Keeping up with Mickey Thompson Super Street 10.5W racer Willard Kinzer

August 19, 2012   ·   0 Comments

Written by Mary Lendzion

Full of passion and persistence, Mickey Thompson Super Street 10.5W racer Willard Kinzer has made many friends and fans through the years while racing dirt bikes and cars and smoking the tires of his Lightning truck for burnout contests. The Kentuckian has set records and won races and has made it known that he is gunning for an NMCA class championship, so when he hit the wall earlier this month at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky while testing his recently-debuted New Edge Mustang, he ignited a flurry of concern, support and encouragement from the racing community.

“The track temp was 150 degrees and the car broke loose and turned sideways and there was no time for me to correct it,” said Kinzer. “It happened really fast, but as best as we can tell, it started at about the eighth-mile. I hit one wall and then bounced off and hit the other wall. When the car came to a stop, I got out on my own. I have two broken ribs, a punctured lung and internal bruising, and I’m sore when I move, but I’m making progress and I go back to the doctor next week to have some x-rays taken. I’ll know more then.”

The car, which was updated by accomplished Kooks Custom Headers Pro Street racer Jeff Lutz and is powered by a 532 cubic-inch Hans Feustel engine and twin Precision 88 mm turbos, is back at Lutz’s shop, where plans are being made for its rebuild.

Meanwhile, Kinzer, whose cars are maintained by Jeff Lutz and tuned by Patrick Barnhill and Jason Lee of PTP Racing, plans to get back to racing soon.

“In addition to racing my Mustangs with the NMCA, I race my Corvette in the Street Fights series at Bristol Dragway, and I think I’m leading points in that series right now,” said Kinzer. “I plan to make the NMCA Michigan race, with my other Mustang, and I’m going to try to break the ET and speed record there. That’s my goal. I also have a new COPO Camaro coming in soon, with a chassis certed to 8.50, and I will race that in a different class next season. I’m on the comeback trail and I will not give up.”