Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Last night I couldn't sleep and ended up watching the Knoxville Nationals from 1987.  I think in the B feature Mark Kinser was in a 51 car and Terry McCarl was in a 5m car that from what I could see looked like it was sponsored by Wirtgen.  I always assumed that the 5m car was Mark Kinser's own personal team?  I'm certain it became that way later because I think Karl was listed as the owner after he went with Mark?  Anyway does anyone know the story of this car?  Was it the same car Terry was driving?

Chuck Merril owner Ken Jenkins builder?

https://www.sprintcarhof.com/pages/hall-of-fame.aspx

This link is to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum.  You will need to click on the Mark Kinser link in the 2014 inductees.

This story tells of how Mark Kinser chose the number 51 which he ran for several years until he ran the 5m when he moved to the Maxim house car.  Sometime in the early to mid-1990s, McCarl raced a number 51 car that was owned by Brad Gray from Farmington, Missouri.

I'm not able to open the that file.  Is there somewhere else I can get it?  Quick story, when Mark and Karl teamed up I wasn't really a fan of his because it didn't appear that he was winning these races on talent.  It was kind of nice to see someone besides Steve Kinser or Sammy Swindell winning all the races but it almost didn't seem fair lol.  We went to a WOO race at Husets in their first year together, I think I was 12 or 13 and we went in the pits to watch the races.  I'm not sure what I was expecting but the drivers were not very friendly.  Years later, I completely understand that they were working, not that I tried to bother them but just say hi if I was passing them and they wouldn't acknowledge me.  Just before the A feature we were standing by Marks car, probably about 10 feet away on the right side and he's getting ready to get in and all of the sudden he sounds excited and says "Hey buddy, how ya doing?" I looked at him and he was looking right at me and then I looked around to see who he was talking to and nobody else was there when I finally realized he was to me and my eyes got as big as saucers and said "Uh, good."  Then he says "Good, are you enjoying the races tonight?"  I said "yeah" and then he said "Good, I'm glad, thanks for coming tonight."

I don't think any different of the drivers who didn't acknowledge me but for a guy to take a minute of his time right before racing in the main event tells me he's genuinely a nice guy.

Thanks, hardon.

I fixed the link in my original post.

I kinda forgot that Mark drove a second #48 Allan Nott car on the WoO tour as a teammate to Dave Blaney in 87'.