Perseverance Award for their efforts.

September 9:  The Night Before the 50 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA

     [52 cars, Qualifying 8th in Group D, Heat 8th (8), C-main 3rd (3)]

Friday’s car count grew to 52 for the $8,000 to win ‘Night Before the 50’ show.  The five group/five heat format was once again in play.

Reinhardt found himself in an early hole when he registered the 8th best lap of the ten cars in Group D qualifying.  He was unable to make any gains in his heat race, starting and finishing 8th in the 8-lap race.

Relegated to the C-main where only the top two finishers would advance to the B-main, Reinhardt seemed to catch a break when one of the front row starters didn’t make the call.  Officially slated to start 3rd, he took the green from 2nd but was unable to hold onto that transfer spot and finished 3rd.

September 10:  55th Annual Tuscarora 50 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA

     [55 cars, Qualifying 13th, Heat 6th (5), B-main 14th (14), Non-Qual Feature 10th (8)]

Saturday’s program leveraged its own unique format (details below) to determine who got a piece of the lucrative pie known as the 55th Annual Tuscarora 50.  The largest piece, the winner’s share, grew from its original $55,000 to $60,000 just hours before the finale thanks to a generous sponsor.

The top twelve qualifiers in each flight were inverted to set the heat race lineups, meaning the 10th, 11th and 12th fastest would each sit on the pole for one of the Flight 2 three heat races.

A lot of sports are considered a ‘game of inches’.  Racing is a game of split seconds.  Reinhardt registered the 13th quickest time, missing the inversion by a mere 0.022 seconds.  It was the difference between starting on the pole and starting 5th in his heat race.

Only the top three finishers from each 8-lap heat race would transfer to the 50-lap finale in the tough, unique format.  From inside row three of heat number four, Reinhardt needed to gain two spots to reach a transfer spot.  It wasn’t in the cards.  He rode home 6th after losing a spot in the closing laps.

Reinhardt started deep in the 12-lap B-main; 14th.  Advancing 10 spots against such a tough field was a very tall order.  Unable to gain any ground, he finished 14th.

Reinhardt started 8th in the Non-Qualifiers feature, a 20-lap event that awards the winner with $2,000 and a guaranteed starting spot in the following year’s Tuscarora 50.  Despite taking their best shot at adjustments to bring the No.91 alive, Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team wrapped up their three day weekend with a 10th place finish.

Up Next

Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team will remain in Central Pennsylvania next weekend.  Friday night, September 16th, they will race at Williams Grove Speedway in the $6,000-to-win Dirt Classic Qualifier, then they will move over to Lincoln Speedway Saturday night for the $20,000-to-win Dirt Classic IX.

Season Stats

60 races, 0 wins, 5 top 5’s, 14 top 10’s, 29 top 15’s

Coming off a pair of top ten runs with the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) in New York the previous week, Kyle Reinhardt entered a swing across Pennsylvania and New Jersey with the series carrying momentum and optimism, especially given he had a lot of laps around the upcoming tracks in his Capitol Renegade / Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers / Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants / J&J Auto Racing No.91.

Reinhardt and his team have been working hard to continue the recent trend.  The goal was to have enough success in August, September and October to make all the early season struggles worth going through.  A five-race dose of home turf seemed to come along at the right time.

August 24:  Bloomsburg Fair Raceway / Bloomsburg, PA

     [19 cars, Qualifying 5th, Heat 1st (1), Dash 2nd (3), A-main 5th (2)]

A modest field of 19 teams made the tow to the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds in northeastern PA for the Wednesday night show at the 3/8-mile oval.

Reinhardt put the 5th quickest lap in the books and earned the pole of the second heat in the process.  He went on to lead all eight laps of that qualifying race, posting the win by 1.5 seconds over Gio Scelzi.

The heat win earned Reinhardt a spot in the dash redraw.  He drew the third starting spot and went on the offensive at the drop of the green, grabbing the runner up spot.  There was no catching Justin Peck though, who pulled out to a quick lead and went on to hold Reinhardt off by over three seconds.

Reinhardt’s Dash finish put him on the outside of the front row for the 30-lap A-main.  On a track that had ‘a lot of character’ as drivers like to say with a grin (referring to a rough surface), Reinhardt settled into second and held the spot through the first ten laps.

In the middle phase of the race, Tyler Courtney worked his way past Reinhardt, dropping the Capitol Renegade No.91 to 3rd.  Reinhardt slid back a couple more spots in the closing segment but held on to record a top five finish.

August 25:  Bridgeport Motorsports Park / Swedesboro, NJ

     [27 cars, Qualifying 15th, Heat 4th (5), A-main 8th (11)]

The All Star tour moved on to NJ, Reinhardt’s home state, on Thursday night for a $12,000 to win event at the 4-tenths mile, high banked Bridgeport Motorsports Park.

Reinhardt was the 26th of 27 cars to go under the clock for qualifying, registering the 15th fastest lap in the field.  The lap earned him the 5th starting spot in the third heat race.  The top six finishers from each of the three scheduled heats would transfer to the A-main, with the balance of the starting lineup being filled by the top six finishers from the B-main.

In the heat race, Reinhardt was able to move into 4th on the opening lap.  He pursued 3rd place Danny Dietrich throughout the 8-lap qualifying race but settled for a 4th place finish.

Reinhardt started 11th in the 30-lap A-main and immediately surged inside the top ten, reaching 9th on the opening lap.  By the halfway point of the event, the Neptune City, NJ native was running 7th and working toward a top five finish.

The very competitive Bridgeport track always provides close racing, and this night was no different.  Reinhardt was engaged in a tight battle for position, getting shuffled back as far as 9th with less than ten laps remaining.  At the finish, he crossed the line in 8th.

August 26:  Jack Gunn Memorial / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA

     [33 cars, Qualifying 7th in Group C, Heat 6th (7), B-main 4th (3), Twin 20 #1 19th (24), Twin 20 #2 12th (19)]

When the All Stars rolled into the heart of PA Posse country Friday night for the Jack Gunn Memorial Twin 20’s at Williams Grove Speedway, the field grew to 33 teams.  $4,000 was up for grabs to the winner of each of the feature races.  The car count put the four-group format into play for the night.

Kyle Reinhardt’s night was sluggish out of the gate.  He could only summon the 7th best lap in his group, putting himself and his team in a bit of a hole they would have to work to climb out of.

Reinhardt was able to move forward from 7th to 6th in his 8-lap heat race, but that wasn’t quite enough to make a top five transfer spot.  In the B-main, he started inside row two and held on to the 4th and final transfer spot to secure the final starting spot in the first 20-lap A-main.

The Capitol Renegade No.91 made some forward progress in the first feature, advancing from 24th to 19th.  Reinhardt and team made the most of the break before the second feature, tweaking their J&J Auto Racing machine in the right direction.

Reinhardt charged from 19th to 13th in the first five laps of the second Twin 20 and was able to pick up one more position in the final five laps.  He finished 12th and earned the Hard Charger Award.

August 27:  Kramer Klash / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA

     [39 cars, Qualifying 3rd in Group A, Heat 2nd (2), A-main 16th (9)]

Saturday night’s $7,300 to win Kramer Klash at Lincoln Speedway brought the largest car count of the week with 39 teams in the pits to take their shot at the cash.  Once again it would be the four-group All Star format in use.

Reinhardt went out 7th in Group A for qualifying and laid down the 3rd quickest lap in the group, which put the 28 year old on the outside of the front row for heat number one.  He held the runner-up spot behind Hunter Schuerenberg and ahead of Anthony Macri throughout the 8-lap race.

Starting 9th in the 35-lap A-main, Reinhardt was well-positioned to add another race to his recent tally of top ten finishes.  He slipped a couple spots on the start, then battled just outside the top ten over the first twenty laps.

Following a restart with eleven laps remaining, Reinhardt’s No.91 faded.  He fell from 13th to 16 in the closing laps.

August 28:  Junior Ritchey Tribute / Bedford Speedway / Bedford, PA

     [19 cars, Qualifying 10th, Heat 4th (3), A-main 6th (11)]

The five race stretch wrapped up Sunday at Bedford Speedway much the way it had started, with 19 cars pit-side.  The car count meant single group qualifying, three heats and a B-main would set the field for the main event.

Reinhardt timed 10th best in the field, putting himself on the inside of row two in the first 8-lap heat race of the evening.  He held the third position to the midpoint of the race, then Justin Peck muscled his way past the Capitol Renegade driver.  Reinhardt rode home in 4th.

Reinhardt lined up 11th for the 30-lap A-main.  Throughout the first half of the event, he was in and out of the top 10.  

The story for the second half of the race was a better one.  With his car coming alive, Reinhardt began to gain ground.  He moved into 9th on lap 15, then 8th on lap 17.

The steady progress continued as Reinhardt battled his way around Gio Scelzi and into 7th on lap 22.  Three laps later the caution appeared for Justin Peck who exploded a right rear tire while running second.  

Reinhardt restarted 6th.  Scelzi reclaimed the spot on the restart, then went on to pass Bill Balog.  One lap later, Reinhardt passed Balog and moved back into 6th.  He held that spot over the final laps, finishing less than a second behind 5th place Scelzi.

“We’ve got things going the right direction.  We struggled earlier this year but we’re competitive now and getting closer every time out.  The guys are working really hard to keep this going.  We have some big races coming up at the end of the year.“, Reinhardt commented.

The stats certainly back up his statement.  In 8 ASCoC features since the Knoxville Nationals, Reinhardt has 5 top ten finishes.  Prior to Knoxville, he had recorded just 7 in 29 ASCoC features.

Up Next

Reinhardt will be in Hartford, OH this weekend with the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions at Sharon Speedway for the Sharon Nationals / Lou Blaney Memorial on Friday and Saturday, September 2nd and 3rd.  With ten races remaining, he currently sits 8th in the series’ point standings, 62 points behind 7th place Chris Windom.

Current team plans are to be in attendance at Port Royal Speedway on Monday for the 71st Annual Labor Day Classic.  Reinhardt captured his first ever 410 sprint car victory in the traditional afternoon race back in 2019.

Season Stats

55 races, 0 wins, 5 top 5’s, 14 top 10’s, 29 top 15’s

Wednesday – Qualifying Night

Reinhardt debuted a fresh new J&J Auto Racing machine with a brand new Rider under the hood for the occasion.  The goal, of course, was to give themselves the best possible shot to achieve that new career best result at The Nationals.  It also seemed like a necessity given the team’s struggles to find the speed they were accustomed to, which had been absent in recent months.

Approximately half the field registered for The Nationals, 51 teams, took to the track for their qualifying night on Wednesday.  Qualifying nights leverage single group time trials, making Reinhardt’s spot late in the order (44th) less than ideal.

Reinhardt’s time trial effort resulted in the 37th quickest lap and fewer points accumulated than hoped.  Teams accumulate points throughout the qualifying nights based on their time trial, heat race and main event results.  Qualifying awards 200 points to the winner, 198 for second, 196 for third, etc.  

An invert of eight was the order of the day to translate the qualifying results into five heat race lineups.  In this format, the fastest five overall qualifiers start eighth in each heat race, 6th-10th fastest start seventh, etc.

On the bright side, Reinhard’s time on the clock handed him the pole of the second heat, giving him a good opportunity to earn points and transfer to the A-main where he could accumulate additional points.

Reinhardt led the opening lap of his 10-lap heat race, but Corey Day found his way past the Jersey product on lap two.  Reinhardt held a firm grasp on the runner-up spot all the way to the checkered flag and claimed a starting spot in the A-main.

On initial start of the 25-lap A-main, Reinhardt found a lane on the low side of the speedway and surged from his 17th starting spot to 13th as the field entered turn four.  He appeared to be off to a great start on his mission to tally additional points, but it wasn’t to be.  The caution lights flashed on for a car that was off the pace, and the lap didn’t count.

Reinhardt had already showed his hand and the competition wised up, preventing him from utilizing the same low line move on the complete restart, so he settled into the running order where he had started. 

Reinhardt continued to work the low side, moving up to 16th about a half dozen laps into the race.  By the halfway point, he was back to where he started.  He continued to search, moving to the high side for a couple circuits around lap fifteen.

When the top groove didn’t work, Reinhardt moved back down the track and proceeded to spin off the fastest series of laps he had turned during the feature event, propelling him to a 16th place finish in the Capitol Renegade / Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers / Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants / J&J Auto Racing No.91.

When Wednesday’s points were tallied, Reinhardt sat 24th in points of the 51 drivers who had attempted to qualify that night.

“This new J&J car is definitely a big step in the right direction.  I was comfortable and we had some speed, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.“, Reinhardt commented.

Friday – Hard Knox Night

After two nights of racing, the top 16 in points were locked into Saturday night’s A-main and the next 10 in points were locked into the first five rows of Saturday’s B-main.

For the rest, it was one of the most intense nights in sprint car racing, Hard Knox Night.  This year that meant a full program with 72 teams going all out to capture one of the highly coveted top four finishing spots in the A-main.  Those cars would earn the right to start 17th-20th in Saturday’s finale.

For the rest, the better the finish, the better their positioning in Saturday’s ‘alphabet soup’, referring to Saturday’s E-main, D-main, C-main and B-main.

Friday’s format is slightly different than earlier in the week.  The field is split into two groups for qualifying, then six heats are run with the top three finishers from each advancing to the A-main.

Kyle Reinhardt rolled out 18th of 36 cars in Group B and laid down a solid lap of 16.525.  With one car remaining to qualify in the group, he sat 12th on the bump from the inversion.  The last car out bumped Reinhardt to 13th quick, which moved him from a front row starting spot in his heat race to a 5th place start instead.

Reinhardt wasn’t able to gain any ground from his 5th place start in the fourth 8-lap heat race, which meant a date with B-main number two later in the evening.  The starting lineup for the B-main was based off the time trial results earlier in the evening.  For Reinhardt, that equated to a starting spot outside the third row.

The opening circuit of the 12-lap last chance race was a solid one for Reinhardt.  He bolted from 6th to 3rd using the high side of the speedway.  Over the next ten laps, Kyle did everything he could to close on second and grab an insurance spot to ensure he transferred to the A-main.

As the race wound down, the leaders reached lapped traffic and the gaps among the top three shrank.  At the white flag, Reinhardt was still third but was hot on the heels of Sye Lynch, who was right on the bumper of leader Justin Henderson.  

When the trio hurtled into turn three, things looked quite different.  Reinhardt led Lynch and Henderson back to the line to complete an exciting final lap.

Now with a shot in the 25-lap A-main to further improve his chances on Saturday, Reinhardt wasn’t done yet.  He took the green flag from the 20th starting spot and immediately began working his way forward.

Reinhardt climbed to 17th on the opening lap and was 15th by lap three.  He battled for position in the middle of the pack through three restarts during the feature event, reaching 13th with seven laps remaining.  

In the closing laps, the handling on Reinhardt’s machine started to go away.  As a result, he slipped back a couple spots to a 15th place finish.

“The car was really good early.  We just got a little tight in the last ten laps and that cost us a couple spots late.  It was the difference between starting Saturday in the back of the B-main vs. the front of the C-main.“, Reinhardt commented.

Saturday

On the final day of the Knoxville Nationals, 98 teams were unloaded and set up in the infield.  20 teams arrived knowing they were safely locked into the A-main, while everyone else was slotted for a B-main, C-main, D-main or E-main, with a shot to work their way to one of the final four open spots in the lineup for the grand finale.

All of the preliminary action for Kyle Reinhardt led to him owning the pole of Saturday’s 15-lap C-main.  The top four finishers of that race would move on to the final four starting spots for the B-main, where they would have 22 laps to find their way to the top four to earn their way into the A-main.  It was a tall order, but it had been done before.

Reinhardt didn’t get the start he wanted in the C-main.  He raced the opening two circuits in the runner-up position before finding his rhythm and sailing past McKenna Haase to grab the lead.

Over the remaining thirteen laps Reinhardt was never challenged and went on to win by just over three seconds, locking in the 21st starting spot in the B-main.

Forward progress wasn’t easy to come by in the 22-lap B-main.  Reinhardt found himself in one battle after another throughout the race.  He navigated his way from 21st to 18th by lap three but that was the pinnacle of his progress.  Much like Friday night’s feature, his No.91 got tight in the closing laps and Reinhardt ultimately crossed the finish line in 20th.

Wrap Up

The 2022 Nationals didn’t end up being the perfect story of continuing the trend by reaching his first career Saturday night A-main, but Reinhardt did post another career best result in August in Knoxville by finishing two spots better than 2021.  The trend of improvement continues.  

“We made a ton of progress this week here in Iowa.  Given our struggles coming into Knoxville, coming out of here with this finish is a successful week for sure.  I want to thank all my guys for their hard work and of course all our partners for their support.  We wouldn’t be here without them.”, Reinhardt said.

“I’m excited for the rest of our All Star season.“

The annual summertime break in the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions schedule is upon us, which means it is time for the 360 Sprint Car Nationals, Capitani Classic and 410 Sprint Car Nationals at ‘The Sprint Car Capital of the World’, Knoxville Raceway in the heart of Southern Iowa.

In 2021, Kyle Reinhardt earned the 360 Nationals Rookie of the Year, and he is back to compete again this year in the Capitol Renegade / Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers / Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants / J&J Auto Racing No.91.

Reinhardt will qualify on Thursday, August 4th and the finale of the three day event takes place on Saturday, August 6th.

“I’m looking forward to the 360 Nationals.  It’s a fun event on its own but it also gives us valuable track time that can help us next week too.”, Reinhardt commented.  “There are over 100 cars entered.  Our goal is to make the A-main.”

The following day, Reinhardt will go back to 410 sprint car racing in the Capitani Classic, honoring Knoxville’s longtime promotor, Ralph Capitani.

Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team tentatively have the Front Row Challenge race at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, IA on the schedule for Monday, August 8th.  A decision will be made regarding that event following Sunday night’s race at Knoxville.

Tuesday, August 9th, will be an off day to make final preparations for the 61st NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals.

The 410 Nationals kick off on Wednesday when over 50 drivers, including Reinhardt, qualify.  Another 50 drivers will get their shot to qualify the following night.

“Obviously the key to the Nationals is a good qualifying night, especially time trials.”, Reinhardt said.  “Last year we were okay on Wednesday, fought back on Friday and made it to the B-main on Saturday, so if we can get our week off on the right foot this year, we can be in position to improve on that.“

Friday night, which is dubbed ‘Hard Knox Night’, gives teams their final chance to tally points and improve their positioning for the series of mains that are conducted on the final day of the four day event on Saturday, August 13th.

For full Knoxville 410 Sprint Car Nationals format information, click here.

Prior to turning his focus to the national events at Knoxville, Reinhardt competed in the final two ASCoC events at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Missouri and Knoxville.  

July 29:  Event / I-70 Speedway / Odessa, MO

     [28 cars, Qualifying 17th, Heat 5th (6), A-main 25th (15)]

Night number one of two scheduled nights at I-70 Speedway was washed out by rain.  Night two brought 28 teams pit-side for the $26,000 to win Rayce Rudeen Foundation race.

Reinhardt’s night got off to an average start with a lap that placed him 17th quick in the field.  While he was not able to make the gains he needed to put himself inside the top ten in the starting lineup for the night’s finale, he was able to transfer into the A-main through his heat race with a 5th place finish despite engine issues that had been present since the start of the night.

From his 15th starting spot in the 25-lap A-main, Reinhardt held his ground for the opening five circuits, but the engine issues were persistent and getting worse.  He slipped down the running order several spots and was forced to retire from the event after fourteen laps.

“I want to thank everyone at Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants for supporting us.  Their headquarters is in Clinton, MO not far from here.  We had them on the wing tonight.  I wish we could’ve gotten a better finish for them.”

photo credit: Chad Warner Photography

July 30:  Event / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA

     [55 cars, Qualifying 8th in Group B, Heat 8th (8),

      C-main 2nd (2), B-main 15th (18), A-main 23rd (26)]

The desire to get some final track time at Knoxville Raceway before the Nationals drew 55 cars to compete for the $8,000 winner’s share. 

Despite having his engine issues solved from the night before, Reinhardt struggled to find speed, qualifying 8th in his group.  His heat race appeared to be going his way early on but during some tight competition he was forced high and lost momentum, which is critical at Knoxville.  The end result was an 8th place finish and a trip to the C-main.

He went on to finish 2nd in the C-main and advance to the B-main where he gained three spots to post a 15th place finish.

For only the second time this season, Reinhardt leveraged a series provisional to join the A-main field in an effort to make adjustments and get more laps to find some solutions to the team’s issues.  He finished the night in 23rd.

Season Stats

40 races, 0 wins, 4 top 5’s, 9 top 10’s, 23 top 15’s