Kyle Reinhardt Finds Qualifying Speed, Captures 1st Quick Time Award

In sprint car racing there are seemingly hundreds of variables on any given night.  Finding the right combination for success is a tough challenge, even for the most experienced team.  Making things even more challenging, the variables are constantly changing.  The right combination for qualifying isn’t usually what will make a team fast in the feature. Kyle Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team have been working hard, learning and problem-solving all season as they battle through their rookie year on the All Star Circuit of Champions tour.  Top of mind lately has been improving their qualifying program.

7/23:  Lake Ozark Speedway – Eldon, MO

      (30 cars:  Qualifying 2nd, Heat 5th,  Dash 7th, A-main 10th)

Friday night, 30 teams signed in for the All Star Circuit of Champions kickoff to their annual “Thunder Through the Plains” swing.  The swing consists of 7 races at 6 tracks in 9 days across Missouri, Kansas and Iowa.

The All Star format for 30 cars or less calls for 2-lap time trials as a single group, three 8-lap heat races with six cars transferring to the A-main, a 6-lap dash and a B-main to set the feature field.

Kyle Reinhardt got the night started on a positive note for the Capitol Renegade team by registering the 2nd quickest lap in the field.  It was especially satisfying coming off the Kings Royal week at Eldora, where the team raced well but wasn’t able to find the speed they needed in time trials.  Nights that start with a less than ideal qualifying result mean teams have to play catch up throughout the night.  With a good qualifying effort, the team can save their equipment a little until it really counts at the end of the night.  The qualifying effort at Lake Ozark would lock him into the dash redraw, as long as Reinhardt could finish in the top six of his heat.  It was a mission he was able to complete, finishing 5th in heat two.

At the dash redraw, Reinhardt drew the 6th starting spot for the 8-car, 6-lap event.  The Neptune City, NJ native finished 7th in the dash, putting him inside the 4th row to start the 30-lap A-main.  Reinhardt ran steadily inside the top 10 during the feature event, slipping a couple spots late in the race.  The top-10 finish was a solid night for the Capitol Renegade team.  

7/24:  Lake Ozark Speedway – Eldon, MO

      (27 cars:  Qualifying 2nd, Heat 6th,  Dash 8th, A-main 24th)

The series was back at Lake Ozark for a second consecutive night with 27 teams signed in, which meant the same format would be in use again Saturday.  Also like the night before, Kyle Reinhardt kicked off the night on a high note by logging the 3rd fastest lap in the field.  It was particularly satisfying to back up the qualifying result from the prior night and know they had made real progress with their qualifying program.

Reinhardt transferred to the A-main through his heat race, and as the transfer with the quickest qualifying time, advanced to the dash redraw.  The random draw wasn’t friendly to Kyle, landing his No.91 at the back of the lineup in the 8th starting spot.  Reinhardt mixed it up with Gio Scelzi in the dash, swapping positions during the intense 6-lap race, but ultimately settled for an 8th place finish.

The All Star Rookie of the Year candidate took the green for the 35-lap feature event from the 8th starting spot.  Reinhardt raced just inside the top 10 during the opening laps, until a severe vibration developed in the Capitol Renegade No.91, causing him to lose positions.  A few laps later, Reinhardt pulled to the infield and retired from competition.  

7/25:  Humboldt Speedway – Humboldt, KS

      (19 cars:  Qualifying 1st, Heat 3rd,  Dash 7th, A-main 11th)

The All Star “Thunder Through the Plains” caravan traveled four hours west into Kansas for stop number three of the swing.  It was the series first ever visit to the 3/8-mile, high-banked, clay oval named Humboldt Speedway.  For the 3rd consecutive night, the single group qualifying and three heat format would be in use.

Kyle Reinhardt was the 5th car to hit the track for time trials and he laid down a blistering 12.055.  It turned out to be a lap that no other team was able to beat.  It was yet another first in a season full of them for Reinhardt.  Despite being close numerous times before, it was his first quick time award in a 410 sprint car.

In the first heat race, Reinhardt started 4th and finished 3rd to secure his spot in the dash redraw.  Unfortunately though, his tough luck with recent dash redraws continued, once again pulling the #8 starting spot.

Reinhardt was able to gain one spot in the 6-lap dash, which meant the RQM Enterprises team would line up inside row four for the 35-lap feature.  Throughout the first third of the race, Reinhardt battled just outside of the top five.  As the lap numbers climbed, the No.91 lost a little bit of the speed it had early on.  Reinhardt battled hard to remain inside the top-10 but crossed the line 11th at the end of the night.

“Pretty special to get my first quick time in a 410!  We are definitely improving as a team on these small tracks, but still working to keep our speed through the entire night”, Reinhardt shared.

7/27:  I-70 Speedway – Odessa, MO

      (28 cars:  Qualifying 18th, Heat 7th,  B-main 1st, A-main 13th)

After a day off, 28 teams made their way to I-70 Speedway in Odessa, MO for night number four of “Thunder Through the Plains”.  For the first time on the swing, Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team, missed the mark for time trials and ended up 18th quickest in the single group qualifying.

Starting 6th in the third heat, Reinhardt was unable to hold onto the transfer position.  He finished 7th and the team immediately went to work on changes for the B-main.  When the green flag dropped on the 10-lap B-main, Reinhardt was clearly quicker than he had been.  The clock showed he was circling the speedway an average of three-quarters of a second quicker than he had during the heat race.  The team had clearly found something.  Reinhardt drove away to win by nearly four seconds over the closest competitor.

Reinhardt rolled off from the 19th starting spot for his 42nd career All Star Circuit of Champions A-main event.  It turned out to be one of those nights where you just have to grind it out.  Stay in the game, take what you can get, and be there at the end.  Reinhardt did just that, and claimed a 13th place finish following a green-white-checkers finish that turned the event into a 31-lap affair.

“We’re getting better balance in the car.  We seem to either be fast early and don’t make the right adjustments to keep up with the track, or we struggle early and then find our speed late.  We need to put it all together now“, Reinhardt commented.  

Thanks to Our Partners!

As always, RQM Motorsports would like to sincerely 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:

The next three days will take Kyle and the Capitol Renegade team through more of Missouri and Iowa to complete the remainder of the All Star Circuit of Champions “Thunder Through the Plains” swing.  The series will stop at Missouri State Fair Speedway on July 29th, 34 Raceway on July 30th, and Knoxville Raceway on July 31st.  More info can be found below.

Following those events, the team will remain on the road to open the month of August, competing in the 360 and 410 Nationals at Knoxville Raceway, as well as the Capitani Classic at Knoxville and the Front Row Challenge at Southern Iowa Speedway.