Kyle Reinhardt Looking Forward to Getting Back on Track After Challenging Weekend

Name almost any challenge for a sprint car team and Kyle Reinhardt probably experienced it over the past weekend when the All Star Circuit of Champions sprint car tour rolled through Western PA and Eastern Ohio.  If it wasn’t the weather, then it was probably a tricky track surface or maybe a part failure.  Some things you can’t control, some you can.  The bottom line is they collectively prevented Reinhardt and his Capitol Renegade team from continuing to build on any momentum they had from their most recent outings.

What was to be a 3-race weekend started off on a down note when Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, PA was forced to cancel Friday night’s event due to very wet and cold conditions.  The team instead headed north to Hartford, OH to get ready to tackle Sharon Speedway.

Sharon Speedway (Qualifying 29th, Heat 7th,  B-main 14th)

A sizable field of 41 teams signed in to compete on Saturday night.  The night’s format divided the field into 5 groups, with Reinhardt going out in the final group, 34th overall, for his qualifying laps.  His quickest lap was only good enough for 5th in his group and 29th overall.  

With four cars transferring from each heat race to the A-main, Reinhardt would need to move forward just one spot from his 5th starting spot in the final heat race of the evening but unfortunately he went backwards to a 7th place finish instead.  They would only get one more shot to make the finale but rolling off from the 12th starting spot in the B-main, which was only advancing four cars, was a tall order.  Again the team struggled to find the combination they needed and failed to reach a transfer position, ending their night.

“We’re struggling in the slick right now.  If there are some patches of brown, we’re good and we can race.  We’ll get it figured out.“, Reinhardt shared.  

Tri City Raceway Park (Qualifying 13th, Heat 3rd,  A-main 22nd)

Sunday brought a new day, a new track and a new opportunity as Kyle and team unloaded at Tri City Raceway Park in Franklin, PA.  The evening started out on a positive note, with a good pill draw and a good qualifying lap.  Reinhardt went out 6th overall and registered the 13th best lap in the 34 car field.  It was also good enough for 2nd quick in his group.

The effort under the clock gave him the 3rd starting spot in the first of four heats.  Five cars would transfer to the A-main, but Reinhardt wanted to control his own destiny and put himself in the dash by winning the heat race.  The second best scenario would be Tyler Courtney winning, which would put Reinhardt in the dash by virtue of his time.  Although his Capitol Renegade No.91 was good in the 8-lap qualifier, it wasn’t quite good enough to win.  He settled for 3rd, behind runner up Courtney, and thus missed the dash.

Reinhardt and team were still encouraged though.  They had some speed back and would get a chance to leave town with a decent night under their belt, especially if they could move forward from their 12th starting spot.  The hope didn’t last long though.  Disaster struck as Reinhardt sailed his mount into the first corner on lap 2 and quickly found himself upside down, bringing an abrupt end to his night.

Reinhardt reflected on night saying, “Overall we had a decent night going.  We’ve been working on getting our engines running better and I think we were good enough to run top 10, maybe even top 5 if things went right.  We just wanted to survive and get out of here with a good finish.  Unfortunately our rear axle broke entering turn one on the second lap, so we ended up with a bent race car instead.”  He quickly turned his attention to the future.  “We have a long stretch of All Star races coming up this month, so we’ll skip The Grove and take next weekend off.  We need to get caught up, fix some equipment and make sure our motors are fresh.“, the All Star Rookie of the Year candidate shared.  It was a veteran-like perspective, recognizing the long haul that is a season on the road with the traveling series.    

RQM Motorsports would like to thank 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.

UP NEXT:

Kyle and the RQM Enterprises, Capitol Renegade No.91 team will take the upcoming weekend off to prepare for a trip to the Midwest for two events with the All Star Circuit of Champions.  On May 14th the tour will stop at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, MI, followed by a stop at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL on May 15th.