Special from Speed51.com – Kil-Kare Raceway is known around the Midwest as one of the trickiest racetrack in the region. Depending on who you ask, the Xenia, Ohio facility has anywhere from one to 18 turns. For a driver making the trip to the facility for the first time, it can really be a culture shock.
Chase Burda is one driver making the trek to Kil-Kare for the first time for Sunday’s JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour race. As the 2019 CRA Junior Late Model champion gets set for Sunday’s race, he’s been doing what he can to prepare for the strangeness that is Kil-Kare Raceway.
WATCH LIVE: JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour at Kil-Kare Raceway
“I’ve never really been there, it looks like a tricky track and we only get one practice so we’ll try to get used to it in the first practice. It would definitely make things easier for us but overall, I’m excited,” Burda told Speed51. “It’s something new, it’s not a normal track which is interesting. It’s also a new track for me and I like going to new tracks and learning stuff about them.
There’s definitely a lot of watching YouTube videos on it and talking to people that have raced there. Even on the simulator, there’s not really a track like it. The biggest thing is watching past races there and seeing what people do with the line. Especially with talking to people that have raced there, they’ve been telling me throttle points, braking points, other stuff like that.
Burda is in the midst of his second year in a Pro Late Model with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. The Michigan driver came on strong in the second half of the season, finishing fifth on four different occasions to earn Rookie of the Year honors with the series.
His 2021 season has started off with a string of bad fortune for the No.18 team. He has finished 10th in two of the three races, one of which came during the North/South Super Late Model Challenge.
After a shaky start to the season, Burda is looking for a good finish.
“We just hope for this finish, we’ve had no luck pretty much. If we can actually finish the race and have a good finish, that would give us momentum.”
While the speed hasn’t been there, it hasn’t been for a lack of speed. Burda has been competitive in all three races in 2021, but mechanical issues and an accident not of his own doing has kept the team from getting strong finishes.
“We go to tracks and qualify well, we have good speed. During the race, we do pretty decent. We just can’t pull all the laps together. At Anderson, we were running fifth and we blew a tire. We’re happy with where we’re at, we have good speed and everything. If we can pull the 100 laps we’ll be fine, the car’s working right and the team’s working well.”
After the string of misfortune, a strong run would give Burda a shot of momentum going into the bulk of JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour season, which features the series’ biggest races. The Masters of the Pros awaits the Tour on July 17, and the Battle at Berlin 251 set for August 21.
“It would mean a lot for us, a definite confidence booster. It’s been one of our craziest years so far. If we can just pull a top-five and finish the race with all four fenders on, it would be cool just to carry some momentum going into the next race.”
Sunday’s JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour race at Kil-Kare Raceway will be broadcasted live on Speed51.TV. Click here to subscribe today.
-Story by: Koty Geyer, Speed51 National Correspondent – Twitter: @kgeyer3
-Photo Credit: John Lund
