The King Retires. We Think.

Two years ago we covered the announcement by Sammy Swindell that he was retiring from Sprint Car racing, and would henceforth race only the midwinter indoor Chili Bowl.

Swindell’s retirement didn’t last long.  He was back in a Sprint Car only a few months later, and has been racing regularly ever since.

So what will Steve Kinser do?  This past week Kinser, who rightfully earned the nickname of “King of the Outlaws” with 20 series championships, 12 Knoxville Nationals titles, and more than 850 overall racing victories, announced his own retirement.  Following a race in West Lebanon, New York, this past week, Kinser told the crowd that the race was “likely” his last.

At age 62, well past the point when most Sprint Car drivers hang up their helmet, Kinser is wise to consider retirement, but his choice of words is curious.  Whereas Swindell, for decades one of Kinser’s top rivals on the track and himself an Outlaws series champion, firmly indicated that he was retiring, Kinser’s words were iffy.

Kinser has hinted at retirement before, and his racing of late has been one of a partial schedule, not the full-time grind.  But this announcement, while less than firm, seems more compelling.  He certainly has nothing to prove to anyone.  In addition to his Sprint Car racing accomplishments – a record that likely will never be matched –  he competed in both the 1995 Daytona 500 and 1997 Indianapolis 500, and he won a race at Talladega in the old made-for-TV International Race of Champions series.

Will Kinser retire from the cockpit fully?  Will he pick up a drive here and there?  Or will he follow Swindell’s path and return to a regular, albeit not full-time, racing schedule?

Photo courtesy Jason Walls/indystar.com