New Castle, Ind.-Nov. 18, 2012- Being the reigning champion of the non-wing sprint car portion of the Western World, Tracy Hines had very high expectation heading back to the desert for this year’s edition of the late-season classic, which shifted to Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz., just outside of Phoenix. Looking to repeat in the history-laden event, the veteran driver finished second on the first preliminary night and was third in the finale.
With the field split in two for the 45th FVP Western World Championships presented by Sands Chevrolet, Hines took to the track in his MP Environmental DRC on Thursday, Nov. 15, for the event sanctioned by the ASCS Canyon Region finishing second in the 25-lap preliminary feature to 2012 USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series champion Bryan Clauson. Hines opened the night by charging from eighth to fourth in the second eight-lap heat race. He found himself in the second eight-lap qualifier, which he won from the outside of the front row.
Hines lined up fourth for the 25-lap preliminary feature after passing points from the heat races and three qualifiers were tallied to determine the lineup. The native of New Castle, Ind., would move into third at the start of the preliminary feature, before battling Clauson for second and then Charles Davis Jr., finally taking the spot on the seventh circuit. Hines would take the checkered flag in the second spot to lock himself into Saturday’s main event.
“The main goal for Thursday night was to get locked in for Saturday and we were able to accomplish that,” said Hines. “The car was good all night and being able to pick up all of those positions in the heat race really helped us later in the night passing points-wise. When you run a passing points format, the heat races are very important and we were able to make the most of starting at the back of the heat and working out way forward.”
Locked into the main event on Saturday, Nov. 17, by way of his runner-up finish on his preliminary night, Hines lined up in the fourth starting position for the 30-lap championship race, after a coin toss was used to determine inside/outside row starting positions. The veteran driver moved into third at the drop of the green and would remain in that position for the remainder of the race on a track that was very difficult to pass on. The yellow flag flew on the sixth lap, bunching the field back up. Hines would end up taking the checkered flag in third.
“It was just one of those nights on Saturday, where the racing surface was pretty challenging,” Hines shared. “We knew the start would be important and we had a pretty good start and then just fell in line. We really wanted to win the Western World for the second straight year, but it just wasn’t meant to be. To finish on the podium both nights we raced is nothing to be ashamed of. There was a strong field of cars there and we gave it our all.”
Hines wraps up the 2012 season with the USAC Mopar National Midget Series on Thursday, Nov. 22 at Perris Auto Speedway in California in the 72nd Annual Turkey Night Grand Prix. He finished second at Perris on Nov.3 in the finale of the Budweiser Oval Nationals, after opening that two-night event with a fourth-place showing.
“We have one more chance to pick up a win this year and we’ll give it everything we got at Turkey Night,” stated Hines. “We ran very well in the sprint car at Perris a couple of weeks ago, so hopefully we can take that momentum back this week. There will be a very strong group of cars there, so qualifying well and starting up front is going to be very important. We’re definitely looking forward to it.”
Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: MP Environmental, DRC, AFCO Racing Shocks, Bell Race Gear, FatHeadz, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers, Rod End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers and Stanton Racing for their continued support.
Tracy Hines Racing PRUSAC