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Who doesn’t love to go back home?  Things are always better when you do, right?  Such was the case for Neptune City, NJ native Kyle Reinhardt when he returned to his home state to compete at Bridgeport Motorsports Park last week.  From there, the busy week brought him through the heart of his new home, Pennsylvania, for three races.

4/20:  Invasion of the Posse / Bridgeport Motorsports Park / Swedesboro, NJ

      (27 cars, Qualifying 1st, Heat 3rd, Dash 1st, A-main 2nd)

Quite a few friends, family and others who have watched Reinhardt develop as a driver since the start of his career in NJ, turned out to see one of his rare appearances back on home turf.  He had run well and won races on the old 5/8th mile configuration at Bridgeport, and he didn’t disappoint on the new 4-tenths configuration either.

Reinhardt put together a solid night from start to finish.  Early on it was clear he was among the best in the 27 cars in attendance.  He registered quick time in his group, placed 3rd in his 10-lap heat to solidify a spot in the dash, won the 6-lap dash, and came home with a 2nd place finish in the 30-lap feature event.

The All Star Circuit of Champions will invade Bridgeport later this summer on August 25th and Reinhardt will certainly be one of the favorites when they do.

4/21:  ASCoC / Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Raceway / Bloomsburg, PA

      (28 cars, Qualifying 13th, Heat 4th, A-main 24th)

Reinhardt and the rest of the touring All Stars, 28 cars total, rolled into the new Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Raceway for the first time on Thursday night.  

Wheeling his Capitol Renegade / Capitol Custom Coaches & Trailers / Champion Hi-Tech Lubricants / J&J Auto Racing No.91, Reinhardt was the 8th car to go under the clock in qualifying.  He landed about mid-pack, logging the 13th quickest lap in the field.  

Reinhardt started 5th in the first of three 8-lap heats.  The top six finishers transferred to the A-main, while the winner and quickest qualifier to transfer would get a spot in the dash.  Kyle used a strong start to jump into the 4th position but was unable to chase down the front trio during the remaining laps.

Starting 12th in the 30-lap main event, Reinhardt was aiming for a top ten finish and a solid points night.  Things went from bad to worse on a restart with ten laps complete when Reinhardt cut a right rear tire entering turn one.  He managed to avoid heavy contact but while in the work area to replace the tire, discovered a brake issue that ended his night with a disappointing 24th place finish officially. 

4/22:  ASCoC Tommy Hinnershitz Classic / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA

      (41 cars, Qualifying 1st, Heat 4th, Dash 10th, A-main 10th)

Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team were anxious to get back to Williams Grove on Friday night.  They were ready to put Thursday’s disappointment behind them, and Williams Grove was the right place to do it.  Reinhardt had run very well there earlier this season prior to the start of the All Star schedule.

A tough field of 41 cars signed in to compete at the legendary Mechanicsburg, PA half-mile.  The All Star sanctioned event used a five group qualifying format for the large field.   

Reinhardt was the eighth and final car to go under the clock in Group D.  He promptly claimed the top spot in the group with a 17.124, which also ended up being good enough to be tied for 5th overall. 

After starting 4th in his 8-lap heat race, in which he needed to finish in the top four to transfer to the A-main and secure a spot in the dash, Reinhardt dropped to 5th on the opening lap.  He quickly battled back to 4th on the ensuing lap and held on to the position the rest of the way.

The dash draw didn’t go Reinhardt’s way.  He drew the number nine spot, making it a tall order to obtain a starting spot in the front couple rows.  Reinhardt was running 9th when things went from bad to worse.  The engine in his No.91 gave up as the dash drew to a close, instantly turning the Capitol Renegade pit area into a beehive of activity.

Reinhardt’s team jumped into action, pulled the failed bullet out of their J&J Chassis and dropped in a fresh one to try to make the call for the feature, in which they were scheduled to start 10th.  In just over 15 minutes they accomplished their goal and Reinhardt pushed off to test-fire the car.  

During the 30-lap A-main, Reinhardt worked his way up to 8th by the halfway point.  Although he lost a little ground during the second half of the race and crossed the finish line right where he started, it was a welcome top-10, considering what he and the team had been through.

“I have to thank my guys.  They worked their asses off to get that done and save our night. Really proud of them.  I also want to thank Cap Henry and the Lane Racing team for jumping in and helping us get it done.  I think we had a top-5 car earlier tonight, but with the dash draw and engine issues, we’re happy to get a good finish and salvage the night“, Reinhardt commented.

4/23:  ASCoC Keith Kauffman Classic / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA

      (42 cars, Qualifying 4th, Heat 5th, B-main 4th, A-main 24th)

Rolling into Port Royal Speedway for his fourth race in as many days, Reinhardt was one cut tire away from being on a streak of top-10 finishes.  What the Capitol Renegade team needed was to finish the week with a strong showing at ‘The Speed Palace’, a place that has been challenging for them over the past season or two.

Reinhardt recorded the 4th fastest time in the first of five qualifying groups for the 42 cars on hand, giving him a starting spot inside row two in the first 8-lap heat race of the evening.  After losing 3rd place to Saturday’s overall quick qualifier, Mike Wagner, on the opening lap, Reinhardt worked hard to fend off Brent Marks for the 4th and final transfer spot.  Eventually Marks slipped by, relegating the Capitol Renegade No.91 to a 5th place finish and sending Reinhardt to the B-main.

The struggles continued for Reinhardt, who slid from the pole of the B-main to the 4th and final transfer spot during the 12-lap event.  It wasn’t pretty, but they were in the show.  At least it was a chance to make some changes and see how the car would respond.  Unfortunately, it didn’t.  Reinhardt finished 24th.

“It was a solid week for us, minus Port Royal.  We’ve had good speed this year but it’s no secret we’ve been struggling at Port.  We just need to keep trying things to get better there.  We’ll figure it out”, Reinhardt said.

Up Next

Reinhardt and the Capitol Renegade team will head west for a 3-race swing with the All Star Circuit if Champions.  The series will stop at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, PA on Friday, Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH on Saturday and Waynesfield Raceway Park in Waynesfield, OH on Sunday.  Thursday’s previously scheduled event at Bedford Speedway in Bedford, PA has been postponed to a later date due to tire shortages.  The new date has not yet been announced.

Season Stats

11 races, 0 wins, 3 top 5’s, 4 top 10’s, 6 top 15’s, 7 top 20’s