8/7/2016
Inside Line Promotions
Swindell Becomes Only Second Driver to Win 410 and 360 Knoxville Nationals
(Photo by Tim Aylwin)
Inside Line Promotions – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (Aug. 7, 2016) – Sammy Swindell added another feat to his already impressive racing résumé.
Swindell became just the second driver to win both the 410ci and 360ci versions of the famed Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway when he powered to his first career Arnold Motor Supply 360 Knoxville Nationals victory on Saturday.
“It’s pretty neat to do that this late in my career and be that competitive,” he said. “I don’t see anything that is slowing me down right now.”
Swindell, who claimed the 410 Knoxville Nationals in 1983, drove for A.G. Rains during this weekend’s 360 Knoxville Nationals. Swindell and Rains entered the weekend 1-for-1 this season as they won during their only race together this season. The duo duplicated that achievement on Saturday thanks to a stout performance during preliminary competition last Thursday.
“We went out there for warm-ups and the car was pretty good,” Swindell said. “We were trying to find our way along having not been there with that car. When we qualified the gear wasn’t quite right and a few things weren’t exactly right. We made a couple of changes and in the heat it was better. We were having a little trouble with it taking off on the starts.”
Swindell qualified 10th quickest overall and he charged from fifth to win a heat race. That locked him into the third starting position for the 20-lap main event.
“The start hurt us,” he said. “I let (Terry) McCarl get in front of me and he held me up for a while. It seemed like everyone else I ran up to was running the bottom. I just ran out of laps. Twenty laps doesn’t last very long.”
Swindell maneuvered to a runner-up result, which ranked him third in overall points following the two preliminary nights. He moved up a position when a fellow competitor didn’t show up for Saturday’s event. That allowed Swindell to start on the outside of the front row for the $15,000-to-win main event.
“I felt real good,” he said. “We went out in the practice and I was trying to run different places and was still third quick overall.”
Swindell quickly found the lead on the opening lap of the 25-lap feature as polesitter Clint Garner drove to the cushion and Swindell hit the bottom groove. The duo exited turn two side by side, but Swindell took the top spot down the backstretch to lead the opening lap.
“On the start he went to the top and I went to the bottom,” he said. “I was ahead of him and thought that was the place to be. It worked out the top was actually better.”
Garner passed Swindell for the lead on Lap 2 before Swindell returned the favor on Lap 9.
“I followed him around there and was quite a bit faster in turns three and four,” he said. “I could run up on him pretty easy. It was about taking my time to get it set up. I got a big run and was able to slide up in front of him in turns one and two.”
Swindell set a strong pace out front before a late-race caution with three laps remaining bunched the field together. However, Swindell got a strong restart and maintained the top spot to record his fifth career 360 feature victory at Knoxville Raceway and his first during the marquee event.
Click on the link to watch highlights of the main event: https://youtu.be/GWQRbxjgpW4.
“I want to thank A.G. and his team for the great opportunity and I want to extend my thoughts and prayers to Bryan Clauson and his family during this tough time,” he said.
Swindell will return to action with CJB Motorsports on Monday at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, for the $21,000-to-win Front Row Challenge with the National Sprint League before tackling the 56th annual 5-Hour Energy Knoxville Nationals this Wednesday through Saturday at Knoxville Raceway.
QUICK RESULTS –
Aug. 4 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 1 (5); Feature: 2 (3).
Aug. 6 – Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa – Feature: 1 (2).
UP NEXT –
Monday at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa, for the $21,000-to-win Front Row Challenge with the National Sprint League and Wednesday through Saturday at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, for the 56th annual 5-Hour Energy Knoxville Nationals
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.SammySwindell1.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/1sam91
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Sweet Manufacturing
Sweet Manufacturing was incorporated in 1978 with the basic concept of providing racers with steering products that would offer a competitive advantage. All of its products have been designed and built using the experience and knowledge gained from Randy Sweet’s 50-plus years of racing competition, plus continuous input from the nation’s top drivers, engineers and chassis builders. For more information, visit http://www.SweetMFG.biz.
“Sweet Manufacturing has developed one of the best steering gears out there and they are dedicated to continue improving all the time,” Swindell said.
Swindell would also like to thank Acme Graphix, J. Davidson Scrap Metal Processors, John Christner Trucking, High Performance Lubricants, FK Rod Ends, Simpson Race Products, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Schoenfeld Headers, MyRacePass and Inside Line Promotions for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
Article Credit: Inside Line Promotions
Submitted By: Shawn Miller
