Tag Archive for: #allstarcircuitofchampions

Kyle Reinhardt was hoping the third time would be the charm.  

He had tried twice before to make the prestigious Knoxville Nationals, the most recent being in 2018 in the Capitol Renegade No.91.  Each of his prior attempts would likely best be described as long shots.  This year was different.

The Capitol Renegade program has come a long way since 2018.  That year, their week in Knoxville included a scratch on their qualifying night and they opted not to run the D-main on Championship Saturday.  This year, Reinhardt and Capitol Renegade had a legitimate shot at making the big show together.  

8/11:  410 Sprint Car Knoxville Nationals – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA

      (Qualifying Night:  49 cars, Qualifying 32nd, Heat 1st,  A-main 21st)

As is always the case with the large number of cars that enter the Knoxville Nationals, half of the field qualifies on Wednesday night, while the remaining teams qualify on Thursday night.  

Kyle Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team were among 49 cars slated to qualify on Wednesday, the opening night of the 60th Annual edition of “The Nationals”.  The All Star Circuit of Champions Rookie of the Year candidate was the 38th driver to take to the track for time trials.  On his second circuit, he logged the 32nd quickest lap in the field.  

Reinhardt knew his No.91 had a better lap in it, but the motor wasn’t exactly cooperating during his shot under the clock.  However, it was good enough to provide him with an outside front row starting spot in the second heat.  The crew went to work after time trials to make sure Reinhardt had what he needed to capitalize on the starting spot because the top 4 finishers would transfer directly to the night’s A-main, providing a solid opportunity to accumulate points for the week.  The better the finish, the better their position to make the A-main on Championship Saturday, which would pay a hefty $10,000 to start.

The car was stout in the heat race.  Reinhardt blasted to the lead at the drop of the green.  He never relinquished the top spot, cruising to the win by 2.144 seconds over Zeb Wise, and locking himself into the 25-lap feature event later that night.

Unfortunately, just a few laps into the A-main, the earlier issues Reinhardt bubbled up again and he slid backwards in the field, ultimately finishing 21st.

“Motor issues hurt our time trial, got it sorted out and won our heat race, but motor issues resurfaced in the (feature) race, and we couldn’t go anywhere.  Car was fast when it would run, which was encouraging, but at this deal you can’t afford to miss the slightest opportunity“, Wayne Quackenbush of Capitol Renegade shared.

8/13:  410 Sprint Car Knoxville Nationals – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA

      (Hard Knox Night:  69 cars, Qualifying 5th in Flight #2, Heat 2nd, A-main 9th)

With both qualifying nights in the books, points were tallied to set up the remainder of the week.  The top 16 teams in points were automatically locked into the A-main on Championship Saturday, while the next 10 teams in points would make up the first five rows of Saturday’s B-main.  The remaining teams, 27th and lower in points, would compete in Friday night’s Hard Knox program to take another shot at making Saturday’s finale.  

The 69 teams who signed in to make the most of Friday’s second opportunity were divided into two flights for timed qualifying.  Kyle Reinhardt was the 18th of 34 cars to take to the track in Flight #2.  He tripped the timing light on his second lap with a 16.031, ranking him 5th quickest for the night.

In the fifth heat, Kyle started inside row two behind the front row of Wayne Johnson and Sammy Swindell.   Reinhardt charged past Swindell into 2nd on the opening lap and never looked back.  He was unable to close on Johnson but rode home comfortably in 2nd, locking into Friday’s main event.

Reinhardt and team had a solid night going and had put themselves in position to achieve the main goal of the week.  The Capitol Renegade, Champion Brands, Henry’s Wrecker Service No.91 would line up 4th in Friday’s 25-lap A-main, behind a front row consisting of the legendary Jac Haudenchild and the ever-popular Rico Abreu.

Reinhardt held serve near the front of the field, running 3rd or 4th during the first half of the event.  At the midpoint of Friday’s A-main, the Neptune City, NJ native was still running in a transfer spot to put himself in his first ever Knoxville Nationals Championship Saturday A-main, but issues arose that left the dangling carrot just out of reach.  

“Unfortunately, I lost brakes and couldn’t hold the bottom. Dropped back a few spots and finished 9th”, Reinhardt commented.  

He would have one more shot on Saturday night to advance from his 15th starting spot in the B-main to a top-4 finish to make the show.

8/14:  410 Sprint Car Knoxville Nationals – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA

      (Championship Saturday:  88 cars, B-main 22nd)

Saturday’s mission at Knoxville was clear cut for Kyle Reinhardt:  Roll off 15th in the B-main, pass eleven cars, and transfer to the A-main.  It was also a tall order in a last chance qualifying race that had a starting lineup that was better than almost any feature event across the country on any given night.  Everything would have to be perfect.  

It didn’t take Reinhardt long Saturday night to determine things were not perfect.  The brake issue from Friday night reared its head again early in the B-main.  Attempting to be fast around Knoxville with brake issues was an unwinnable battle.  Reinhardt eventually retired from the event and was officially credited with 22nd, bringing an end to the team’s Nationals week.  

“I have mixed emotions.  We were so close.  Friday was our moment.  Despite our motor and brake issues, we were right there, fighting for it, running in a transfer spot.  To be that close and not make it is really disappointing”, Reinhardt commented.  “We haven’t had brake issues all year, so it’s frustrating for it to happen here.  All that said, the B-main is nothing to be ashamed of here.  We have nothing to hang our heads about“, he concluded.

Thanks to Our Partners!

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:

Kyle and the Capitol Renegade team will resume their All Star Circuit of Champions rookie campaign this week with events in Michigan and Indiana on August 20th and 21st.  Friday night, the series will compete for $5,000 to win at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, MI.  The tour will move on to Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, IN for a shot at the $6,000 winner’s share on Saturday night.  Just 16 races remain on the series’ 2021 schedule and Reinhardt currently sits 9th in points in his first season on the tour.

SCHEDULE UPDATE:

The 8/21 event at Plymouth Speedway has been CANCELLED.  Instead, Kyle and the All Stars will race at Waynesfield Raceway Park in Ohio Saturday night.

If your method of getting race results is to check feature rundowns on your favorite website, or check quick results on social media, you may not know the full story of how Kyle Reinhardt’s rookie season with the All Star Circuit of Champions is going.  You’ve certainly seen his name several times and you’ve read about some notable achievements, but if you look a little closer, it might be going better than you think.  More on that later.

7/29:  Missouri State Fair Speedway – Sedalia, MO

      (23 cars:  Qualifying 11th, Heat 1st,  Dash 8th, A-main 17th)

On the final Thursday of July, the All Star series rolled into Sedalia, MO for stop number five of the “Thunder Through the Plains” swing.  The fairgrounds half mile dirt oval drew a group of 23 cars for the $10,000 to win Ron Ditzfeld Memorial.  Kyle Reinhardt’s night started with a respectable qualifying run , 11th quickest in the field.  The night went from good to better when the Rookie of the Year candidate was victorious in heat number two, locking himself and the Capitol Renegade team into the dash redraw.

Reinhardt ultimately started 8th in the 35-lap A-main and raced inside the top 10 for the first half of the event.  He had moved his J&J chassis within striking distance of the top-5, holding down 6th on lap 15.  Following a lengthy red flag for Zeb Wise, who went over the fence off turn two, things started to go downhill for Reinhardt.  

Unsure why the handling had changed, Reinhardt wrestled with his mount trying to regain a rhythm.  Despite what turned out to be a tire issue, he held on to a top 10 spot until the final seven laps, then faded to a 17th place finish as the issue with his No.91 got significantly worse.  

7/30:  34 Raceway – West Burlington, IA

      (23 cars:  Qualifying 4th, Heat 3rd,  Dash 2nd, A-main 19th)

The swing trudged on through the hot and humid Midwest summer weather, this time chugging into Iowa to compete at the 3/8-mile clay oval.  Teams were working hard, traveling, and racing in the midst of a string of days with a heat index of 114 degrees. 

Like the night before, 23 team signed in to compete.  However this night got off to an even better start for Reinhardt than the night before.  He tripped the timing loop with the 4th quickest lap in the field, putting himself and his team in great position for the remainder of the show.  

Reinhardt finished 3rd in heat number one, transferring to the A-main and locking into the dash redraw once again.  The redraw was a little more friendly on this occasion, providing Reinhardt with the outside front row starting spot.  He was able to battle his way to the lead at the start of the dash but gave way to Bill Balog one lap later, then held on to 2nd and the A-main front row starting spot that came with it.

In the 30-lap feature event, Reinhardt held solid in the top-5 throughout the event and was poised to finally realize some payoff for all the hard work and recent speed.  With five laps remaining, the rug was pulled out from under Reinhardt when his right-rear tire went down, sending him to the sideline and a disappointing 19th place finish.

7/31:  Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA

      (46 cars:  Qualifying 7th in group, Heat 5th, B-main 10th)

Saturday led teams to the “Sprint Car Capitol of the World”, Knoxville Raceway, for the finale of the 2021 edition of “Thunder Through the Plains”.  A stout field of 46 cars were pit-side to compete for  the $7,000 top prize, which meant there would be five groups for qualifying.  

Kyle Reinhardt was the 26th car to go under the clock in qualifying.  His time was only good enough for 7th in Group C, creating a bit of an uphill battle to make his way to the A-main.  He nearly climbed that hill from his 7th starting spot in heat three, finishing 5th, just one position out of a transfer spot.  Instead, he would need to climb from 6th to 4th in the B-main achieve that objective.  It was not to be though, as Reinhardt slipped a few spots to a 10th place finish, missing the cut and ending the night for the Capitol Renegade team.

“We didn’t time well at Knoxville but I learned every time I went out.  Knoxville races different than anywhere else, so we’re all working hard to get better there.  That’s a big reason we’re going to race the 360 Nationals and the Capitani Classic before the 410 Nationals”, Reinhardt shared.

“We had good speed all week and that’s what it takes to win these races.  We didn’t get the finishes we wanted, but we’ve been putting ourselves in position to compete for wins”, Reinhardt commented.

The stats certainly back up Reinhardt’s statement.  Let’s examine his dash participation.  Being in the dash means a driver will start within the top 8 positions of a feature, which substantially increases their chances of winning.  The Neptune City, NJ native has put the Capitol Renegade No.91 into 5 of the last 7 dashes.  That equates to a 71% success rate.  Compare that to a similar 7-race stretch back in May, during which the team qualified for the dash a mere 14% of the time.   

That trend of improvement is visible in the stats month by month ever since the season kicked off in February.  Given what we’ve seen lately, it’s going to be exciting to see what the remaining months of the 2021 season bring for this young team.  Stay tuned!

Thanks to Our Partners!

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:

This week Kyle and the Capitol Renegade team will tackle the 360 Sprint Car Nationals at Knoxville Raceway.  Qualifying night for the team is Thursday, August 5th and the event finale will be Saturday, August 7th.  

Following the 360 Nationals, the team will get back to 410 racing, entering the Capitani Classic at Knoxville on August 8th, which will lead into the Knoxville 410 Sprint Car Nationals August 11-14th.F

Kyle Reinhardt has been anxiously awaiting his first opportunity to tackle “The Big E”, Eldora Speedway, in Western Ohio.  Eldora is legendary and is often mentioned in the same breath as Knoxville Raceway.  Both are facilities where any sprint car driver wants to someday stand in victory lane.

In the midst of his first season on the road, traveling with the All Star Circuit of Champions, Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team added the Kings Royal to their schedule.  Make that two Kings Royals.  Mid-July 2021 would provide four consecutive nights of racing, including the 37th and 38th Kings Royals.  Both crown jewel events would pay a whopping $175,000 to the winner, so it certainly seemed like a good opportunity to make their debut and learn a lot in one week. 

7/14:  Jokers Wild at Eldora Speedway – New Weston, OH

      (57 cars:  Qualifying 21st in Flight 2, Non-Qualifier 1st, Heat 12th,  C-main 4th)

The Jokers Wild, a Kings Royal preliminary night, is run under the World of Outlaws format, which meant the 57 teams that entered competition Wednesday night were divided into two flights for qualifying.  Kyle Reinhardt was the 4th car to hit the speedway in Flight 2, but he was unable to capitalize on the early slot.  He registered the 21st quickest lap of the 28 cars in his group,  which meant he would need to race in an 8-lap non-qualifiers event.  Finishing in a transfer position in that race would put Reinhardt directly into a heat race, where he would have a chance to race for a spot in the B-main or A-main.  

The Neptune City, NJ native jumped out to a lead in the non-qualifiers race, and never looked back, winning the race and claiming his spot in the third heat race.  After starting 12th in the heat race, Reinhardt was unable to make forward progress in the opening laps.  Needing to get to at least 6th position to avoid the C-main, the team decided to pull in early and save the equipment for the next battle.  

Reinhardt started 4th in the C-main, needing to finish in the top two positions to advance to the B-main, however it wasn’t in the cards.  He ‘held serve’ and finished 4th, missing the cut, and bringing an end to his first night at Eldora.

Thu 7/15 & Sat 7/17:  38th King’s Royal at Eldora Speedway – New Weston, OH

      (61 cars:  Qualifying 46th overall, Heat 6th,  B-main 14th)

Last year, the pandemic caused the 2020 Kings Royal (the 37th edition) to be postponed to 2021.  For Eldora Speedway, scheduling two major events in one week, when combined with logistical and ticketing considerations, meant the 2021 King’s Royal (the 38th edition) would be run before the 37th edition.  Confused?  Yeah, not surprised, but just go with it.

The Thursday evening show used the traditional Kings Royal format, with the entire 61 car field qualifying as one group against each other.  An unlucky pill draw put Reinhardt 50th in the time trail order, which he used to log the 46th fastest lap of the evening.  

The qualifying result landed the All Star Circuit of Champions Rookie of the Year candidate in the 8th starting spot for heat number four, but he would have to wait nearly two days to take the green flag in that event.  The rains came just after heat one was completed Thursday night, delaying the rest of the program to Saturday afternoon.

When the show resumed Saturday afternoon, Reinhardt rolled off in the 8th starting spot of heat number four.  On the tricky daylight surface, he charged into 6th place on the opening lap and held onto the position to transfer directly into the B-main.  In that Last Chance Showdown, passing was at a premium and Reinhardt settled for a 14th place finish.

Sat 7/17:  37th King’s Royal at Eldora Speedway – New Weston, OH

      (58 cars:  Qualifying 43rd overall, Heat 8th,  C-main 5th, B-main 16th)

Following a break that lasted nearly three hours while the track was reworked and fans were cleared out and reprocessed to allow ticket holders from the rescheduled 2020 event to settle into their seats, 58 teams rolled onto the speedway to kick off what was officially the 37th King’s Royal as the sun began to set.

Once again, the special event format was in use, meaning the entire field qualified under the clock as one large group, not in flights.  Qualifying late in this format can be difficult as track conditions deteriorate.  Reinhardt had drawn a high pill, placing him 53rd in line to hit the track.  His best lap of 13.705 was only good enough for 43rd overall.

Reinhardt started and finished 8th in the first heat event of the night, transferring him to the 7th starting spot in the C-main.  Kyle was aggressive and managed to battle his way forward as far as 4th for a few laps, but he found himself in 5th when the checkered flag fell on the 12-lap race.  With six cars transferring, it was good enough to move on to the B-main.

Starting on the back row of the B-main, in 21st position, knowing it was a tall order to transfer to the A-main, Reinhardt made the most of his seat time.  Once again, he passed cars, chipping his way forward to the 16th spot by the time the 15-lap last chance showdown concluded.  The night, and week, came to a close for the Capitol Renegade team.  

When asked about his first experience making laps at Eldora Speedway, without hesitation Reinhardt quickly summed it up in a single word:  “Intense“. 

“We raced pretty well, but we didn’t time trial well, so it was an uphill battle.  I was learning every time I hit the track and the team was learning too.  We were improving each day“, Reinhardt commented, reflecting on his performance in his inaugural trip to the legendary facility. 

“Our goal coming here was to make one of the big shows.  We didn’t accomplish that goal, but we did build a good notebook for next time.  I got more comfortable each night.  If we can step up our qualifying game next time, we’ll be right in the mix.  I’m really looking forward to coming back here in September“, Reinhardt said.

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:

The next four weeks will be quite a test for Kyle and the Capitol Renegade team.  In a few days, they will travel to the Midwest to resume the All Star Circuit of Champions schedule.  The series will close out July with 7 races in 9 days across Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa.  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.

“We’ll be away from home for a long stretch this summer but I’m looking forward to getting back to the Midwest and racing a lot.  I’ve raced at Lake Ozark, Knoxville, and Southern Iowa, but like most of our schedule this year, the other stops will be new for us.  We’ll keep building our notebook.  The more we race, the better“, Reinhardt said.