The Kings Royal: Distinctive Format Lends to Seven Different Winners in Past Seven Years

Eldora Speedway will look to crown a new king in the 32nd Kings Royal on July 17-18 continuing a streak of seven different winners the past seven years.

In fact, dating back to Jac Haudenschild’s third triumph in 1998, only Steve Kinser (three), Sammy Swindell (two) and Donny Schatz (two) have multiple wins in the sixteen events held since. Kerry Madsen became the first Australian to claim the $50,000 bounty last year.

One of the main reasons for such parity is the format. While Friday’s “The Knight Before” will be a standard World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event. Saturday night’s starting lineup is determined via a formula that is unique to Eldora for the extended 40 lap Kings Royal.

Per usual, Time Trials will be held in order of random draw conducted prior to the driver meeting. The fastest of two laps determines Heat Race seeding.

As is Kings Royal tradition, there will be six Heat Races instead of the four typical experienced at a sprint car race. The results of time trials will be staggered by qualifying time with an invert of five placing the 25th fastest qualifier on the pole of Heat Race one and the 30th fastest qualifier on the pole of Heat Race six.  The fastest qualifier will start fifth in the first heat with the sixth qualifier in starting fifth in the sixth heat race.

The top-three finishers will advance from the Heat Races and complete the first 18 positions in the Kings Royal.  Cars finishing fourth, fifth and sixth – that are not the two fastest qualifiers who did not finish in the top-three in their heat race – advance to the B-Feature. Cars finishing seventh through 10th advance to the C-Feature.

There will be one C-Feature with cars finishing first through sixth advancing to the B-Feature. Cars finishing first through fourth will advance to the Kings Royal.

The two fastest qualifiers not advancing from the Heat Races will start 19th and 20th in the Kings Royal.

The top-three finishers from the six Heat Races will makeup the first-eighteen starters in the Kings Royal as follows:

ROW ONE                            Heat Six – 1st Place                           Heat Five – 1st Place

ROW TWO                           Heat Four – 1st Place                       Heat Three – 1st Place

ROW THREE                        Heat Two – 1st Place                        Heat One – 1st Place

ROW FOUR                         Heat One – 2nd Place                       Heat Two – 2nd Place

ROW FIVE                            Heat Three – 2nd Place                   Heat Four – 2nd Place

ROW SIX                              Heat Five – 2nd Place                       Heat Six – 2nd Place

ROW SEVEN                       Heat One – 3rd Place                       Heat Two – 3rd Place

ROW EIGHT                        Heat Three – 3rd Place                    Heat Four – 3rd Place

ROW NINE                          Heat Five – 3rd Place                       Heat Six – 3rd Place

ROW 10                                Two fastest qualifiers not advancing from heat race.

ROW 11                                B-Feature – 1st Place                       B-Feature – 2nd Place

ROW 12                                B-Feature – 3rd Place                      B-Feature – 4th Place

The previous winner’s provisional established in 2014 has been eliminated for 2015.

Eldora Speedway PR