Reinhardt Posts Runner-Up Finish at Williams Grove

“Now is the time to figure out how to get better.  How to find speed.  To learn what I can do to the car and what I can’t“, Kyle Reinhardt said recently on the Sprint Car Unlimited podcast.

That is Reinhardt’s objective for March 2022 as he prepares for the upcoming Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions season.  Every choice, every decision since the end of last season has been aimed at being the absolute most-prepared he can be for the series’ tour.  Sometimes that meant being smart, staying home and saving his resources.   When mid-March arrived, it was time to get started.

For the second consecutive Friday night, Reinhardt and team rolled the Capitol Renegade / Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers / Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants / J&J Auto Racing No.91 into the pit area at Williams Grove Speedway for another night of homework, so to speak.  The first outing was deemed a success when the team logged a top-5 finish.  Now they were back looking to continue building their notebook and their momentum.

March 25:  Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA

     (27 cars, Heat 1st, A-main 2nd)

The format for the 27 car field on week two at ‘The Grove’ called for three 10-lap heats, lined up by random draw.  The top six finishers of each would transfer to the night’s feature event, but only the top four would make the redraw.

Kyle Reinhardt lined up on the pole of heat number three and quickly showed strength, jumping out to a ten-car-length lead on the opening lap.  By lap nine he had built up a 3.5 second lead over Ryan Smith, but the caution lights flashed on for a slowing car.  The Neptune City, NJ native withstood a good restart by Smith and held on to win the heat race by 0.815 seconds.

The redraw put Reinhardt in the middle of the top ten to start the 25-lap A-main.  He looked strong, holding onto his 6th starting spot throughout the first ten laps.  In the middle of the event, Reinhardt picked up a couple spots on subsequent restarts and found himself in 3rd when the race entered the last ten laps.

At that stage, the Capitol Renegade No.91 got even quicker.  Reinhardt was rolling the bottom in turns 1 & 2 better than anyone else.  Not only was he gaining ground, he was staying out of trouble while the higher side of that end of the track was reaching out and biting some of the competition.  With 6 laps remaining, Reinhardt ripped off his fastest lap of the race, breaking into the 17 second bracket.  On the final lap, Reinhardt ran down Ryan Smith and wrestled 2nd away, capturing his first podium finish of 2022 and his second consecutive top-5 at Williams Grove.

“If it had gone without a caution and we could’ve raced in lapped traffic, I think we had a chance to get to the front, but it didn’t play out that way“, Reinhardt said.

After two solid outings at the Mechanicsburg, PA oval, Reinhardt sits 3rd in the season points close behind Dylan Norris and Justin Peck.  It could be a preview for the upcoming All Star season, where Peck and Reinhardt will be two of the top contenders this year.

“I feel really good after our first three races.  The car has really good balance.  We have a really good baseline for anywhere we go.  We know where we can make adjustments.  I’m making the calls myself this year and my guys are working really hard.  Can’t thank them enough.  We’re off to a good start”, Reinhardt shared.

Saturday’s planned trip to Reinhardt’s home state of NJ was scrapped when Bridgeport Motorsports Park cancelled due to weather, then ‘plan B’ at Port Royal Speedway fell victim to Mother Nature as well.  Sunday’s trip to Selinsgrove was also lost as a result of unseasonably cold weather.

“We have a couple more races remaining before the All Star schedule starts.  Our goal is to continue to run up front at The Grove and to go back to Port (Royal) and get up front by applying what we learned a few weeks ago up there.  If we can accomplish both, it will be a good weekend”, Reinhardt concluded.

Up Next

For their final tune-ups before kicking off the All Star Circuit of Champions season, Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team will make return trips to Williams Grove Speedway (PA) on Friday, April 1st and Port Royal Speedway (PA) the following night.  

Follow along at all the outlets listed below to keep up with Kyle’s season!