Reinhardt Has Up and Down Weekend on Home Turf

Statistically speaking, Kyle Reinhardt’s 2022 season has been a little better than last year, but that’s not much comfort to the Neptune City, NJ native who has struggled to find the consistent speed he needs to put up the stats he knows he and his Capitol Renegade / Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers / Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants / J&J Auto Racing No.91 are capable of.

Williams Grove Speedway and Lincoln Speedway, both in the heart of Reinhardt’s home turf, have been the site of good runs for the team in the past.  They came into this past weekend hoping the familiarity would help dial in the missing speed.

September 16:  Dirt Classic Qualifier / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA

     [33 cars, Qualifying 6th in Group B, Heat 4th (6), A-main 14th (16)]

Friday night Reinhardt was among 33 drivers who signed in for the Dirt Classic Qualifier at ‘The Grove’.  The four-group format was initiated for the program.  While his 6th quickest qualifying run in Group B was still short of the speed he was looking for, he was able to race his way from the 6th starting spot to 4th and transfer into the A-main through his heat race.  It was a step in the right direction.

In the 30-lap finale, Reinhardt made a little more progress.  After starting 16th, he moved forward and reached 12th by the halfway point.  The battles for position in the middle of the pack were tight throughout the event.  Reinhardt ultimately finished 14th.

September 17:  Dirt Classic IX / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA

     [50 cars, Qualifying 6th in Group E, Heat #5 5th (6), Heat #10 6th (5), B-main 11th (10)]

50 teams were in the pits to chase the $20,000 winner’s share of the Dirt Classic IX purse.  The annual All Star Circuit of Champions sanctioned event uses qualifying and double heats to accumulate points and set the starting field for the main event.

Reinhardt was slotted in the fifth and final group to go under the clock.  Once again he logged the 6th best lap in the group.

From his 6th starting spot in heat race number five, Reinhardt grabbed the 5th spot on the start.  Unable to make additional forward progress, he held on to that spot throughout the 8-lap race.

In the tenth heat race, Reinhardt was unable to gain ground in the running order or the point standings for the night.  He started 5th but lost a position on lap two and finished 6th.

Reinhardt found himself with an uphill battle when the points were tallied.  He would start 10th in the 12-lap B-main and would need to climb six spots to make the cut for the A-main.  It wasn’t in the cards and Reinhardt’s night ended with an 11th place in the consolation race.

Up Next

Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team will head to Eldora Speedway this weekend for two nights of competition.  First up will be the ‘BeFour the Crowns Showdown’ Friday night with the World of Outlaws.

Saturday night’s All Star Circuit of Champions race is part of the ‘4-Crown Nationals’ and pays $10,000 to win.

Season Stats

62 races, 0 wins, 5 top 5’s, 14 top 10’s, 30 top 15’s