New Castle, Ind.—Nov. 14, 2012— Tracy Hines knows a thing or two about the history of sprint car racing and historic races. One of the events that has dotted the calendar in sprint car circles for well over 40 years has been the famed Western World Championships in Arizona. After competing in the late season event for a number of years, Hines was able to take the checkered flag in the 2011 edition of the historic race in Tucson, adding another big-race trophy to his mantle. This week, he looks to repeat as Western World champion, though at a different venue than last year, as the event is set for Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, just outside of Phoenix.
The 45th Annual FVP Western World Championships Presented by Sands Chevrolet will kick-off for Hines aboard his MP Environmental DRC on Thursday, Nov. 15, the first of two qualifying nights, and concludes on Saturday, Nov. 17, as the field will be split in half each of the first nights, setting the lineups for feature events on the final night. The non-wing sprint car portion of the Western World will be sanctioned again this year by the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) Canyon Region.
“There is so much history behind the Western World, and to win it last year was pretty special,” said Hines. “When you look at the list of drivers who have won it over the years, it’s a ‘Who’s Who’ of the sport for sure. It would mean a lot to win it again and would really put a great cap on our sprint car season.”
Hines is the defending winner of the non-wing portion of the Western World, which was held at USA Raceway in Tucson last year. He won on both nights in which he competed, including the 30-lap finale to claim the $5,000 top prize over Brady Bacon and Jerry Coons Jr. The 2002 USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series was victorious on the second preliminary night of the event as well, charging to the lead from the fourth starting spot on the opening lap to pace all 25 circuits.
“To win both nights we competed on last year in the Western World was pretty cool,” he noted. “There is always a very strong field of cars and you definitely have to be on your game in an event like that. The drivers from that area always defend their turf, and then you have a bunch of the guys from the Midwest that we race against all the time as well out there. It’s a great event for the fans, getting to see both non-wing and winged sprint car racing.”
Hines has three victories this season in a sprint car at Canyon Speedway Park, with all of those coming during the track’s Winter Freeze event, which was contested at the end of January and beginning of February, and was an ASCS Canyon Region event. In eight overall starts in a sprint car at the three-eighths-mile this year, Hines has finished in the Top-10 in seven of those races.
“With the Western World being at Canyon Speedway Park this year that bodes well for us,” shared the veteran driver. “We’ve raced there quite a bit this year in the sprint car and then last weekend in the midget. With the field split in two, the first goal is to have a good result on the preliminary night and try to put ourselves in a good position for the final night.”
Hines also has made a start in a midget at Canyon Speedway Park, with that coming last weekend in the Western Classic, with the USAC Mopar National Midget Series. He finished fourth in the main event on Saturday, Nov. 10, after recording the seventh-fastest lap in time trials and coming home fourth in the third eight-lap heat race. The opener of the Western Classic was rained out and not rescheduled.
“We really want to pick up a couple of more wins before the season ends,” Hines stated. “We have two chances this week and one next week, so we’ll give it everything we got. We have some good notes for Canyon Speedway Park and a set-up that has worked pretty well this year, so we should have just as good a shot as anyone.”
Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: MP Environmental, DRC, Shaver Specialties, AFCO Racing Shocks, Bell Race Gear, FatHeadz, Kenny's Components, Race Bumpers, Rod End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers and Stanton Racing for their continued support.
For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, including a complete 2012 schedule, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin.
- Admin Account on Nov 14, 2012
- Article Date: 11/14/2012 by Tracy Hines Racing PR