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June 15, 2008 –- “High Water” and “Road Closed” read folding signs at the entrance to Paragon Road. As I turned around to head toward an alternate route, a friendly voice from across the street shouted, “Hey, the road’s open now, if you want to go through.” I slowly continued through a 360-degree turn and conveyed my thanks as I drove away. The town of Paragon was one of the hardest hit by the torrential rain and flooding that swept throughout the Midwest in the last couple weeks. The water has receded, and townspeople are busy surveying the damage, repairing what is repairable, and removing wet, ruined possessions from their homes.
Paragon Speedway received a lot of rain, but after two consecutive cancellations, the Ford family is anxious to host a big night of racing this weekend. The KISS series will wrap its memorable 2008 tour with a 30-lap main event on Saturday night, and at its conclusion, the sprint car King will be crowned.
For the third consecutive year, Jon Stanbrough appears to have a lock on the title. The three-time champion (2003, 2006, 2007) built a 33-point lead with wins in the first two KISS races, at Gas City and Bloomington. He extended it to a 115-point advantage with a runner-up finish to Daron Clayton at Haubstadt’s Tri-State oval, and a 7th place run behind Hunter Schuerenberg’s thrilling victory at Kokomo, last weekend. With a third place at Tri-State, Jeff Bland Jr. climbed to second in the points, while young Schuerenberg jumped to third with his triumph. A.J. Anderson maintained fourth spot, and Kyle Cummins slipped to fifth.
Paragon Road was open from Indiana’s Route 37 to Paragon, although some of the road is damaged and requires repairs. Route 67 is open as well. Saturday’s racing will start at 7:30, with the pit gate and grandstand gates opening at 4:00 and 5:00 pm. The program includes street stocks, bombers and pure stock divisions. General admission is only $15, and pit passes are $30. Directions and other information are available at www.paragonspeedway.com .. All KISS events follow the rules of the host track. Teams need to check with the specific track to answer questions regarding track rules.
KISS Points: 1. Stanbrough 567, 2. Bland Jr. 452, 3. Schuerenberg 423, 4. Anderson 419, 5. Cummins 417, 6. Clayton 405, 7. Meseraull 326, 8. Weir 314, 9. Hampton 287, 10. Matthews 273
SCHEDULE. The KISS series celebrates the first day of summer with the final event of the KISS season, crowning the 2008 King Of Indiana on Saturday, June 21 at Paragon Speedway.
2008 King Of Indiana Sprint Series Schedule
Gas City I-69 Speedway Friday, May 16 Stanbrough
Lawrenceburg Speedway Saturday, May 24 canceled
Bloomington Speedway Friday, May 30 Stanbrough
Tri-State Speedway Saturday, June 7 Clayton
Kokomo Speedway Sunday, June 8 Schuerenberg
Paragon Speedway Saturday, June 21
SPONSORS. Bedford’s Indiana Stone Works, Elliottbrand Web Designs, in Westport, IN, and Kiva Networking in Bloomington are returning sponsors for the KISS series. The 2008 KISS Championship Helmet is sponsored by Simpson Performance Products, Sprint Car & Midget Magazine and Eagle Graphix.
The King of Indiana Sprint Series is organized and conducted by the individual Indiana sprint car race track promoters to provide the best sprint car racing. More information is available on our website, www.kissracing.com.
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