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Tracy Hines Heads to Lawrenceburg for ‘Midwest Opener’

After getting five races in the books in Florida in February, Tracy Hines has been back in the shop putting in some long hours in preparation for the traditional “Midwest” opener for the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series. Lawrenceburg Speedway in Indiana serves as the host for that event again this year and the wait will finally come to an end this weekend as sprint cars will tackle the banked three-eighths-mile, as the quest for the 2015 Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series title continues.

The Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series event at Lawrenceburg Speedway is set for Saturday, April 4. A full racing program in on-tap at Lawrenceburg, with a 30-lap A-Feature event capping off the night.

“The opener here at home is always one that is high on everyone’s list,” said Hines, who drives The Carolina Nut Company DRC. “We get to race a few times in Florida and then come back to the shop for a month or so and sometimes that can be a challenge in itself, as you may want to outsmart yourself and try to change too many things. Sometimes it’s best to keep it as simple as possible, especially when something is working.”

Last season, Hines made a total of three starts at Lawrenceburg Speedway, between two USAC divisions. He finished second with the Honda USAC National Midget Series during Indiana Midget Week and was third in the Fall Nationals with the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series. Hines was third-fastest in time trials for the Fall Nationals, ran fourth in his heat race and wound up on the podium in third in the A-Feature. In the spring race for the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series at Lawrenceburg, he finished 19th.

“We qualified up front last fall at Lawrenceburg and had a good car in the feature as well and have traditionally run pretty well there,” he noted. “It will be a tough field as it is at every USAC sprint race nowadays, so putting a complete night together will be the key to being in contention at the end of the main event.”

The native of New Castle, Indiana opened the season with a pair of top-10 finishes during the trip to Florida in February, including a fifth-place effort in the opener at East Bay Raceway Park. Hines finished eighth in the finale of the three-night event at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, and was 13th or better in four of the five races in Florida. The final night at East Bay fell to rain.

“We had a couple decent runs in Florida, but also worked through some bugs and had some bad luck as well,” said Hines. “With five races in Florida, it gives you a chance to try some things, but you don't want to dig yourself too big of a hole with how competitive the series is, especially when you are chasing points. All in all, we felt like we were in the ballpark down there.”

The 2015 season will be another busy one for Hines, as he plans to contest the full schedule in each of the three USAC national series. The 2002 Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series champion also will sprinkle in some winged sprint car events when his schedule permits.

“We have a lot on our plate this year, running all three USAC series and tossing in some winged races as well,” Hines said. “The more you race, the sharper you stay and being able to drive a variety of cars helps you stay on your game. You’ve seen more non-wing drivers getting in winged cars the last few years, and we had an opportunity to get a winged car and give it a shot. As always, the three USAC national series will be our first priority and when the schedule allows, we’ll fill in with some winged races.”

Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank Primary Sponsor: The Carolina Nut Company. Associate Sponsors for 2015 include: Elliott's Custom Trailers and Carts, Hansen’s Welding Inc, MPHG Promotions Inc., Turbines Inc., Parker Machinery and Hughs Brothers. Product Sponsors that are part of Tracy Hines Racing in 2015 include: Afco Racing Products, Hoosier Racing Tires, Indy Race Parts, Schoenfeld Headers, Shadow Graphix, Bell Racing, Earl's Performance Products, Autonet Mobile, ProSource Professional Resources, Race Bumpers, Driven Racing Oil, Sander Engineering and Kenny’s Components.

For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin and “Like him” on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Tracyhinesracing.

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