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Tag: Sammy Swindell

  • A Chain Reaction Victory for Newman

    A Chain Reaction Victory for Newman

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The shortest track on the circuit, the oldest track on the circuit, but Martinsville delivered a short track shot in the arm for NASCAR’s faithful. It was a shot that the power house of Hendrick Motorsports had a bad reaction to.

    The class of the field this weekend was without a doubt Jeff Gordon. Towards the end Jimmie Johnson powered by under green even after a pit road penalty. But 7 laps from the end Jeff Gordon would make the pass on the 5 time champion to retake the lead. But that was when everything exploded.

    With 7 laps to go David Reutiman came to a stop on the race track after limping around the track for nearly 3 laps. Bringing out the caution flag and setting up the Green White Checker finish. Reutiman had a left front tire that was practically falling off the car and had limped around the track for 3 laps in an attempt to maintain top 35 in owner points.

    “Number one, I just hate it. I don’t even know how the race ended up finishing, but I just hate that I was involved in anything that changed the complexion of the race so I got to apologize to the guys that it affected. It broke a tie rod or something like that. I was just trying to limp around there. We needed to finish next couple of laps to try to stay in the top 35. Then the motor had been breaking up for the last couple of laps. Broke a timing belt or whatever down the back straightaway, and the motor just quit. I would not have stopped on the freaking racetrack. I would have limped it around there and come to pit road, which is what I was trying to do. The thing quit going down the back straightaway, and it shut off. I just didn’t stop there intentionally. I know it sucks. I hate it for everybody that it affected, but I mean I can’t get out and push the thing. You know, it shut off. It’s that simple. Gosh, I can’t believe I’m — I was just trying to finish the day out and trying to stay in top 35, which is why we were trying to limp around out there. They gave me the black flag. We were coming to pit road, and it shut off. And that’s far as I could go,” stated Reutiman post race.

    The top two cars would not pit on the caution flag. They had over a hundred laps on their tires. Everyone behind them pitted for fuel and at least 2 tires. On the restart, Jeff Gordon stated, “I spun my tires there on the restart and I knew he (Clint Bowyer) was there. I just didn’t have anywhere to go and Jimmie didn’t have anywhere to go.” The melee sent the top three cars of Gordon, Johnson, and Bowyer to the back of the lead lap cars with significant damage.

    The second Green White Checker finish would finish the race and see Ryan Newman as the winner. A.J. Allmendinger would finish a career high second. And HMS’s banner would be carried by the 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. who finished a very strong 3rd  after leading early in the race.

    The victory by Ryan Newman would mark the 3rd in 6 races for Stewart Haas racing. “We were not a dominate race car,” Newman said. “Clint kind of cleared out Turn One for us and we were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time.”

    The issue this race is the no. 10 car staying on the track even though he had an obvious problem. Spotters reported from the roof that the left front wheel was trying to fall off the car. But instead of pitting Reutiman was instructed to stay out as long as he could to secure the top 35 in points position. In the process of trying to continue to make laps way under speed the car sustained an engine failure and died on the back stretch of the track Reutiman says he coasted as far as he coast and that they had received the black flag and were trying to get to pit road.

    I have a couple problems with this. One why would you even try to continue to drive a car that had steering issues or the left front wheel trying to come off when there are that many cars on that small of track? You put yourself and others at huge risk.

    And although John Darby of NASCAR stated to Claire B Lange, “”it was a situation he couldn’t avoid and I don’t think it affected the outcome of the race.” Darby continues that anything could have happened, someone else might have spun, etc, so it’s “unfair to point fingers” at Reutiman. I respectfully disagree. First of all it did affect the outcome of the race. The wreck that ensued on the restart would not have happened if the caution had not come out allowing other teams to stop for fuel and tires. Could the front two have stopped? Sure they could have but track position is a premium in our sport today and it would have been incredibly risky for them to stop.

    Secondly, you don’t call a driver to the hauler because their actions were all good.

    Third, why was there a delay in throwing the caution by NASCAR? I understand not wanting to disrupt the flow of the race. I understand not wanting to affect the outcome of the race. But by not throwing the caution, NASCAR contributed to the risk that the other drivers and indeed Reutiman himself were in.

    Do I think this makes David Reutiman a bad person? No I don’t. I think this makes David Reutiman a victim of circumstances. He has a co driver that apparently no one believes has the ability to qualify for a race without car owner points, which is pretty sad when you think about the fact that she is only a rookie in the series not in a race car. Frankly, if I were her I would be insulted that no one believed I was capable of that fundamental act. However, she apparently is lacking something because they are bound and determined she has to have that cushion. Who am I to argue with Greg Zipadelli’s success? He nailed it on the head in Daytona after all.

    Congratulations to this weeks winners, Sammy Swindell in World of Outlaws in Merced, Kevin Harvick in Camping World Trucks, Will Power in Indy Car and Ryan Newman in Sprint Cup. Don’t forget Newman’s victory entitles you to a free Bloomin Onion at his sponsor, Outback Steakhouse on Monday if you mention his victory.

    That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

  • Kaeding Brings Thunder to Thunderbowl

    Kaeding Brings Thunder to Thunderbowl

    [media-credit name=”World of Outlaws” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The Outlaws knew the rain was coming to the Thunderbowl Raceway at Tulare, California and they were determined to beat the storm. Hot laps began about 45 minutes early in an attempt to get the whole show in before mother nature dropped added moisture onto an already soupy track. Hot laps went off without a hitch and qualifying saw lap times of 13 seconds around the 1/3 mile track. Quick time was set by Kasey Kahne Racing’s Joey Saldana with a lap of 13.151 seconds. He was followed closely by Sammy Swindell, who entered the event as the series points leader, with a time of 13.641. Craig Dollansky, Tim Kaeding and Kraig Kinser rounded out the fast five all with laps in the 13 second bracket.

    The heat races were for the most part hard charging but unremarkable with 20 time Outlaws Champion, Steve Kinser taking the first heat, 4 time series champion, Donny Shatz the second, and Jason Sides the third.

    The Dash inversion was an 8. Which meant that Joey Saldana would start outside the 4th row. By virtue of his heat race win Steve Kinser would start on the pole flanked by Jason Sides for the 8 lap dash to determine the first 5 rows of the A main. Jason Sides would get an early jump on Kinser and take over the point and would hold it until the checkers to claim the pole for the A Main. Transferring in from the B Main were Cody Darrah, Tyler Wolf, Trey Starks, Cory Eliason, Chad Kemenah and Bill Rose. The field was set for what would be a fierce pack battle for the Thunderbowl night 1 trophy.

    Steve Kinser would take the lead early in the Main but Tim Kaeding who started fourth would rocket by Kinser on the high side on lap 9. The pass would not be without it’s price as Kaeding while attempting to lap Bill Rose would have some contact and damage the nose wing of the car. The wing would collapse on the left side but Kaeding would continue to pull away from the 20 time champion. On lap 11 Kinser would got together with Rose and spun the car into the infield and continued on. The caution would fly and Kinser was placed by Outlaws rules where he would have blended into traffic leaving him to restart in the 12th position. This would bring Jason Sides to the second position. Sides would start side by side with Kaeding 6 times but was never able to capitalize on the restart.

    On lap 26 the A main short circuited. The short began when Jonathan Allard stopped on the front stretch because he was out of helmet tear offs and could not see. It was followed by Kerry Madsen’s roll over in turn 2 and Bud Kaeding coming to a stop in turn 2. It was then that mother nature made her presence known. Scattered heavy showers limited visibility for the drivers and they voted that it was too wet to continue. The race was red flagged and the cars were sent to the work area in the pits where they could make whatever changes they wanted to their cars including changing tires.

    Upon return to the track The final red flag would fly on the restart when Sammy Swindell and Lucas Wolfe would tangle and roll in turn 2. Both drivers would walk away uninjured but neither would return to the track. The final yellow would fly for Chad Kemenah’s spin in turn 2. Kaeding would jump out to a big lead once again when Jason Sides hesitated on the restart. The hesitation would cost Sides the second spot to Craig Dollansky. Kaeding would never look back and would win the Thunderbowl with ease. Kaeding who is the first 2nd time winner of the 2012 season stated, “My motto is live and die by the high side and I was livin’ it up tonight.” Finishing 2nd Craig Dollansky,3rd Jason Sides, 4th Terry McCarl, 5th Joey Saldana, 6th Donny Shatz,  7th Steve Kinser, 8th Austen Wheatly, 9th Bud Kaeding and rounding out the top ten was Kraig Kinser.

    This race was a smorgasboard of action. The fierce competiton between Sammy Swindell and Joey Saldana. The incredible skill and determination of Steve Kinser to come back from 12th spot to finish in the top 10. A hail mary move by Donny Shatz to propel him into fifth spot which he eventually lost to Joey Saldana but would pick up 1st in the points with Sammy Swindell’s misfortune late in the race. Kraig Kinser extended his streak to 5 races in the top 10. Honestly, there was no where to look and not see hard core racing. The Outlaws came to dominate the night and to race on the very edge of the envelope and they did exactly that.

    Kudos to Outlaw and track officials on waiting the shower out. With only 10 laps to go many series would have thrown the checkers and said lets go home boys. Instead they waited it out and kept trucks on the track to maintain the pack and went back to racing. Kudos to the drivers for braving a “snotty” (wet and slick) track to quote Johnny Gibson, the voice of the outlaws, to finish the show for the fans in the stands and for those who were listening and following at home.

    Note: In a morning press release from The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series the second night at Thunderbowl speedway has been rained out. But both the track and the series are working diligently to schedule a make up date. For updates on a rescheduled date, go to www.ThunderbowlRaceway.com or www.WorldofOutlaws.com.

  • 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.

  • 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.