First top ten for Kite since '99.

Jimmy Kite was able to secure his first top ten IRL IndyCar Series finish since Pikes Peak in 1999 as he guided his Hemelgarn Racing Dallara-Toyota to its first lead lap finish of the season at Kentucky Speedway on Sunday.

The 29 year-old Georgia born driver spent much of Sunday's Amber Alert Portal Indy 300 towards the rear of the field before making a move when it mattered. Helped by a late race restart with 25 laps to go, Kite was able to pick up three positions in the final ten laps as he saved his best until last.

"I love this track," Kite said. "Last time I was here I was leading with 40 laps to go when my engine blew. This is the best finish for me in this car. We've been needing this all year. We've been given some good finishes this year; this one we earned. That was fun."

Although Hemelgarn's original driver Paul Dana scored a top ten finish on his series debut in Homestead, that result was fortuitous after a multi-car crash wiped out nearly a third of the field. But on Sunday, with the #91 crew helping Kite to pick up positions on each of their three tyre stops, the 2000 championship winning team put in their most competitive showing of the year by a long way.

Team owner Ron Hemelgarn was extremely pleased with the result. "It's great. We're making gains every week. We raced every lap. There weren't any gifts in this race."