Reinhardt Looks To Get Back in the Groove at Williams Grove and Lincoln After Port Royal Struggles

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