Kyle Reinhardt Battled Uphill All Weekend at Lake Ozark

Coming off two top ten runs on a mini-swing through New York state with the All Star Circuit of Champions in early July, Kyle Reinhardt probably would have preferred to keep the momentum going.  Instead, the series schedule called for a nearly two week break.

The season had been taxing on the team’s motor program, so a little extra time to freshen them up and regroup was the positive side of that situation.  Now it was time to load up the Capitol Renegade / Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers / Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants / J&J Auto Racing No.91 and hit the road to Missouri to get back to the track.

July 22:  Beach Brawl Night 1 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO

      [34 cars, Qualifying 6th Group D, Heat 6th (6), B-main 2nd (5), A-main 13th (22)]

The tour brought Reinhardt and 33 other drivers to Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MO for a 2-race stint dubbed the Beach Brawl.

When qualifying was complete Friday night, Reinhardt found himself in a hole he would need to climb out of.  He logged the 6th quickest lap in his group, then treaded water in his 8-lap heat race, finishing where he started, 6th.

The Capitol Renegade crew and Reinhardt, a mechanical engineer turned full time sprint car driver, put their heads together and made some changes in an attempt to rally their night.  From his 5th starting spot in the 12-lap B-main, Kyle charged toward the front.  He moved into a top four transfer spot by lap two, but he didn’t stop there.  At the checkers Reinhardt was the runner-up.

It appeared the team had found a little something and had things going the right direction.  Reinhardt went on to validate that belief, advancing from his 22nd starting spot to a 13th place finish in the 25-lap A-main.

“We didn’t time well tonight.  We’ve been struggling with that lately.  It’s really important in this format, and we are working hard to get better in that area.  I’m proud of my guys because we didn’t give up.  We kept digging and we got better.  We were able to turn a bad night into a decent one.“, Reinhardt commented.

July 23:  Beach Brawl Night 2 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO

      [34 cars, Qualifying 4th Group C, Heat 8th (3), B-main 5th (11), A-main 22nd (25)]

Saturday night’s finale of the 2-day show started off much better for Reinhardt.  With 34 cars on hand again, he registered the 4th quickest time in his group, putting him in much better position in his heat race and for the night overall.

Reinhardt started inside row two in his heat race, but the potential quickly turned into disbelief when a fuel line burst while running 4th on lap two of heat race number three.  The part failure left Kyle and the Capitol Renegade team with a steep uphill battle for the rest of the night.

Reinhardt officially finished 8th in the heat race, burying him deep in the starting lineup for the 12-lap B-main.  Only the top four finishers would advance to tag the tail of the A-main starting lineup.  The Neptune City, NJ native made an inspired drive, charging toward the front but ultimately falling one spot short of the main with a 5th place finish. 

Leveraging a provisional starting spot for only the second time this season, Reinhardt was prepared to make another charge through the field.  He had done it the night before and again in the B-main on this night.  

Taking the green from the 25th position, forward progress was a little tougher than Friday night, but Reinhardt was making some ground.  Then came yet another setback.  After moving forward seven spots, his left rear tire exploded and brought an end to his night.  He was listed 22nd in the official finish.

“What a night to forget.“, a frustrated Reinhardt said.  

“We timed a little better than we have been, so I felt like we put ourselves in a decent position to start the night.  Then we had a part failure; the fuel line burst.  We battled back from that, then had a tire fail.  It’s frustrating, but those aren’t things we can control.  We’ve certainly had our share of it this season.  All we can do is keep working hard and hope we can shake this monkey off our back.“

The 2022 season has been especially rough for the Capitol Renegade team, with few things falling their way.  Often speed has been plentiful, but luck has been scarce.

In sprint car racing, just like any  other competitive sport, when you get knocked down the most important thing is to get back up again.  Reinhardt and team will do just that.

Up Next

Kyle and the Capitol Renegade team will be in Missouri again this week with the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions for the 2-day Rayce Rudeen Foundation event at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, MO on 7/28 & 7/29, where Friday night’s finale will pay $26,000 to the victor.

Saturday night Reinhardt and the All Stars will roll into the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa for the tour’s lone 2022 stop at the famous half-mile where they will compete for an $8,000 winner’s share. It will also serve as an opportunity to add to the team’s notebook before the upcoming Knoxville Nationals in August.

Season Stats

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