Reinhardt’s Week in PA: Solid Performances, Little Luck

In three races in Central Pennsylvania last week, Kyle Reinhardt qualified for all three dashes, won two heats, and earned a starting spot no worse than 7th in the three feature events.  Sounds like an excellent week, doesn’t it?  Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end that way.

8/26:  Grandview Speedway – Bechtelsville, PA

      (26 cars, Qualifying 12th, Heat 1st,  Dash 5th, A-main 24th)

Thursday night, 26 teams made the trek to Eastern Pennsylvania to compete at the 1/3rd mile clay oval.  Reinhardt qualified mid-pack with a lap of 12.016, placing him 12th quick.  The single group qualifying format placed the All Star Rookie of the Year candidate on the pole for the 3rd heat.  

Reinhardt capitalized on the starting spot, holding the lead throughout the 8-lap contest, winning by 6-tenths of a second over Justin Peck and locking himself into the dash redraw.

The redraw wasn’t as friendly.  Reinhardt drew pill number five, giving him the inside row three starting spot.  Kyle was unable to gain any positions in the 6-lap dash but did hold onto 5th at the checkered flag.  

The real loss in the dash wasn’t positions, it was the motor.  It came up lame in the final lap, leaving the Capitol Renegade team a very small window of time to make repairs or swap motors, depending on the diagnosis.  The team quickly determined an engine change would be needed but there wasn’t sufficient time to do so, leaving the team with only one option to collect a paycheck for the night.  They would have to give up their 5th starting spot and elect to start at the rear of the field.  Reinhardt would take the green, then park the No.91 immediately to prevent further damage.

A solid night that looked primed to provide Reinhardt with a top-5 finish, instead left him watching from the sideline.

8/27:  Williams Grove Speedway – Mechanicsburg, PA

Unfortunately, Mother Nature claimed victory on the second night of the 4-race swing through PA.  Weather forced the legendary oval, Williams Grove Speedway, to cancel the annual Jack Gunn Memorial Twin 20’s program.  

8/28:  Lincoln Speedway – Abbottstown, PA

      (38 cars, Qualifying 4th in group D/20th overall, Heat 1st, Dash 4th, A-main 6th)

Following the night off due to rain, the All Star tour rolled into the Pigeon Hills of Pennsylvania for the Kramer Klash, in honor of the late Kramer Williamson.  The field was 38 teams strong in pursuit of the $7,300 winner’s share.

Kyle Reinhardt was the 31st overall to go under the clock for qualifying.  His 13.562 second lap was solid for the late slot and good enough for 4th in his group and the pole of the 4th heat.

For the second consecutive night, the Neptune City, NJ native did not waste the opportunity, grabbing the lead at the drop of the green.   Reinhardt never gave up the top spot, cruising to a convincing 1.7 second victory over Alan Krimes. 

Reinhardt had to be sensing deja vu.  First there was the pole and heat win just like Thursday, then yet again the dash redraw turned up the 5th starting spot in the first dash. This time he was able to make forward progress, grabbing the 4th spot and securing the 7th starting spot for the A-main in the process.

The 35-lap feature at the 3/8-mile high banked oval provided the stage for Reinhardt to play out the final act of a solid night.  He raced solidly inside the top 10 throughout the event, ultimately netting one spot and finishing 6th, completing his career-best overall night at Lincoln Speedway.

8/29:  BAPS Motor Speedway – Newberrytown, PA

      (32 cars, Qualifying 4th in group A/5th overall, Heat 2nd, Dash 4th, A-main 23rd)

The fourth and final night of the PA swing for the All Stars led the series to Lincoln Speedway, a 4-tenths mile oval in the heart of Posse country.  

The night started well for Reinhardt, drawing the number one slot for qualifying.  He promptly turned in the 5th quickest time overall and 4th fastest in his group, once again putting the Capitol Renegade No.91 on the heat race pole.

Despite a side by side battle through the first corner at the start, Reinhardt could not claim the top spot from Bill Balog, who used the cushion to build momentum.  The pair exited turn two and powered down the backstretch with Reinhardt nipping at Balog’s heels.  On lap 3, Lucas Wolfe worked his way past Reinhardt, claiming the runner up spot at the line.  Kyle was up to the challenge, crossing over and pulling a slider on Wolfe to retake the spot on the next lap.  From there, Reinhardt built up a cushion and rode home in 2nd.  

Reinhardt was locked into the dash redraw for the 3rd race in a row and this time his pick was a little better.  Rolling off from inside row 2 in the dash, Reinhardt was looking to earn a starting spot at the front of the field.  Things didn’t quite work out that way.  The setup was off a touch, and he slipped to a 4th place finish, once again slotting him in the 4th row for the A-main.

The Capitol Renegade team applied what they had learned from the 4-lap dash and rolled Reinhardt out for the 30-lap feature.  It was evident from the drop of the green that Reinhardt had something good to work with.  As he flashed under the flag stand to complete lap 1, he was already up to 5th position.  A split second later, contact from behind turned Reinhardt around and sent him sliding down across the front straightaway and into the inside barrier.  The impact damaged his J&J Auto Racing No.91 and ended the night for the Capitol Renegade team.  They were officially credited with a 23rd place finish.

“We had good speed all weekend, making 3-of-3 dashes, but we only have one finish to show for it.  I’m happy about our night at Lincoln.  That’s the best I’ve run there.  The other two nights were just things that were out of our control, so it’s frustrating.”, Reinhardt commented.  

He continued, “At Grandview we would have started 5th in the feature but we hurt the motor at the end of the dash and ran out of time to change it.  We had a great start to the night last night at BAPS.  Started 7th in the feature and was up to 5th on lap one but unfortunately got turned on the front stretch and it ended our night.  I have to thank my guys and Capitol Renegade for everything they do for me“.

Up Next:

There are ten races remaining in the All Star Circuit of Champions 2021 season.  The first two of those will take place this weekend, September 3rd-4th at Attica Raceway Park in Ohio.  Kyle and the Capitol Renegade team struggled at Attica earlier this season but have been consistently fast over the past six weeks.  They will carry that momentum into Attica to go after the $10,000 top prize in Saturday night’s finale, the “Attica Ambush”.

Thanks to Our Partners!

RQM Enterprises would like to express their appreciation to all of their partners for the continued support!  Thanks to Capitol Renegade, Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers, Champion Brands, Fibreworks Composites, Henry’s Wrecker Service, J&J Auto Racing, FK Rod Ends, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Kelly Racing Fuel, B.C. Walter Trucking, Arai Americas, Auto Meter, KSE Racing Products, InTech Trailers, Fel-Pro, Taylor Ignition Wires, Miller Welders, K&N Filters, Mettec, AL Driveline, Jesel Valvetrain, DMI, All-Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads, ISC Racers Tape, HMS Motorsports, Ultra Lite Brakes & Components, Rider Racing Engines, Saldana Racing Products and HP Engines for their support during the 2021 racing season.