Nov. 4, 1998: Mark Kinser Wins Channellock Fall Classic at Las Vegas

Mark Kinser won the 30-lap A-Feature of the inaugural Channellock Fall Classic on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 1998, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the finale of the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series’ 20th anniversary season, according to a series race report by Richard Day published by The Auto Channel. The victory, in the #5M Wirtgen Maxim, was Kinser’s 12th A-Feature win of the season, ran his winning streak to three and was his fourth straight victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the report said. Peter Murphy finished second, followed by Sammy Swindell, Danny Lasoski and Steve Kinser, according to the report and The Third Turn’s event results.

Kinser started on the pole after winning the Channellock Dash, his 14th dash win of the year, and led the first 17 laps, according to the report. Murphy, the Vivarin Fast-Time Award winner, started inside the fifth row, worked forward and passed Kinser for the lead late in lap 18. Murphy led through lap 25 before Kinser regained the lead and led the final five laps, finishing 3.608 seconds ahead. The report described Murphy’s runner-up finish as the best by an Australian driver in series history. “I wasn’t saving anything,” Kinser said, according to the report. “I changed my line on the last restart and I feel fortunate to be here.”

The finale also marked the end of the championship chase. Steve Kinser’s Quaker State team celebrated his 15th Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series drivers’ championship at the track, and the report said he was the first driver/owner to win both titles in the same year. Earlier in the week, the Las Vegas Sun reported that Mark Kinser had won a Channellock Fall Classic A-Feature at the LVMS half-mile on Tuesday night, and that his 12th feature win of the season was not enough to overtake his cousin in the points standings. “Vegas has been really good to us,” Mark Kinser told the Sun.

Rounding out the top 10 on Nov. 4 were Terry McCarl, Gary Wright, Stevie Smith, Dale Blaney and Donny Schatz, according to the race report. The race was taped for broadcast on TNN’s Motor Madness program.