May 12, 2007 - Jon Stanbrough opened his defense of the King of Indiana Sprint Series Championship with a convincing 30-lap victory at Gas City I-69 Speedway Friday night.  Stanbrough extended his series-leading victory total to eight after taking the lead from Damion Gardner with seven laps remaining.  It wasn’t fancy, just old school racing.  Shane Hollingsworth, Brady Short and Mat Neely trailed Stanbrough and Gardner at the finish.
 
“It’s nice to come into the deal as the defending champion and have the most wins and be able to start off with a win.  This is definitely big,” Stanbrough allowed after the victory lane celebration.  Even though he is the only two-time winner of the King of Indiana Sprint Series championship, it was his first KISS victory at the Gas City oval.
 
Driving the Fox Brothers DRC, Stanbrough took the green in seventh, as Mat Neely claimed the early lead from the pole.  On the second circuit, Shane Cottle spun in the first turn bringing out the caution.  Gardner pressed Neely for the lead while Stanbrough passed cars on every section of the track.  On lap 4, he dove under John Paynter for third, and then quickly joined the lead battle.  Gardner held Stanbrough at bay while Neely started to fight a loose car.  On the 19^th lap, Gardner worked past Neely in turn 2 and Stanbrough was able to follow a lap later.
 
This set up a thrilling duel, as Stanbrough worked the whole track, trying to find an opening, while the West Coast sprint car ace warded off each challenge.  They quickly caught a group of tail-enders on lap 22 and Stanbrough dove to the inside of Gardner in the second turn, but a three-car tangle brought out the caution.  Gardner tried to keep his Pace Electronics DRC ahead of Stanbrough on the restart, but when he chose high in turn four, Stanbrough shoved his machine into the bottom groove and drove into the lead before the first turn.  Gardner fought back, pulling even on the next lap, but Stanbrough quickly broke free and opened a half-straightaway lead.  At the checkers, he held a 20-car length advantage.
 
“Obviously the guys did a good job on the car,” Stanbrough said.  “I was just trying to be patient and get what I could get.  Once I got into second, I knew Damion was going to be tough.  He was moving around, like I was, trying find someplace to be fast.  He moved at the wrong time and I got underneath of him.  He got his nose underneath of me once or twice but once we ran a lap or two, I didn’t see him again.”
 
Hollingsworth gave the Trucker’s 24-Hour Service machine a good ride from ninth to third, and Dave Darland recovered from a terrible draw to earn seventh after starting 18^th.  The victory gives Stanbrough a five-point lead heading into tonight’s event at North Vernon’s Twin Cities Raceway Park.
 
RESULTS:
King of Indiana Sprint Series, Gas City I-69 Speedway, May 11, 2007
(Starting positions listed in parenthesis)
 
Heat 1: Mat Neely (1), Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (2), Shane Hollingsworth (4), A. J. Anderson (6), Levi Jones (9), Dustin Morgan (5), Matt Westfall (10), Sammy Imel (8), Josh Spencer (7), Chris Kopczynski (3)
 
Heat 2: Damion Gardner (1), Jon Stanbrough (7), Critter Malone (2), Tony Elliott (4), Shane Cottle (8), Dave Darland (9), Hunter Schuerenberg (5), Steve Ott (3), Brett Burdette (10), Mark Hall (6)
 
Heat 3: Jeff Bland Jr. (2), John Paynter (5), Brandon Petty (7), Jake Martens (1), Jimmy Light (4), Bob Bourff (3), Chad Boespflug (6), Anthony Peterman (9), Kyle Robbins (10), Matt Goodnight (8)
 
Heat 4: Chris Windom (2), Brady Short (1), Jerry Coons Jr. (9), Robert Ballou (4), Ted Hines (5), Will Neddeman (8), Adam Byrkett (6), Cody White (7), Bret Mellenberndt (3)
 
C-Main: Ott (2), Spencer (5), Peterman (3), White (4), Imel (1), Mellenberndt (8), Kopczynski (9), Burdette (6)
 
B-Main: Cottle (2), Darland (6), Jones (1), Morgan (5), Hines (4), Westfall (9), Boespflug (11), Spencer (14), Ott (13), Byrkett (12), Neddeman (8), Light (3), Bourff (7), Schuerenberg (10)
 
Feature (30 laps): 1. Stanbrough 53 (7), 2. Gardner 71 (4), 3. Hollingsworth 10 (9), 4. Short 2B (5), 5. Neely 17N (1), 6. Malone 5 (10), 7. Darland 44 (18), 8. Cottle 10E (17), 9. Windom 17 (3), 10. Jones 11J (19), 11. Coons 14 (12), 12. Payter 23P (2), 13. Elliott 34 (14), 14. Bland 21S (8), 15. Ballou 81 (16), 16. Martens 45J (15), 17. Morgan 11D (20), 18. Anderson 57 (13), 19. Puterbaugh 34 (6), 20. Petty 26 (11)
 
On Saturday, May 12, the KISS campaigners will lineup at the 3/8-mile Twin Cities Raceway Park in North Vernon for the series’ second round.  While it will be the inaugural KISS event at that facility, the track is recognized as blazing fast and a challenging sprint car venue.  Ticket prices at all KISS races are $15 general admission and $30 pit passes.  The pit gate opens at 3:00, with hot laps at 6:00 and racing at 6:30 at Twin Cities Raceway, crate late models are also on the racing card.  Track information is at www.twincitiesracing.net .
 
All KISS races follow the rules of the host track.  Teams need to check with the specific track to answer questions regarding track rules.  The 2007 KISS race payoff include $2,500 to win and $250 to start the main event.  Sponsorship from Indiana Stone Works has boosted the B-Main starting money to $100 for drivers not transferring to the A feature.  The point fund pays $1,400 to the champion, $1,000 for second place, followed by $700 (third), $600 (fourth) and $500 (fifth).  The 2007 titlist will also receive a special King of Indiana Sprint Series champion’s helmet sponsored by Sprint Car & Midget Magazine and Simpson Performance Products, with a unique KISS design by RockStar Paint.
 
 
2007 King Of Indiana Sprint Series Schedule
Gas City I-69 Speedway                 Friday, May 11             Stanbrough
Twin Cities Raceway Park            Saturday, May 12
Lawrenceburg Speedway            Saturday, May 26
Bloomington Speedway                     Friday, June 15
Lincoln Park Speedway                     Saturday, June 16
Kokomo Speedway                     Sunday, June 17
Paragon Speedway                     Saturday, June 23
Terre Haute Action Track            Saturday, June 30
Tri-State Speedway                     Sunday, July 8
 
 
SPONSORS.  New sponsorship from Indiana Stone Works has boosted the payoff at each event and B-Main starters are guaranteed $100.  Elliottbrand Web Designs, in Westport, IN, created the KISS website, which provides a highly functional and effective tool that places the King Of Indiana Sprint Series within arms length of racing fans around town and around the world.  Visit them at www.Elliottbrand.com.  Sprint Car & Midget Magazine, Simpson Performance Products and RockStar Paint sponsor the unique KISS champion’s helmet.  Kiva Networking in Bloomington is the host of the KISS website.
 
The King of Indiana Sprint Series is organized and conducted by the individual Indiana sprint car race track promoters to put the best racing in the state on a heavy metal wheel-to-wheel tour.  Information is now available on our website, www.kissracing.com.