Jimmy Kite and Mike Blake Racing Get Into the Heart of Indiana Speed Scene

*Indy 500 Veteran To Run Trio of Sprint Car Shows at Winchester and Anderson *

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 16, 2013 – As the racing world’s eyes turn to Indiana for the “Month of May”, Jimmy Kite returns to a tradition that goes deep into the heart of the Indiana racing scene and well into his past. The Indianapolis resident, who considers Stockbridge, Ga. his home, will be racing a sprint car on the short tracks of the Hoosier state. The five-time Indianapolis 500 starter will pilot the No. 81 Mike Blake Racing sprint car in three races at two of the sport’s most iconic short tracks: Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on May 19 and Anderson (Ind.) Speedway on May 22nd and 25th. Part of the TRUFUEL Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Car Series, the three events will run on the ultra-quick paved tracks with winged sprint cars. The May 25th event is the classic “Little 500” which will see 33 non-winged sprint cars lineup on the banked track in Anderson.

Anderson Speedway is a quarter-mile paved oval with 17-degree banking. While Winchester, billed as the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile”, has remarkable 37-degree banked turns. Adding to the excitement of the three races, the 65th Annual “Little 500” will be the sole event where the wing will be removed for 500 laps of racing. The wings, which have developed into their own distinct series on both pavement and dirt, differentiate from traditional “non-wing” sprint cars such as those Kite has raced in the United States Auto Club (USAC).

Kite joined Mike Blake Racing for one event in 2012 but is scheduled to race for the championship in the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Car Series in 2013. Blake is a past championship-winning entrant in the series. Kite, who is the only driver to ever run an Indy car series and major NASCAR touring series on the same weekend at the same track, relishes the opportunity to race against the country’s best winged sprint car drivers on pavement. He has never competed for a full season in winged sprint cars and, until joining with Blake, had never raced a 410 cubic-inch, winged sprint car on pavement despite multiple starts in one on dirt and in a 360 cubic-inch, winged sprinter on pavement.

Kite’s career has spanned quarter-midget national championships to 220-mph laps of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to NASCAR Truck Series and ARCA race starts. However, at his core, Kite has remained a sprint car driver on both dirt and pavement. His aggressive style and easy-going personality have made him a fan favorite in garage areas and infields across the country. With 34 Indy car starts, all coming on ovals, Kite became a poster boy for grassroots, short-trackers making the trek to “The Brickyard” in the modern era. Since making his last Indy car start in 2005, the 1997 USAC Silver Crown Copper World Classic-winner has returned to his roots racing sprint cars, midgets and Silver Crown cars on both pavement and dirt in multiple series.

The 1997 USAC Silver Crown Series Rookie of the Year and 1998 Indianapolis 500 “Fastest Rookie” qualifier, won two heat races in the first two race meetings of the Must See Series driving the No. 81 sprinter. The Kite-Blake combination took a top-10 in the first race of the season at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida in March.

The TRUFUEL Must See Xtreme Sprint Car Series runs a 14-race schedule on paved ovals. The Series enjoys an impressive television package bringing 10 events to over 125 million households on FOX Sports Net (FSN) as well as online at MotorSportWorld.TV.

Quotes

Jimmy Kite:

On the upcoming Indiana races: “To me, May is all about racing here in Indiana. There is so much great racing everywhere you look, great for fans and drivers. I’m just happy to be at these incredible events trying to win a May race as always.

I’m very excited to run the Little 500 again! It’s such a special and historic race. I’m happy to be back. I’m sure Winchester will be pretty intense. It’s a fun track and super fast!”

On switching from winged to non-winged sprint cars: “I am not worried about the transition back-and-forth, I’ve done it before. Some drivers have to adjust in a single night from one class of car to another. It’s what we do. It’s why Mike hired me.”

On the season thus far: “Heat races don’t pay anything. We still have some work to do to get the car better in the Features. But those first two Southern races were a great start for me and Mike to work together. We started to learn what we need. We’re making a lot of progress and I am eager to see where we are when we get to the track this weekend.”

Jimmy Kite can be found on Facebook at Jimmy Kite * and on Twitter at * @JimmyKite

To learn more about the Must See Xtreme Sprint Car Series, please see: www.MustSeeRacing.com and on Twitter by following @MustSeeRacing .

For more on Winchester Speedway, visit www.WinchesterSpeedway.com . More on Anderson Speedway, click on www.AndersonSpeedway.com.

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