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Tag: Kevin Swindell

  • NASCAR BTS: Venturini Racing Pays It Forward for Kevin Swindell

    NASCAR BTS: Venturini Racing Pays It Forward for Kevin Swindell

    Whether on dirt or asphalt, racers compete with all the hearts on track. But when a fellow racer is injured or in need of help off the track, true racers pay it forward with whatever help is needed.

    This week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes looks at a true racing family, the Venturinis, who are paying it forward by organizing a golf tournament to help Kevin Swindell, who was injured in a heat race qualifying for the Knoxville Nationals back in August.

    Swindell’s car tangled with others, flipped, and landed hard on its wheels leaving the 26 year old racer with serious spinal cord and back injuries, including the lack of mobility below the waist. Swindell has completed several surgeries and a hospital stay and currently continues his rehabilitation on an outpatient basis in the Frazier Rehab Institute in Louisville, KY.

    “We are putting together a fundraising golf tournament to help Kevin,” Billy Venturini said. “We know it is going to be a lengthy process with his rehabilitation. Kevin drove for me and run some races. And there is a friendship there too.”

    “So, we just wanted to try to help out a little bit. I went through a spinal cord injury myself back in 2005 without any paralysis. So, I felt like this was my chance to pay it forward and help him out.”

    “Kevin is in Louisville right now at a spinal cord rehabilitation center and is now in outpatient,” Venturini continued. “They had to get an apartment for him to live up there. His mother and his girlfriend are there helping to take care of him. He also has a young daughter.”

    “So, that’s basically what it is all for. I know he has medical insurance so I don’t know if there will be bills there that are not covered. But I do know that the other expenses in having his family care for him and to live there for four to six months during his rehab. So, that’s what we’re trying to help with, the housing, the missed time from work for the family and to help support his little girl through all this.”

    The golf tournament, dubbed the #BulldogStrong Golf Tournament, is a collaborative effort with the Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports (WAM), a nonprofit charity of NASCAR. Given that affiliation, 100% of the proceeds of the golfing event will go directly to help with Swindell’s recovery expenses.

    “We are doing the golf tournament at Rocky River Golf Course, right next to Charlotte Motor Speedway,” Venturini said. “It will be the week of the Charlotte race on October 6th.”

    “We did a couple of different sponsorship deals, with a Presenting Sponsor which is Toyota. There were two Gold level sponsors,  Curb and Allegiant, and Hoosier did the Silver level. We have hole sponsorships and I think we have sold out on those sponsorships.

    “So, we sold all the holes, all the major sponsorship packages, the longest drives and closest to the pins, all to raise money for this deal.”

    Not only have the sponsors turned out to pay it forward for Swindell but his fellow racers and those in the industry have done so as well.

    “We were planning for 128 golfers, which was the max the golf course said they could host because of the number of golf carts,” Venturini said. “But I have a friend who donated more carts so we can be at 144, which is the max for an 18 hole golf course.  So, they will start two four-somes on each hole.  We actually have had to close registration and have a waiting list to play golf.”

    “I would say that 98% of those involved are in the racing world.  There are a handful of different drivers coming out, like Kyle Larson, Erik Jones, Ross Kenseth, Brennan Poole, Justin Boston, and Matt DiBenedetto.”

    Venturini also credits his girlfriend for coming up with the gold tournament idea. After that, he said it was an ‘easy sell’ to the racing community to pull it all together.

    “I also have to give a ton of credit to my girlfriend,” Venturini said. “We were playing golf right after it happened. I was texting Kevin during that round of golf and I was like ‘Damn, I feel bad about his mother and his girlfriend and his little girl. They are all working so hard to do this deal for him.’

    My girlfriend said that we should do something and she was right. So, she suggested a golf tournament and she has helped so much with all of the logistics. I have the ties to the people, so that’s what I handled.”

    “When I talked to people, they all said that they wanted to help but just didn’t know how to go about it. So, I just basically give everyone a platform for something they already wanted to do. Because all these people, everyone wanted to help.”

    Venturini acknowledged that while there is competition for rides and on the track, Kevin is one of those special racers that everyone rallies around.

    “Kevin kind of falls into a rare category, which is that he is a true racer,” Venturini said. “We’ve come from a family of racers and we’ve done this our whole lives. And in all honesty, we’re in that community. There are a lot of racers that you see running that aren’t ‘true’ racers. Those that have grown up in it and have been saturated in it are part of the community. And Kevin is part of that fraternity.”

    “So, when I called on all these people, it was a really easy sell to get all these people to come out and do this and give. Racers don’t call on racers unless it is a needed situation.”

    And while the golf tournament is all about raising the dollars needed, Venturini also feels that it is a show of support that is much needed as Swindell goes through the long road of recovery.

    “I know this is so important to him,” Venturini said. “This support is helping him a ton. He is making good strides and there is a good chance that this will work out favorably for him. But it will be a long road ahead. And we racers have to stick together and keep paying it forward.”

    “It was ten years ago when I got hurt. I wasn’t lucky I broke my neck and had a spinal cord injury but I walked out of the hospital. I had six months of rehabilitation but that was nothing.”

    “Kevin’s going to have a tougher road than I had. I wasn’t looking to pay it forward but when it happened, I knew that was what I needed to do and what we all needed to do.”

    “We’ll be able to give Kevin a nice size check when this is all over.”

    For more information on the #BulldogStrong Golf Tournament Benefitting Injured Driver Kevin Swindell, visit www.KevinSwindellGolfTournament.com and @GolfForSwindell on Twitter.

  • Bulldog Strong

    Bulldog Strong

    On August 13, Kevin Swindell’s world came to a standstill at the Knoxville Nationals.

    Kevin Swindell is the 26-year-old son of sprint car racing legend, Sammy Swindell. He is a dirt track standout with 77 feature wins to his credit. Kevin began his racing career at the age of five in go karts and worked his way up to sprint cars and eventually into NASCAR’s XFINITY Series where he made 29 starts. Swindell is a four-time Chili Bowl champion and was the first to win the Chili Bowl Nationals four straight years. Known for his tenacity on the track, Swindell garnered the nickname, “The Bull Dog.”

    Swindell qualified 41st on the second night of the Knoxville Nationals missing the 8 car inversion by one spot. He started ninth in the first of five heats on the evening. Pole sitter R.J. Johnson brought the field to the green slowly, which stacked up the cars behind him. Ed Lynch Jr. bounced off the inside berm across the track and into Swindell’s car sending him into the wall and airborne into the catch fence upside down. The catch fencing then slung the car back down to the track where it landed hard on its wheels.

    Swindell was removed through the top of the car by track safety workers and was then transported to Des Moines Mercy Hospital on Thursday evening. Swindell underwent the first surgery to stabilize the first of two fractures in his back on Friday morning. He underwent the second surgery on Monday morning to stabilize the second fracture.

    Late Monday evening, Swindell’s father, racing legend Sammy Swindell, released the following statement.

    “Kevin underwent surgery today at Des Moines Mercy Hospital to address one of two fractures he suffered in his back following last week’s accident at Knoxville Raceway. Both surgeries have been successful and the doctors are heartened by his progress.

    “The doctors are also running tests on and monitoring a spinal cord injury that Kevin received during the accident.

    “We realize there is a long battle ahead, but Kevin has remained positive throughout the process and is prepared to fight to regain his health. We’re all hopeful for a Friday discharge and the next steps to recovery.

    “We would like to especially thank the doctors, nurses and the staff at Des Moines Mercy Hospital for their outstanding work and the care they have provided for Kevin. Additionally, we want to let the sprint car community and all of the fans who have reached out to the three of us know that we are grateful for your ongoing support, prayers and donations.

    “We remain optimistic about Kevin’s progress and will provide updates as they become available.”
    — Sammy Swindell Aug. 17, 2015

    If you would like to send well wishes to Kevin you may do so at the following address:

    Kevin Swindell
    c/o Frazier Rehab Institute
    220 Abraham Flexner Way
    Lousiville, KY 40202

    Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #BullDogStrong in their Facebook and Twitter posts to show support for Swindell.

    The entire staff of Speedway Media wishes Kevin a quick and full recovery.

    Update:

    Kevin Swindell was released from the hospital Friday, Aug. 21. His family issued the following statement to the media.

    “Kevin has been released from Des Moines Mercy Hospital today after an eight-day stay at the hospital following last week’s accident at Knoxville Raceway.

    “The doctors and staff at Des Moines Mercy have been generous to us, both in their care for Kevin and their patience and understanding to all of us throughout our time here. We will forever be grateful to them.

    “We cannot begin to thank everyone in the racing community for the support that you’ve shown to Kevin. The thoughtfulness of all of you is seen and felt and we feel stronger each day because of you. Kevin feels the power of your prayers and they are working. Our motto is: God showed up and showed out!

    “We’re also grateful for the donations that have come in and the continued fundraisers that race fans, organizations and tracks have started to help Kevin. We know there is a long road ahead of him and the donations will help ease the burden of the medical expenses we’ll have and allow Kevin to focus solely on his health.

    “Bank of America has set up an account for donations to Kevin. If you’d like to make a donation or are getting questions of where someone can donate, the information is below.

    “To make a donation to Kevin’s Recovery Fund, please make a check out to Kevin Swindell and write “Recovery Fund” on the memo line. Checks can be mailed to:

    Kevin Swindell Recovery Fund
    c/o Spire Sports + Entertainment
    P.O. Box 638
    Cornelius, N.C. 28031

    “If you’d prefer to wire funds, please call Spire Sports + Entertainment at 704-897-2880 for information on how to do so.

    “Donations can be made online at . Please be sure to type “Kevin Swindell Recovery Fund” in the comment section to ensure your donation goes to Kevin.

    “Again, from all of us, thank you.

    “Kevin, Sammy and Amy Swindell and Jordan Armstrong.”

  • Matt Kenseth Wins at New Hampshire

    Matt Kenseth Wins at New Hampshire

    Matt Kenseth is the man to beat in the 2013; there is no doubt about that. He has now won both chase races with his teammate, Kyle Busch finishing 2nd just like Chicagoland last weekend. This is his 7th win of the season and the 31st of his career. Matt started 9th and wasn’t looked at as a favorite to win the race and wasn’t a factor until after the halfway point. He’s never gone to victory lane at New Hampshire until now and it just so happened to be his 500th career start as well.

    The race kicked off with Ryan Newman on pole but he would quickly be overtaken by a hard-charging Kasey Kahne. Kasey led until the first caution of the day flew courtesy of Josh Wise going for a spin in turn 4. On the restart, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray made contact sending the No.1 spinning. Jamie kept it off the wall though and the car was fine until rookie Kevin Swindell ran into the back of him. McMurray rebounded and finished a solid 5th with a damaged rear end.

    The next incident involved Bobby Labonte and David Gilliland on the front stretch. Labonte’s car was destroyed while Gilliland suffered some front end damage during the crash. Martin Truex Jr. led a bunch of laps before Jeff Gordon took control of the event. A rare pit road mistake by the 4-time champ ruined his race as he brought home a disappointing 15th place finish.

    Late in the race, Kasey Kahne got loose underneath Brian Vickers and smacked the inside wall. He was very upset and didn’t have anything to say when he left the infield care center. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a fantastic restart with 30 to go and rocketed up to 2nd but he gave it all back within a few laps. It came down to a duel between JGR teammates Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch with the 2003 NSCS champion prevailing as Kyle desperately tried to get to him. Track position was key today and when you didn’t have it, you didn’t stand a chance.

    The race featured eleven different leaders, seven cautions and nineteen lead changes. 28 cars finished on the lead lap and five failed to finish. Kenseth, (Kyle) Busch and Johnson have separated themselves from the rest of the chase field and are certainly living up to all the hype surrounding their chase chances. Matt has a 14pt lead over teammate Kyle and Jimmie Johnson faces a 18pt deficit. There’s a noticeable gap back to 4th place Carl Edwards who sits 36pts back. 10th on back are a full race’s worth of points behind the leader and Kasey Kahne is now last in the chase; 71pts back of Kenseth.

    RACE RESULTS

    1.) Matt Kenseth #20

    2.) Kyle Busch #18

    3.) Greg Biffle #16

    4.) Jimmie Johnson #48

    5.) Jamie McMurray #1

    6.) Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88

    7.) Brian Vickers #55

    8.) Jeff Burton #31

    9.) Carl Edwards #99

    10.) Matin Truex Jr. #56

    11.) Brad Keselowski #2

    12.) Denny Hamlin #11

    13.) Kurt Busch #78

    14.) Joey Logano #22

    15.) Jeff Gordon #24

    16.) Ryan Newman #39

    17.) Clint Bowyer #15

    18.) Marcos Ambrose #9

    19.) Juan Pablo Montoya #42

    20.) Kevin Harvick #29

    21.) Aric Almirola #43

    22.) Paul Menard #27

    23.) Mark Martin #55

    24.) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17

    25.) Casey Mears #13

    26.) David Reutimann #83

    27.) Danica Patrick #10

    28.) Travis Kvapil #93

    29.) David Ragan #34

    30.) Michael McDowell #51

    31.) Dave Blaney #7

    32.) Josh Wise #35

    33.) JJ Yeley #36

    34.) Landon Cassill #40

    35.) Joe Nemechek #87

    36.) Timmy Hill #32

    37.) Kasey Kahne #5

    38.) Kevin Swindell #30

    39.) David Gilliland #38

    40.) Bobby Labonte #47

    41.) Tony Raines #33

    42.) Johnny Sauter #98

    43.) Scott Riggs #95

    – Richard Petty is the only other driver besides Kenseth to win in his 500th start

    – 4 of Matt’s 7 victories this season have all come at tracks that he had not won at until 2013

    – Kenseth is the 12th different driver to win in the last 12 New Hampshire races

    – This is the third time a chase driver has won the first two chase races…Biffle did it in 2008 & Stewart in 2011

  • Henderson Prevails at Second Chance Friday in Knoxville

    Henderson Prevails at Second Chance Friday in Knoxville

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    KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Aug. 10, 2012 – Justin Henderson capitalized on a new format to the Friday portion of the 52nd annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals.

    With a new team and a unique opportunity to start from scratch, Henderson took advantage to lock himself into Saturday’s $150,000-to-win main event at the famed Knoxville Raceway after outlasting David Gravel in the final qualifying night.

    “I was very worried coming into tonight,” Henderson said. “It puts a lot of extra pressure and stress on the guys that aren’t already locked in, but I have to say the finale came out good in our favor this time. I’m a fan of it now, but I think every year it’s going to change for sure.”

    A total of 67 drivers competed with the new format, which erased everyone’s qualifying performance and locked in the top four finishers from Friday’s feature. For Henderson, who would have been mired in the middle of the B Main under the old format, Friday worked out perfectly.

    He qualified 15th quickest and finished second in a heat race, grabbing the final transfer and a spot in the 25-lap main event. Henderson started the feature sixth and he ran fifth for the first nine laps.

    However, on a lap-10 restart after Danny Lasoski brought out a caution with a flat tire, Henderson quickly powered to third. He passed Cody Darrah for the runner-up position with 11 laps remaining and then tracked down Gravel, who started on the pole.

    Henderson railed the outside groove, while Gravel ran the inside lane. The duo entered traffic with six laps remaining and Gravel was slowed in turn two with five to go, allowing Henderson to rocket into the lead off turn two. He then survived a strong bid from Gravel, who finished less than half a second behind Henderson.

    “I really felt like I was rolling the bottom nicely,” Gravel said. “I thought I was on cruise control there. I slipped off the bottom a few times and that’s when Henderson got by me.

    “He had an advantage in (turns) one and two, and I had the advantage in (turns) three and four. I was really trying to win there, but when Justin had a few car lengths I was just trying to stay straight, hit my marks and get to the finish line.”

    If anyone is a poster boy for the new format, it’s Dale Blaney. After failing to change an engine in time before time trials on his qualifying night, Blaney scratched from the rest of the night. Under the old format, he would have started in the back of the E Main on Saturday.

    On Friday, Blaney took full advantage of the clean slate and charged to a third-place finish to lock himself into Saturday’s main event.

    “It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s just a great opportunity. I want to thank everybody from Knoxville for making the format. It fit us perfectly this year.”

    Darrah held off a late charge from 13th-starter Kerry Madsen to finish fourth, earning the final transfer to Saturday’s main event.

    With 20 drivers locked into the highest-paying feature of the season, the remaining competitors will be placed in mains based on their finish on Friday.

    Friday night concluded with the Speed Sport Knoxville World Challenge – a 24-car, 20-lap feature pitting top drivers from the United States against stars from other countries.

    Donny Schatz, who started 10th, claimed the $10,000 victory and savored the extra laps on the track before Saturday’s main event.

    “I think being able to come on nights like this is a big help,” he said. “It definitely does help for tomorrow night. You get your car that much better and you see what the race track is going to do. I think it’ll be similar tomorrow night.”

    52nd annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals Night 3 Statistical Report; Knoxville Raceway; Knoxville, Iowa; Aug. 10, 2012

    A Feature (25 laps) – 1. Justin Henderson (6); 2. David Gravel (1); 3. Dale Blaney (3); 4. Cody Darrah (2); 5. Kerry Madsen (13); 6. Chad Kemenah (16); 7. Terry McCarl (5); 8. Dusty Zomer (14); 9. Steve Kinser (15); 10. Danny Holtgraver (4); 11. Bronson Maeschen (17); 12. Kevin Swindell (18); 13. Wayne Johnson (11); 14. Scott Winters (24); 15. Danny Lasoski (10); 16. Jamie Veal (22); 17. Rager Phillips (12); 18. Jac Haudenschild (8); 19. Cap Henry (19); 20. James McFadden (20); 21. Greg Wilson (23); 22. Jeff Swindell (9); 23. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7); 24. Joey Moughan (21).

    Qualifying – 1. 89G, David Gravel, Watertown, CT (7), 15.126; 2. 4, Cody Darrah, Red Lion, PA (8), 15.252; 3. 2, Dale Blaney, Fowler, OH (59), 15.254; 4. 17M, Joey Moughan, Springfield, IL (10), 15.263; 5. 35AU, Jamie Veal, Warrnambool, VIC, Au (5), 15.314; 6. 96, Bronson Maeschen, Pleasantville, IA (29), 15.319; 7. W20, Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, OH (21), 15.328; 8. 63, Chad Kemenah, Findlay, OH (42), 15.356; 9. 23w, Scott Winters, Butterfield, MN (17), 15.373; 10. 11, Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN (3), 15.385; 11. D4, Danny Holtgraver, Pittsburgh, PA (25), 15.411; 12. 24, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (14), 15.454; 13. 12, Lynton Jeffrey, Sydney, NSW, Aust. (31), 15.455; 14. 6R, Ryan Bunton, Morton, IL (38), 15.465; 15. 82, Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD (27), 15.468; 16. 49J, Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (4), 15.471; 17. 26, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX (6), 15.494; 18. 59, Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH (11), 15.494; 19. 55x, Trey Starks, Puyallup, WA (22), 15.496; 20. 7K, Jeff Swindell, Bartlett, TN (20), 15.501; 21. 1z, Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO (54), 15.504; 22. 55xm, James McFadden, Brisbane, QLD, Aust. (30), 15.546; 23. 77x, Wayne Johnson, Knoxville, IA (19), 15.547; 24. 24H, Bryan Sebetto, Fremont, OH (63), 15.572; 25. 8, Casey Mack, East Grand Forks, ND (15), 15.583; 26. 9P, Rager Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (43), 15.587; 27. 20, AJ Moeller, Rockwell City, IA (9), 15.602; 28. 29, Kerry Madsen, St. Marys, NSW, Aus (49), 15.606; 29. 47, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (50), 15.611; 30. 17A, Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA (1), 15.634; 31. 6x, Kaley Gharst, Decatur, IL (13), 15.636; 32. 71, Kevin Swindell, Charlotte, NC (60), 15.639; 33. 54, Cap Henry, Bellevue, OH (51), 15.645; 34. 91, Dusty Zomer, Sioux Falls, SD (67), 15.678; 35. 18, Tony Bruce Jr., Owasso, OK (26), 15.683; 36. 1s, Logan Schuchart, Hanover, PA (44), 15.686; 37. 49, Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, CA (58), 15.699; 38. 1x, Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro, IN (36), 15.713; 39. 99, Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, OK (57), 15.732; 40. 6, Bill Rose, Plainfield, IN (16), 15.746; 41. 40, Caleb Helms, Findlay, OH (47), 15.768; 42. 2s, Lee Sowell, Lake Cormorant, MS (40), 15.793; 43. 7TAZ, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (52), 15.795; 44. 2L, Ed Lynch Jr., Apollo, PA (65), 15.8; 45. 88, Jarrod Schneiderman, West Burlington, IA (28), 15.822; 46. 2x, Dustin Morgan, Tulsa, OK (55), 15.823; 47. 51, Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, PA (24), 15.825; 48. 81, Austin Johnson, Shakopee, MN (61), 15.831; 49. 53D, Jack Dover, Springfield, NE (46), 15.844; 50. 10, Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, OH (56), 15.846; 51. 02, Mike Reinke, Howards Grove, WI (33), 15.873; 52. 66, Geoff Dodge, Speedway, IN (2), 15.879; 53. 35, Tyler Walker, Hermosa Beach, CA (23), 15.975; 54. 4D, Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (64), 16.042; 55. 71AU, Domain Ramsay, Newtown, VIC, Aust. (34), 16.047; 56. 13v, Seth Brahmer, Wisner, NE (41), 16.048; 57. 45x, Johnny Herrera, Albuquerque, NM (45), 16.089; 58. 7c, Critter Malone, Speedway, IN (12), 16.116; 59. 1m, Jim Moughan Jr., Springfield, IL (35), 16.212; 60. 1T, Chris Shirek, Thompson, ND (53), 16.259; 61. 47AU, Trevor Reynolds, Perth, WA, Aust. (32), 16.31; 62. 75, Glen Saville, Razorback, NSW, Aust (37), 16.321; 63. 71B, Robert Bell, Colfax, IA (18), 16.399; 64. 2K, Kevin Ingle, Huron, SD (39), 16.516; 65. 74x, Josh Hodges, Tijeras, NM (62), 16.567; 66. 20PK, Ron Krysl, Atkinson, NE (66), 17.122; 67. 12P, TJ Peterson, Des Moines, IA (48), 17.278.

    Heat 1 (8 laps) – 1. David Gravel (4); 2. Justin Henderson (2); 3. Chad Kemenah (3); 4. Logan Schuchart (6); 5. Don Droud Jr. (5); 6. James McFadden (1); 7. Tasker Phillips (7); 8. Sheldon Haudenschild (8); 9. Johnny Herrera (9); 10. Kevin Ingle (10).

    Heat 2 (8 laps) – 1. Wayne Johnson (1); 2. Cody Darrah (4); 3. Josh Schneiderman (2); 4. Brad Sweet (6); 5. Scott Winters (3); 6. Austin McCarl (5); 7. Mike Reinke (8); 8. Ed Lynch Jr. (7); 9. Josh Hodges (10); 10. Critter Malone (9).

    Heat 3 (8 laps) – 1. Dale Blaney (4); 2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2); 3. Steve Kinser (3); 4. Kaley Gharst (5); 5. Randy Hannagan (6); 6. Geoff Dodge (8); 7. Bryan Sebetto (1); 8. Jim Moughan Jr. (9); 9. Jarrod Schneiderman (7); 10. Ron Krysl (10).

    Heat 4 (8 laps) – 1. Jac Haudenschild (2); 2. Danny Holtgraver (3); 3. Casey Mack (1); 4. Kevin Swindell (5); 5. Brady Bacon (6); 6. Tyler Walker (8); 7. Joey Moughan (4); 8. Chris Shirek (9); 9. Dustin Morgan (7); 10. TJ Peterson (10).

    Heat 5 (8 laps) – 1. Terry McCarl (3); 2. Rager Phillips (1); 3. Trey Starks (2); 4. Danny Smith (8); 5. Jamie Veal (4); 6. Cap Henry (5); 7. Fred Rahmer (7); 8. Bill Rose (6); 9. Trevor Reynolds (9).

    Heat 6 (8 laps) – 1. Jeff Swindell (2); 2. Dusty Zomer (5); 3. Lynton Jeffrey (3); 4. Bronson Maeschen (4); 5. Glen Saville (9); 6. Caleb Helms (6); 7. AJ Moeller (1); 8. Austin Johnson (7); 9. Domain Ramsay (8).

    Heat 7 (8 laps) – 1. Danny Lasoski (2); 2. Kerry Madsen (1); 3. Greg Wilson (4); 4. Ryan Bunton (3); 5. Jack Dover (7); 6. Tony Bruce Jr. (5); 7. Seth Brahmer (8); 8. Lee Sowell (6); 9. Robert Bell (9).

    B Feature 1 (12 laps) – 1. Steve Kinser (3); 2. Kevin Swindell (7); 3. Greg Wilson (2); 4. Joey Moughan (1); 5. Brady Bacon (9); 6. Don Droud Jr. (6); 7. Josh Schneiderman (4); 8. Logan Schuchart (8); 9. Jarrod Schneiderman (11); 10. Danny Smith (14); 11. Chris Shirek (16); 12. Robert Bell (17); 13. Bryan Sebetto (5); 14. Austin Johnson (12); 15. Lee Sowell (10); 16. Ron Krysl (18); 17. Mike Reinke (13); 18. Johnny Herrera (15).

    B Feature 2 (12 laps) – 1. Chad Kemenah (2); 2. Cap Henry (7); 3. Brad Sweet (8); 4. Jack Dover (12); 5. Lynton Jeffrey (3); 6. Trey Starks (4); 7. Casey Mack (5); 8. Austin McCarl (6); 9. Dustin Morgan (11); 10. Kevin Ingle (17); 11. Trevor Reynolds (16); 12. TJ Peterson (18); 13. Domain Ramsay (14); 14. Bill Rose (9); 15. Critter Malone (15); 16. Jamie Veal (1); 17. Tasker Phillips (10); 18. Geoff Dodge (13).

    B Feature 3 (12 laps) – 1. Bronson Maeschen (1); 2. James McFadden (4); 3. Tony Bruce Jr. (7); 4. Ryan Bunton (3); 5. Randy Hannagan (8); 6. Scott Winters (2); 7. Tyler Walker (13); 8. Fred Rahmer (11); 9. Kaley Gharst (6); 10. AJ Moeller (5); 11. Caleb Helms (9); 12. Glen Saville (16); 13. Jim Moughan Jr. (15); 14. Ed Lynch Jr. (10); 15. Seth Brahmer (14); 16. Josh Hodges (17); 17. Sheldon Haudenschild (12).

    Speed Sport Knoxville World Challenge (20 laps) – 1. Donny Schatz (10); 2. Sammy Swindell (1); 3. Jason Meyers (9); 4. Craig Dollansky (12); 5. Tim Shaffer (13); 6. Kerry Madsen (15); 7. Jason Johnson (2); 8. James McFadden (17); 9. Daryn Pittman (4); 10. Lucas Wolfe (8); 11. Brooke Tatnell (14); 12. David Gravel (18); 13. Jamie Veal (16); 14. Lynton Jeffrey (20); 15. Danny Smith (23); 16. Trevor Reynolds (21); 17. Domain Ramsay (22); 18. Ian Madsen (7); 19. Paul McMahan (3); 20. Glen Saville (19); 21. Jonathan Allard (11); 22. Shane Stewart (5); 23. Kyle Larson (6).

    Saturday’s Feature Lineups for the 52nd annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals

    A MAIN (50 laps): 1, Stevie Smith. 2, Craig Dollansky. 3, Jonathan Allard. 4, Brian Brown. 5, Donny Schatz. 6, Joey Saldana. 7, Jason Meyers. 8, Tim Kaeding. 9, Kraig Kinser. 10, Lucas Wolfe. 11, Ian Madsen. 12, Kyle Larson. 13, Shane Stewart. 14, Daryn Pittman. 15, Lance Dewease. 16, Paul McMahan. 17, Justin Henderson. 18, David Gravel. 19, Dale Blaney. 20, Cody Darrah.

    B MAIN (22 laps, 4 transfer): 1, Davey Heskin. 2, Mark Dobmeier. 3, Greg Hodnett. 4, Brian Paulus. 5, Jason Johnson. 6, Sammy Swindell. 7, Tim Shaffer. 8, Brooke Tatnell. 9, Dustin Selvage. 10, Jason Sides. 11, Kerry Madsen. 12, Chad Kemenah. 13, Terry McCarl. 14, Dusty Zomer. 15, Steve Kinser. 16, Danny Holtgraver. 17, Bronson Maeschen. 18, Kevin Swindell. 19, Wayne Johnson. 20, Scott Winters.

    C MAIN (15 laps, 2 transfer): 1, Danny Lasoski. 2, Jamie Veal. 3, Rager Phillips. 4, Jac Haudenshild. 5, Cap Henry. 6, James McFadden. 7, Greg Wilson. 8, Jeff Swindell. 9, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 10, Joey Moughan. 11, Brad Sweet. 12, Tony Bruce Jr. 13, Jack Dover. 14, Ryan Bunton. 15, Brady Bacon. 16, Lynton Jeffrey. 17, Randy Hannagan. 18, Don Droud Jr. 19, Trey Starks. 20, Josh Schneiderman.

    D MAIN (12 laps, 2 transfer): 1, Casey Mack. 2, Tyler Walker. 3, Logan Schuchart. 4, Austin McCarl. 5, Fred Rahmer. 6, Jarrod Schneiderman. 7, Dustin Morgan. 8, Kaley Gharst. 9, Danny Smith. 10, Kevin Ingle. 11, A.J. Moeller. 12, Chris Shirek. 13, Trevor Reynolds. 14, Caleb Helms. 15, Robert Bell. 16, T.J. Peterson. 17, Glen Saville. 18, Brian Sebetto. 19, Domain Ramsey. 20, Jim Moughan.

    E MAIN (10 laps, 2 transfer): 1, Ron Krysl. 2, Bill Rose. 3, Ed Lynch Jr. 4, Lee Sowell. 5, Critter Malone. 6, Seth Brahmer. 7, Austin Johnson. 8, Josh Hodges. 9, Mike Reinke. 10, Tasker Phillips. 11, Sheldon Haudenschild. 12, Johnny Herrera. 13, Geoff Dodge.

  • Kevin Swindell Takes Chili Bowl Hat Trick

    The Chili Bowl went off without a hitch. Although its spirit was dampened by the loss of one of its young stars, Donnie Ray Crawford, in a domestic violence situation. More so than other series I have covered the young man’s loss was felt strongly by not only competitors but fans and officials a like. So much so that in his memory they increased the main event by 5 laps to make it 55 his car number and used his car as the pace vehicle to start the race. The only other showing of grief that even comes close to what I saw today was the grief seen in Rockingham in 2001 after the loss of Dale Earnhardt.

    The last day of the event saw 19 races starting with the K mains and progressed up to the A main. 4 cars transferred from each race until the D mains when 6 cars transferred and finally the 12 from the 2 B main features filled the last 12 spots of the 24 car field of the Chili Bowl.

    The biggest surprise of the day was the Chili Bowl Rookie of the Year winning his B Main in commanding fashion. Richard Vanderweerd won his feature event by a straight away over 2nd place RJ Johnson. Though he didn’t make it into the top ten in the A main when the dust cleared, he showed himself to be a very talented and gifted young man.

    The fore gone conclusion of the day, that a Swindell would win the Chili Bowl. And one did. Kevin Swindell pulled off the Chili Bowl hat trick in a race that was interrupted by on only one caution flag for Levi Jones tumble in turns one and two. Jones who was uninjured in the crash never returned to the fray. From that point on the pole sitter dominated the race. From the green flag to the checkered flags Kevin Swindell lead every single lap.

    Kevin’s only challenge for the race came from his father Sammy. The elder Swindell made several hard charges at his son until he got tangled up with a lap car and broke the left rear shock and damaged the front axle. For most competitors that would have been the end of their day. Sammy Swindell however is not most competitors and he finished the final 6 laps in a car that was not capable of making any further challenge for the lead.

    Third place went to the young lion, Kyle Larson. This young man is going places. Even though he never mounted a serious challenge to the Swindells, he held off all comers otherwise and finished third in a dominant 5 car advantage over Danny Stratton, who came in 4th. This youngster can slice and dice and bicycle a midget as well as the much more experienced drivers he was competing against. His personable and likeable personality fills the picture with a great deal of fan presence.

    The remainder of the top 10 were not surprises either. With the exception of Kyle Larson they were all very experienced Midget drivers and Chili Bowl Competitors. 5th place went to Bryan Clauson. 6th to Brad Sweet, 7th to Cory Kruzeman, 8th to Jerry Coons Jr, 9th to Ricky Stenhouse Jr and 10th to Tony Stewart.

    The day was a long one. The main event was almost anti climatic. But the real story of the Chili Bowl wasn’t who won or who lost instead it was about the strength and determination of the human spirit when faced with grief and pain. The character and emotional strength it took for every one of those competitors today to get in those cars and carry on was a testament to the affection and respect they had for their fallen friend. Somewhere in the back of their minds each and every one of them realized that though they might not want to carry on with this it would be the ultimate show of disrespect to Donnie Ray Crawford to pack up and go home without trying. It’s not how he would have wanted it. He was there with them every single lap. Cheering them on to victory and consoling them in their loss. No doubt the young man marveled at the respect he was given by heroes like Kevin Swindell, Sammy Swindell, Bryan Clauson and Tony Stewart. But it is the way of the sport. It is the way that we say good bye. But even then not really good bye just see you at the next track.

    Last note of interest Joey Moughan was released from the hospital this morning after remaining for observation over night with no serious injuries.

  • Kevin Swindell Dominates Day 3 of the Chili Bowl

    Kevin Swindell Dominates Day 3 of the Chili Bowl

    [media-credit id=30 align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Night 3 of the Chili Bowl was a rough and ragged night of racing. Caution Flag followed caution flag and there were 3 different races that it required multiple attempts to even get a single lap of competition in. But when the dust settled it was a familiar name in victory lane. That name was Swindell. Not Sammy but Kevin. Following in his father’s footsteps the younger Swindell dominated the evening when he was on the track. The major difference one runs the top one runs the bottom. It makes it very easy to imagine a Swindell road block in the Chili Bowl on Saturday.

    The third night of the Chili Bowl was pushing hard to beat its 11:00 PM curfew. The competitors managed to pull it out with 8 minutes to spare. But not before a very scary crash involving J.J. Yeley.

    Yeley who bobbled early in the A main and was shuffled back to 10th was charging back up thru the field and had made it back to 6th and was battling for 5th when the 4th and 5th place cars tangled leaving Yeley no where to go. Yeley ended up hard on his roof and then had contact with another car. Yeley who escaped without injury was unable to return to the race and finished a very disappointing 22nd.

    There was some question in regards to the track maintenance that was done between the C-mains and the B-mains. The track became very wet and very slick making the surface a dirt covered skating rink. The drivers though concerned put on a terrific show in the B Mains with Tracy Hines showing a number of brilliant top to bottom slide moves to move up to the A main. He was never a factor however in the race starting on the next to last row.

    Brad Sweet, driving for Kasey Kahne Racing, had a quietly dominant night leading the points all night and into the A main. Sweet would challenge Swindell the entire race and would run 2nd all night until a late race restart would allow Shane Cottle to slide around him out of 3 to take second. Cottle however was unable to cut into Swindell’s straight away lead in the 3 laps remaining and took home second place with Sweet coming home in 3rd.

    The Chili Bowl line up is up to 9 going into the 4th night of qualifying tomorrow. But the closer it gets the more apparent it becomes that if you are going to win the Chili Bowl you are going to have to beat a Swindell. With the father and son team having won 4 of the last 5 it would appear that it will take more than speed and talent. It would appear that if you are to beat the Swindells for the Golden Driller it will take a great deal of luck.

    Your 9 lock ins so far are: Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael Pickens, Sammy Swindell, Danny Stratton, Tony Stewart, Kevin Swindell, Shane Cottle, Brad Sweet. We will add three more lock ins tomorrow evening as the Chili Bowl approaches.

    Shame Hmiel was in attendance tonight along with his driver for tomorrow’s qualifying action Levi Jones. Hmiel showed great humor and great spirit in an interview conducted in the pit area. It was certainly a wonderful thing to see Shane back at the track and still pushing to improve his ability and status. Hmiel who suffered a severe spinal cord injury last summer that left him a quadriplegic said he has a work out routine that is 6 to 8 hours a day. His goal he says is to be able to take his self out of the wheel chair and put his self in his bed so that his parents don’t have to do it.

    Also in attendance tonight were Gary Bettenhausen and Bobby Unser.

    The Chili Bowl will resume at 5:30 PM CSTtomorrow at the QT Expo in TulsaOklahoma. The event is a sell out. There is no video available until the tentative Jan 28 2012air date with Speed but you can listen to a live radio stream from .

  • The Battle For The Golden Driller Begins in Tulsa

    The Battle For The Golden Driller Begins in Tulsa

    [media-credit id=30 align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]The Chili Bowl Midget Nationals began in Tulsa Oklahoma today. The event is a week of hard core racing. This year’s event garnered over 500 driver entries. Each driver is bidding for a Saturday night A Main starting position.

    The activities began with the first group of qualifiers running heat races and qualifying races and on into C main, B main, and A main features. The top 4 from the qualifying races qualified for the A main and the C and B main transferred their top 4. The A main transfers its top 3 finishers into the Chili Bowl on Saturday Night.

    Each day of qualifying leading up to the Chili Bowl on Saturday Night will feature the same process of qualifying races up to the A main. Saturday will fill the field with transfer positions from consie races from those that did not qualify the first 4 nights.

    The Midget race car for those who are new to open wheel and dirt racing, are 1000 lbs and 72 inches long. They run 4 cylinder engines that produce approximately 300 – 350hp.

    Midgets came into being in 1933 and are not intended to run long distances. The average length of a race being 20 – 25 laps. The horsepower to weight ratio of these cars makes them both powerful and exciting to watch. Their short wheel base however, makes them prone to roll over crashes which made it necessary to add the roll bar system in the early 70’s.

    The Chili Bowl is their Super Bowl race. It is held in Tulsa Oklahoma at the QT Center. The names that hold the Golden Driller are impressive in their own right. Names like Sammy Swindell, Kevin Swindell, Tony Stewart, and Tim McCreadie top the list. It’s those names and their car owners that create the first night draw with the Race of Champions.

    In order to be in the Race of Champions you must have won a Golden Driller or been the car owner of someone who has won the Golden Driller. This year’s field was 14 cars. The starting positions were drawn for drivers by children selected from the stands. For the 4th year in a row Sammy Swindell drew the pole position. Returning to the Chili Bowl after a 3 year absence Tony Stewart started tail end Charlie in 14th in the 14.

    Stewart arrived late yesterday and missed the practice and hot laps and so was climbing in his Spike chassis Chevy Performance Chevrolet number 14 for the first time when the Champions took the track for a few hot laps just before the Champions features.

    The race was an action packed high energy highly contested event that saw Sammy Swindell take an early commanding lead. Son Kevin Swindell made a hard charge on the outside to catch the elder Swindell and started around him on the high side when a caution came out for Jason Leffler getting upside down. Leffler was not injured and the green came back in very short order. Stewart was charging through the field and was up to 6th when the caution again flew for a spin on the front stretch. When the green came back out Kevin Swindell charged hard to the outside and Sammy dived low to the bottom coming out of 4 to hold off the charge and took the checkers. Stewart finished 7th. Ricky Stenhouse Jr who was also slotted to run the race experienced mechanical difficulties and never started the race. Bryan Clauson of TSR finished 6th.

    The A main was a hard fought return to grass roots racing. After an evening of difficulties Kyle Larson charged hard to the front taking the lead from George Ramey on lap 18 and he never looked back. Ricky Stenhouse Jr challenged briefly for the lead in heavy traffic but could not catch the charging Larson and finished in 2nd securing a place in the Chili Bowl feature on Saturday. The transferring drivers were in 1st place Kyle Larson, 2nd Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 3rd Michael Pickens.

    The action picks up again tomorrow evening at5:30 CSTwith notables like Bryan Clauson, Tony Stewart, and Kevin Swindell running their qualifying races.

  • Monster Crash in Dover Nationwide Race Leaves Carl Edwards as Survivor in Victory Lane

    Monster Crash in Dover Nationwide Race Leaves Carl Edwards as Survivor in Victory Lane

    The Monster Mile lived up to its reputation, from a rain delayed start and a rain-induced red flag to one of the wildest endings ever during the second attempt at a green, white checkered finish.

    [media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”201″][/media-credit]After Joey Logano, who was running in the second spot during the overtime session, hit the wall, sending Clint Bowyer airborne and Steve Wallace hard into the wall as well, Carl Edwards, in the No. 60 Fastenal Ford, remained the survivor, claiming the checkered flag in the 5-Hour Energy 200.

    In deference to the carnage on the track, Edwards declined to do his traditional celebratory back flip. He instead went to hoist the ‘Miles the Monster’ trophy in a subdued victory lane.

    This was Edwards’ 32nd career NASCAR Nationwide Series win, breaking the tie with NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominee Jack Ingram. Edwards now is fourth alone in that ranking for career Nationwide wins.

    “It was an amazing race from my seat,” Edwards said. “A lot was going on. We were playing a strategy with the rain, our pit stops were really good. I thought that rain was going to finish us.”

    “When we were coming to the white flag, Joey had a little advantage being on the outside,” Edwards said. “I thought I touched him but I saw the replay and it looked like he got loose and smacked the fence and the bottom fell out of it.”

    “It was a very different feeling than what you should have in a race car when you win a race,” Edwards said. “It’s just very fortunate that nobody was hurt.”

    “That’s why they call it the Monster Mile.”

    Although involved in the wreck himself, Kyle Busch managed to navigate his way through the pile up, claiming the second place for his No. 18 MAC Tools Toyota.

    “Well overall the weekend for us just wasn’t quite what we expected,” Busch said. “We unloaded and we weren’t very good off the hauler.”

    “The guys dug in and did a great job,” Busch continued. “We caught on some damage on pit road and mashed in the front end, which made it even worse. We passed a lot of cars but then we stalled out.”

    “The last lap got awfully crazy there,” Busch said. “I’m not sure if Carl touched him or not but Joey got a little loose and then tried to correct it and at that speed and at this kind of place, there’s not much you’re going to do besides spin out.”

    “Joey took a hell of a hit and I’m hoping he’s alright and not too sore for tomorrow,” Busch continued. “There with Clint climbing over him, it just got ugly. That was pretty crazy.”

    Reed Sorenson, behind the wheel of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet, finished third in spite of a damaged race car. This was Sorenson’s ninth top-10 finish in ten races at the Monster Mile.

    “We were in fifth before the caution came out,” Sorenson said. “It usually gets dicey on green, white checkereds. I saw the 20 get into the wall and I was able to get up high and fortunately miss it for a good finish.”

    Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., in the No. 6 Mississippi Flood Relief-NASCAR Unites Ford, finished fourth and David Reutimann, driving for Rusty Wallace Racing, rounded out the top five in his No. 63 5-Hour Energy Grape Toyota.

    The final wreck of the race was not the only craziness that occurred in this Nationwide event at the Monster Mile. There was another melee that occurred on Lap 88 when Alex Kennedy, driving the No. 23 St. Baldrick’s/Funny Dan Racecar Man Dodge, spun and hit the wall, bringing out the fifth caution of the day.

    During the caution, however, Kennedy, trying to get his car re-fired and into pit road, drove back up the race track, slamming into the No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford. Kevin Swindell was called at the last minute by the team to substitute for the ailing Trevor Bayne, giving him the chance of a lifetime behind the wheel.

    “I don’t know what happened,” Swindell said. “We were just talking on the radio and whoever was wrecked just drove straight up the hill.”

    “This may have been my only opportunity,” Swindell continued. “And it gets ruined by somebody being an idiot.”

    Kennedy, when interviewed after coming out of the infield care center, explained that he was unable to turn the wheel.

    “All of a sudden, it stopped turning,” Kennedy said. “I just tried to stop. I feel horrible for Kevin and I ruined his day. I can’t apologize enough for that.”

    Points leader coming into this race, Justin Allgaier also had a monster of a day at Dover. He blew a right front tire and hit hard into turns three and four, causing his first DNF in 21 starts.

    “This was just a rough day,” Allgaier said. “Definitely not the way we wanted to leave Dover. Hopefully this is just a speed bump on the way to the championship.”

    Elliott Sadler, by virtue of his sixth place finish in his No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet, assumed the points lead from Allgaier. Sadler is currently ten points ahead of Reed Sorenson, with Allgaier falling to fifth in the point standings.

    “Our goal was to lead the points and be competitive and consistent,” Sadler said. “At Daytona, we started in a hole but that shows how good our race team is.”

    Sadler’s day at Dover, however, was not without its challenges. On lap 141, Sadler was penalized for speeding entering the pits and remanded to the tail end of the lead pack.

    “We did get the pit road speeding penalty and we fought our way back to the finish,” Sadler said. “It’s special to leave here with the points lead.”

    Unofficial Race Results
    5-Hour Energy 200, Dover International Speedway
    May 14, 2011 – Race 11 of 35
    ====================================
    Pos. Driver
    ====================================
    1 Carl Edwards
    2 Kyle Busch
    3 Reed Sorenson
    4 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    5 David Reutimann
    6 Elliott Sadler
    7 Kenny Wallace
    8 James Buescher
    9 Aric Almirola
    10 Mike Wallace
    11 Jason Leffler
    12 Brad Keselowski
    13 Joey Logano
    14 Clint Bowyer
    15 Mike Bliss
    16 Steve Wallace
    17 Josh Wise
    18 Ryan Truex *
    19 Joe Nemechek
    20 Michael Annett
    21 J.R. Fitzpatrick
    22 Timmy Hill *
    23 Danny Efland
    24 Jeremy Clements
    25 Eric McClure
    26 Morgan Shepherd
    27 Derrike Cope
    28 Dennis Setzer
    29 Justin Allgaier
    30 Brian Scott
    31 Tim George Jr.
    32 Alex Kennedy
    33 Donnie Neuenberger
    34 Carl Long
    35 Scott Wimmer
    36 Tim Andrews
    37 Jennifer Jo Cobb *
    38 Kevin Lepage
    39 Brad Teague
    40 Brett Rowe
    41 Jeff Green
    42 Charles Lewandoski *
    43 Blake Koch *