Hinds Sweeps Tucson Twin 50s In Dominant Fashion
TUCSON, Ariz. – An emotional weekend ended in the best possible fashion for Cassidy Hinds Saturday night, as she swept both ends of a twin-feature super late model program at Tucson Speedway.
After qualifying fastest to start the program at the three-eighths-mile oval, with a time of 15.195 seconds, Hinds started from sixth in the first 50-lapper and carved her way to the point in 11 laps.
She then held off Arizona native Dylan Jones before pulling away down the stretch to a 1.702-second victory. David Levitt, Bob Cramb, and Ron Norman filled out the top five in race one.
With a full-field invert setting the stage for race two, Hinds completed a back-to-front charge in remarkable fashion, taking the lead on lap five and setting sail for the remaining distance.
She took the checkers in the nightcap more than 10 seconds ahead of Jones. Joe Paladenic was third, followed by Dustin Jones and Norman.
It was one of the most dominant performances of the 20-year-old Hinds’ career, made more special due to the fact that she was racing in honor of one of her longtime fans who recently passed away.
Known as “Grandpa Pat,” Pat Baumgard was an avid supporter of short-track racing and followed Hinds’ career closely until his death in May. His funeral fell on race day, and Hinds noted that he’d have told her to “go race and go win.”
“This race night was so special to me because Grandpa Pat meant so much to racing and I appreciated his support so much,” said Hinds. “I knew he would want me to race, and he was definitely with me on Saturday night. I can’t thank my dad enough for all of his hard work on the racecar this weekend; we were bad fast, and that’s as close to a perfect night as a driver can ever have.
“After some of our recent struggles, knowing that we put it all together not once, but twice is an incredible feeling and I’m excited to see how we can build off this momentum.”
Hinds’ racing efforts are made possible by marketing partners Frontier Restoration, Leary’s Shock Shop, Fort Worth Screen Printing, Commit 2 Fitness, Pineapple Pump Project, MATCO Tools, Puzzle Effects, Buckeye Welding, 5280 Pit Lighting, and Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.
The next race on Hinds’ schedule is slated for June 8, back at Colorado National Speedway in Erie.
About Cassidy Hinds Racing
Cassidy Hinds is a 20-year-old racing driver from Arvada, Colorado, who competes in the Super Late Model and Pro Truck divisions at the three-eighths-mile Colorado National Speedway as part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series. She’s a past participant in the Toyota Racing Development Young Driver Combine, and honed her racing skills in quarter midgets, junior late models, and the Spears SRL Pro Late Model Series prior to advancing into Pro Trucks and super late models.
Hinds also competes in various regional and national super late model events as her schedule permits.
Off the racetrack, Hinds is in her third year of college at Metropolitan State University of Denver.