Reinhardt Captures Top-10 in Michigan; Nearly Grabs Two More in Ohio

Following a weekend off, Kyle Reinhardt couldn’t pass up an opportunity to race just two miles from the Capitol Renegade team’s race shop, before hitting the road for the next three stops on the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) tour.

Not only did Wednesday’s Outlaw show at Lincoln Speedway offer a potentially good payday, it meant valuable track time before Reinhardt returns to the Pigeon Hills oval two more times later this season with the ASCoC for races paying $7,300 and $20,000 to win.

May 11:  Gettysburg Clash / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA

      (55 cars, Qualifying 17th, Heat 10th, C-main 1st, B-main 17th)

An unfavorable draw placed Reinhardt near the end of Flight A qualifying for the first 28 of 55 cars on hand at Lincoln Speedway.  He recorded the 17th quickest time in the group, placing him 9th to start heat number one.  Only the top five from the 8-lap qualifying race would move directly to the A-main.

Reinhardt came home 10th in the heat race, placing him on the pole of the C-main.  He went on to capture the win in the 10-lap ‘C’, then finished 17th in the 12-lap ‘B’.  

May 13:  Mace Thomas Classic / I-96 Speedway / Lake Odessa, MI

      (29 cars, Qualifying 17th, Heat 6th, A-main 7th)

With 29 teams signed in at I-96 Speedway for the Mace Thomas Classic, the single-group qualifying, and three heat format was in effect per the All Star rule for 30 cars or less.

Kyle Reinhardt was 21st in line to go under the clock.  The late slot wasn’t ideal for qualifying against the entire field.  Reinhardt managed to record the 17th best time overall, slotting him 6th in heat number two.

In the three heat format, the top six finishers from each 8-lap qualifying event transfer directly to the A-main.  Reinhardt ‘held serve’ and came home 6th to lock into the 30-lap feature event, but he would have his work cut out for him from the 17th starting spot.

Piloting the Capitol Renegade / Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers / Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants / J&J Auto Racing No.91, Reinhardt saved his best for last. From the drop of the green in the A-main he surged forward, entering the top ten by lap nine, then steadily working his way further up the leaderboard, reaching the 8th position by lap 19.

A few laps later, a flat right rear tire appeared to ruin a terrific run by Reinhardt.  His team was able to replace the tire and get him back out in time to rejoin the rear of the field.  

With just seven laps remaining at the restart, Reinhardt wasted no time charging back into the top ten, ultimately reaching 7th by the time he flashed under the checkered flag.  It was an impressive recovery from a dose of bad luck.

May 14:  Wayne County Speedway / Orrville, OH

      (27 cars, Qualifying 7th, Heat 4th, A-main 15th)

The series rolled into Wayne County Speedway on Saturday night with a contingent of 27 teams in tow.  Once again, the single group qualifying, three heat format was in effect.

Reinhardt turned in a solid lap, making himself 7th quick in the field and snagging the outside front row starting spot for heat number one.  It was a good opportunity to claim a spot in the dash by winning the qualifying race, but it wasn’t to be.  Reinhardt finished 4th and transferred to the feature event.

Rolling off from his 12th starting spot in the 30-lap A-main, Reinhardt had his sights set on a second consecutive top-10 finish.  The opening laps of the finale saw him struggle with an ill-handling car and drop through the running order.  

After falling as far back as 18th two laps before the halfway point of the race, the Neptune City, NJ native began his resurgence.  By lap 26, Reinhardt had climbed all the way back to 12th.  A solid recovery, but he was still challenging for more when the caution came out on lap 28.

“We got better as the fuel load burned off and I was able to get back everything I lost early on.  My right rear started going down with a handful of laps to go but we were about to get into the top-10 when the caution came out with two laps to go.  The tire was almost completely flat by the time we went back to green, and I lost a couple spots.“, Reinhard explained.

He crossed the finish line in 15th when all was said and done.

May 15:  Waynesfield Raceway Park / Waynesfield, OH

      (23 cars, Qualifying 6th, Heat 1st, Dash 4th, A-main 13th)

The final stop of the weekend for the All Stars was Waynesfield Raceway Park in western Ohio.  Kyle Reinhardt’s night started off well, registering the 6th quickest lap in the field of 23.

The momentum continued with a dominating win in heat number three.  Reinhardt led all eight laps and held a 2.061 second advantage at the finish line.

The dash draw handed Reinhardt the fourth starting spot in the 6-lap dash.  He grabbed 3rd on the start but eventually Justin Peck worked his way back into the spot, relegating the Capitol Renegade No.91 of Reinhardt to a 4th place finish.  

The 30-lap A-main shaped up to be a season best for Reinhardt.  He took the green from the 4th starting spot and worked his way into 3rd by lap ten.  His J&J Auto Racing machine was good, and he was clearly on offense.  

Reinhardt was poised to take a shot at 2nd place on lap 25 when he made slight contact with the No.7 of Scott Bogucki as the pair exited turn four.  It was enough to spin Reinhardt, sending him to the back of the field for the restart.  He managed to fight back to 13th at the final flag.

“I totally blew that one.  The 7 crossed over more than I thought he was going to, and I got my left side in the slop and just plowed into him.  Feel terrible for my guys because we needed that one.  We were racing hard for a win. Not much else to say.“, a disappointed Reinhardt tweeted after the event.

There was one more note from Waynesfield.  Reinhardt had yet another right rear tire go down during the final five laps, making it three in three nights.

Wrap-Up

“I’m definitely a lot more comfortable on the smaller, slicker tracks than I was last year.  We’re a lot better this year…a lot closer to where we need to be.“, Reinhardt commented.

“We put ourselves in position for three top-10 finishes this weekend.  It’s disappointing to have a couple of them slip away, but we have to shake it off.  We know we’re getting better.  Three right rear flats in three nights…that’s just tough luck and out of our control.  We have to work on the things we can control and hope the things we can’t, start to go our way.“

Up Next

Reinhardt will kick off his race week Tuesday night, May 17th, with a trip to his home state of NJ to take on the World of Outlaws at Bridgeport Motorsports Park.

Later in the week, the Capitol Renegade team will head north to Wisconsin for stops with the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions at Wilmot Raceway, Plymouth Dirt Track, and Angell Park Speedway on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Season Stats

17 races, 0 wins, 3 top 5’s, 5 top 10’s, 11 top 15’s, 7 top 20’s