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It was a moment he believed he would have someday, but nobody could guarantee it.  You just need to have the opportunity and you need to put in the work, then maybe it’ll happen.  

Standing in victory lane in Joliet, IL with a broad smile on his face, Kyle Reinhardt thanked Wayne Quackenbush & Capitol Renegade, his parents & family, his girlfriend, Jeff McCall and everyone else who had helped him pursue his dream.  Collectively they are the reason he was able to give up a career as an engineer to be a full-time racer.  It’s a high risk, high reward choice.  Although there is good money that can be won in a race car, in this case the reward is also about achieving something you are passionate about.  Feeling that satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that stems from your lifelong vision.  Kyle’s is a fascinating story.  There’s no yellow brick road.  Just a trail of hard work, preparation and creating opportunities over the years.  

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  First we need to make a stop in Michigan.

I-96 Speedway: Odessa, MI (Qualifying 13th, Heat 2nd,  A-main 10th)

32 teams signed in to compete in the $8,500 to win Mace Thomas Classic on Friday night at the 4-tenths mile Michigan oval.  The format divided the field into 4 groups for time trials and heats.  Reinhardt was the 17th car to hit the track under the clock and he turned in the 13th quickest time overall, good for 4th in his group.

The qualifying effort placed him on the pole of heat three, from which he jumped out to a comfortable lead in the opening laps.  A caution with two laps complete bunched the field.  Second place Paul McMahan made the most of the restart opportunity, diving under Reinhardt and claiming the lead exiting turn 2.  While the Capitol Renegade No.91 was good, it wasn’t quite good enough to get back by McMahan.  Reinhardt settled for a runner-up finish that transferred him directly to the main event, but there was still a bit of disappointment.  A win would have provided a guaranteed top-10 starting spot in the A-main but more importantly, an opportunity in a dash to start even closer to the front of the field.  Instead, he would start the night’s main event in 12th.  

“Your whole night changes so much based on each position in qualifying and heats.  You have to be on your game all the time.“, Reinhardt commented.  

When the green flag waved on the main event, Reinhardt had his eyes set on a top-10, or maybe even a top-5, finish.  Before one lap could be completed, Reinhardt was already passing for 10th when he suddenly found himself facing the wrong direction on the back stretch when a competitor made contact with the front of his J&J Chassis.  The good news was there was no damage, but the bad news was Reinhardt would have to restart the event at the back of the field, in the 24th position.

Racing from the back of the field can be tough.  There’s a lot of traffic and ‘dirty air’ that can make passing difficult.  That appeared to be the case for Reinhardt over the first dozen laps.  He found himself still riding in 21st when the caution appeared on lap 12.  On this night though, Reinhardt’s car was up to the challenge.  As the remainder of the 30-lap race unfolded, Kyle made a charge, methodically working his way forward.  When the final caution of the event appeared on lap 19, he found himself in 15th.  It was more of the same when the green lights flashed back on for the final 11 laps.  Reinhardt continued his steady push forward, advancing another position every few laps.  It culminated with a pass for 10th on the final circuit.

While the official results listed Reinhardt as +2 (12th to 10th), in reality he had been +14 and had earned all but one of those positions by making passes under green flag conditions.  “We had a solid night going early.  We just missed the dash, but I knew we had a car capable of running in the top 10.  After the contact on lap one, I had to work a lot harder for it, but it feels good to know we have our speed back.  Earning a top 10 all the way from the back…I’ll take it for sure.“, Reinhardt shared, reflecting on the positive aspects of their night.

Dirt Oval at Route 66: Joliet, IL (Qualifying 3rd, Heat 4th,  Dash 1st, A-main 1st)

On Saturday, the tour made its way southwest along Lake Michigan to the half-mile just outside of Chicago.  28 teams were on hand to compete for the $8,000 winner’s share.  Under the format for 30 cars or less, all teams would qualify against the entire field, then be divided into three heats.

Reinhardt started the night strong, registering the 3rd quickest time in the field.  The top 4 were inverted for each heat race, giving the All Star Rookie of the Year candidate the 4th starting spot in heat three.  He held on to that spot in the 8-lap qualifying event to not only transfer to the A-main but, as the fastest qualifier in the heat, put himself in the dash redraw.

We’ve all heard the famous quote from a Roman philosopher: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”  For Reinhardt, opportunity knocked in the form of drawing the pole for the 6-lap dash, and he was prepared.  Starting alongside Cory Eliason, Kyle had the advantage in the opening turns.  Eliason was strong and took the top spot away to lead lap one.  Reinhardt wasn’t done.  He powered back under the Rudeen Racing No.26 of Eliason on lap 2.  Once back in front, Reinhardt would not be denied.  He pulled out to a convincing lead and claimed his first career All Star Circuit of Champions dash victory, and with it, the pole for the A-main.

The 25-lap feature event had trouble finding its rhythm.  Over the first 8 laps, there 5 cautions.  For Reinhardt that meant clean air to race in, but it also meant having to pick the right line and withstand challenges on each restart.  He was up to the task.  Each time, he managed the restart like a veteran and consistently put himself in position to open up a lead.  The race remained green between laps 10 and 20, allowing Reinhardt to reach lapped traffic.  His lead over Tyler Courtney would vary during that stretch.  It would balloon to almost 1.5 seconds, then shrink to nearly 0.5 seconds at times in traffic.  Reinhardt kept making the right decisions at the right times and kept himself just out of reach of “Sunshine”.  The final caution appeared with five laps remaining.  Sometimes a late caution is a bad thing.  It can give the second place car a final shot on a restart.  In this case, it seemed to be in Reinhardt’s favor.  With clear track ahead of him on the final restart, he bolted away from the field, capturing his first career All Star Circuit of Champions victory and the $8,000 check that came with it.  

A very happy Reinhardt shared his insight on the night.  “I think the dash was the turning point tonight for me.  We were fast all night but when I was able to get back by Cory (Eliason), I knew we had a car capable of winning.”  Turning his thoughts to the feature, he continued, “All the yellows at the start were tough.  We don’t have any spotters, so I just had to go with my gut and try to get a good start each time.  Once we got going, I wasn’t sure how close anyone was to me, but I knew I had to keep up a good pace.  That got tougher when we got to lapped traffic, but I just kept trying to put (lapped) cars between me and Tyler (Courtney).  When that last caution came out, I knew we would be alright in the clean air the rest of the way.“

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 remained in the Midwest following the Route 66 event to compete in four upcoming All Star Circuit of Champions events titled as the All Star Indiana Invasion presented by the Rayce Rudeen Foundation.  The series will spend two nights at Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis, IN on May 20th-21st, where the finale will pay $10,000 to the winner.  Teams will then travel to Gas City I-69 Speedway in Gas City, IN on May 22nd and finally will close out the swing with a $26,000 to win event at the Kokomo speedway in Kokomo, IN on May 23rd.

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.

Entering his first full time season with the series, Kyle Reinhardt was hoping to kick off the All Star Circuit of Champions points races with a solid weekend, but Attica Raceway Park in Ohio didn’t cooperate with his plans.  A trip back to his home state to visit Bridgeport Motorsports Park in NJ a few days later, helped restore his confidence.

Friday’s Core & Main Spring Nationals program at Attica Raceway Park was canceled due to cold temperatures, taking away an opportunity to log some laps on a track he had not visited before and leaving Reinhardt with a one-day show on Saturday to accomplish his goal for the points opener.

Saturday night, April 3rd, saw 30 teams sign in to compete with the All Stars at Attica Raceway Park.  The format called for timed qualifying to set the lineups for three, 8-lap heat races.  Six cars would transfer to the A-main from each heat, with the balance of the field relegated to the B-main for a final shot at making the show.

Reinhardt was the 21st car to go under the clock.  His lap was only good enough for 27th quickest overall, which put him 9th in the starting lineup for the third heat.  Having learned a little from their qualifying laps, Reinhardt and team made some adjustments prior to the heat race.  Those changes seemed to be paying off, as Kyle worked his way into a qualifying spot.  Unfortunately Reinhardt made an untimely error and clipped one of the tires used to mark the inside of the racing surface.  The contact was enough to get him upside down and inflict enough damage to end his heat race.

The team was able to make repairs in time to run the B-main, hoping to race their way into the main event, however Reinhardt, who started near the back of that event, found himself struggling with the handling and in too deep of a hole to recover, ending the team’s night with a 10th place finish in the consolation event.

The RQM Enterprises, Capitol Renegade No.91 unloaded at Bridgeport Motorsports Park in Swedesboro, NJ on April 6th to compete in the event dubbed as the “Posse Invasion”, as several teams crossed the border from PA to compete.  Reinhardt was about to make his first laps on the speedway’s new 4-tenths mile configuration.  Aside from a couple visits to familiar Pennsylvania turf in March, he was getting plenty of opportunities to learn from new facilities, with trips to Screven (GA), East Bay (FL) and of course, Attica (OH) already in his notebook this year.

Bridgeport’s format for the special event included a pill draw to divide the 30 entered teams into 3 heat groups.  Each group would run a 3-lap timed dash to establish the starting order for their heat races later in the evening.  The top 4 would be inverted.  Reinhart was rolling pretty well and registered the 4th quickest time, placing him on the pole for the heat race.  “We had some ups and downs throughout the night but we definitely started off strong and were making gains each time we hit the track“, Reinhardt noted.

Kyle capitalized on his starting position, jumping out front quickly on the start of the third heat race.  He was never challenged, even withstanding a late race restart that put Ryan Smith, a recent winner in URC competition at the track, on his rear bumper.  The heat race victory put Reinhardt into the 6-lap dash that would establish the starting order for the top 6 cars in the A-main.  Unfortunately the dash draw turned up the six pill for the 91 team, putting Kyle at the back of the starting lineup for the dash.  He was unable to make up any ground, but crossed the line 5th thanks to someone else’s misfortune.

Reinhardt rolled off from the 5th starting spot in the night’s 30 lap main event.  In the opening laps, he slipped back a couple positions and as the leader completed lap 10, Kyle found himself in 8th trying to establish a rhythm.  He was able to find his groove and gain back some of the ground he had lost, recapturing 7th just before the halfway sign.  A restart after a late race caution presented an opportunity for Reinhardt to get more.  Danny Dietrich made a hard charge to the low side as the field took the white flag.  Freddie Rahmer, who had lined up right in front of Reinhardt, moved low to take the line away from Dietrich as the pack sailed into turn 3.  This opened the door on the high side for Reinhardt to blast around the top and claim 6th as he flashed under the checkered flag.

The Neptune City, NJ native was pleased with the team’s night but acknowledged his own mistakes that probably cost the team a couple spots at the end of the night.  “I was getting more and more comfortable as the night went.  The changes (crew chief) Bob was making to the car were working for me.  I just gave up too much at the start of the race.” Reinhardt shared.  He continued, “I made some poor lane choices the first few laps and the guys around me pounced on it.  There’s no room for mistakes when you’re racing against these guys.  They are in attack mode 100% of the time.”    

Overall it was a really good night for Kyle and the Jeff McCall/Wayne Quackenbush operation.  A solid top 10 against this competition is nothing to hang your head about.  Reinhardt just knew he could have had a little more, saying, “We could’ve been racing for 4th or 5th if I had made better decisions early in the race.  I have some things to work on.”  Reinhardt wrapped up his thoughts on the night with a knowing grin, commenting, “You can lose a lot quickly when you make mistakes out there.  Track position is so much easier to give than take.”     

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 team will work to maintain their momentum from Bridgeport when they compete in four All Star Circuit of Champions events in four days on a swing through Virginia and Pennsylvania.  April 15th will take the team to Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, VA.  The weekend will see the RQM Enterprises, Capitol Renegade group haul to Williams Grove Speedway on April 16th, Port Royal Speedway on April 17th and Bedford Speedway on April 18th.