Oolitic honors sprint car's Karl and Mark Kinser with highway sign

TL;DR

A sign honoring Karl Kinser and his son Mark Kinser was unveiled in Oolitic on May 9, 2026. The ceremony recognized their contributions to sprint car racing.

Key points

Sign unveiled for Karl and Mark Kinser in Oolitic
Ceremony held on May 9, 2026
Karl Kinser is a notable sprint car owner and mechanic
Mark Kinser is a successful sprint car driver
Sign located at city hall in Oolitic

Mentioned in this story

Karl KinserMark KinserOolitic

A sign honoring longtime sprint car owner and mechanic Karl Kinser and his son, driver Mark Kinser, was unveiled Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Oolitic.

A sign honoring sprint car racing's most successful owner/crew chief Karl Kinser and his son, Mark Kinser, driver, was unveiled Saturday, May 9, on the porch of city hall in Oolitic.

Karl Kinser speaks during the sign unveiling ceremony at city hall in Oolitic on Saturday, May 9, 2026.

Both Karl and Mark are longtime Oolitic residents. Kinser family members also in the racing community who live in Indiana include Steve Kinser, a nephew of Karl.

Mark Kinser hugs a family friend before the start of the sign ceremony in Oolitic on Saturday, May 9, 2026.

During the unveiling ceremony, Karl talked about some of his drivers over the years. "I want to acknowledge (driver) Larry Miller." Miller and Kinser joined forces back in 1960s, after Karl left drag racing to go sprint car racing. The two had an enormous amount of success with the Karl Kinser-built roadster Big Bertha.