As his sprint car career appeared to be hitting its stride, Kraig Kinser made a dramatic U-turn and went pavement racing as part of the driver-development craze that swept through the NASCAR garage.
He won an ARCA Menards Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 1, 2005, and then made 31 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts during the next two seasons before the opportunities dried up.
“I was rolling pretty well in the sprint cars, but I had a good opportunity to venture onto pavement and I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve ever made,” Kinser told SPEED SPORT. “It was definitely different. Looking back, I wish I would have done more sprint car racing during those years, but I’m happy I at least tried pavement racing. It didn’t work out but at least I can’t look back and say, ‘I should have done this; I should have done that.’”
Kinser returned to sprint car racing in 2008, and eventually reunited with his father in a two-car effort at Steve Kinser Racing. However, that dynamic changed in 2016 when Steve Kinser hung up his helmet.
“Our team went from a championship-caliber team with major sponsors to more of a family-owned deal,” Kraig Kinser noted. “Now, my team would probably fit better with a Toterhome for a hauler rather than my truck-and-trailer transporter. Sponsors are a little harder to come by. We had more guys working at the shop, day in and day out. The team has a different feel than what it did.”
Today, the four principals of Kinser Racing are: Steve Kinser, founder; Kraig Kinser, owner/driver; Mikey Kuemper, owner/crew chief; and Randy Kinser, engine builder.
In addition to being the crew chief on the No. 11k sprint car, Kuemper is also Kinser’s brother-in-law.
“I have a dedicated crew chief in Mikey, who is a jack-of-all-trades,” Kinser said. “We both love sprint car racing enough that we do everything we can to stay out here on the road.”
When he is able to momentarily step away from racing, it’s no surprise Kinser’s priority is spending time with his son and girlfriend, Michaela Dumesny.
“There’s a whole list of relaxing stuff that I enjoy doing, but I really enjoy spending time with family and friends,” he said. “I especially enjoy spending time with my son. He gets to go with us every summer. He hangs out in the lounge, hangs out in the pit area and he gets to see a lot of the country. This summer, he’s been helping us quite bit. Hopefully, as he gets older, he’ll get after it a little more.”
A 17-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series feature winner who is in his 22nd season of racing a winged sprint car, Kinser offers a roundabout response when asked about his future in the sport.
“I’m always going to enjoy sprint car racing, whether I’m there or not,” he said “It’s my passion. I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I don’t really make too many plans too far down the road, because you never seem to get to the those plans. I don’t know if I don’t make plans in order to avoid disappointment somedays, or because I don’t want to think about the end. I’m just enjoying where I’m at right now.”