Inside Line Promotions - ANTIOCH, Calif. (Sept. 9, 2013) - The annual West Coast swing for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series yielded differing results for Big Game Motorsports teammates Sammy Swindell and Craig Dollansky.
Swindell piloted his Big Game Treestands car to a feature victory and five top-10 finishes during the eight races in 10 days, while Dollansky and the Eyecon Trail Cameras car ended with four heat race wins but only one top-10 result during main event action.
"We struggled with our car out there," Dollansky said. "I'm looking forward to putting a frustrating West Coast swing behind us."
The drivers are heading to Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa, for the 7th annual Arnold Motor Supply on Friday and to Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., for a race on Saturday.
Dollansky was hampered during qualifying the past week, which included five races in six days throughout Oregon and California.
"I don't believe the people making decisions as far as track prep goes are making good decisions, especially when we go out to qualify," he said. "With our series that needs to get in order. I'm not making excuses for our team. When you put that on top of it, it's so hard to get your head above water. You're just fighting constantly to keep your head above water.
"You don't need luck. I'm just looking for equality. Our last three nights were dictated by poor decision making when it came down to when we were going out to qualify and when the track was ready."
On questionable tracks across the West Coast, the Eyecon Trail Cameras car only qualified inside the heat race inversion once during the five races the last week, which set the tone for the rest of his night.
Swindell qualified the Big Game Treestands car in the top 11 to earn a spot in the heat race inversion all five nights to start off each race on the right foot.
"Running all of them little tracks and that many days, it's always a big risk that things could go wrong really easy," he said. "I think we came out of there pretty good. We really ran a pretty clean week for all those races and we had some decent finishes."
Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore.
On Wednesday, Swindell carried a fourth-place qualifying effort through his heat race, which he placed fourth, to earn a spot in the dash. After ending third in the dash, the Big Game Treestands car spent the entire feature battling for a spot on the podium. He finished third to record his 16th top-five finish of the season.
"The way the race played out a couple of times, starting on the outside wasn't the place to be," he said. "That let (Donny) Schatz through and as soon as we took off it let him run my line, which was the same one (Tim) Kaeding was running. We were pretty close."
Dollansky qualified 23rd quickest and placed eighth in his heat race, which relegated the Eyecon Trail Cameras car to the Last Chance Showdown. However, Dollansky rallied to place fourth in the consolation race to earn a transfer to the feature. He then charged from 19th to 12 th in the main event.
Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore.
Both Big Game Motorsports cars had issues at the quarter-mile oval on Thursday. Swindell qualified fourth quickest, placed third in his heat race and fourth in the dash. However, he went to the pits while running 10th in the feature with approximately 15 laps remaining because of engine issues.
"We broke a valve," he said after finishing 21st. "It can really beat stuff up. I'd already fell back and lost some spots. I wasn't able to keep pace. It just got worse. I could tell I was down a cylinder. It was too early in the race to run that long with the way it was going."
Dollansky qualified 15th quickest and ended fifth in his heat race to lock into the feature. After starting on the inside of the eighth row, the Eyecon Trail Cameras car finished 14th.
Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif.
The 60th annual Gold Cup Race of Champions started the first of its two-day event on Friday.
Swindell qualified 11th quickest and Dollansky 16th quickest, which put the drivers on the front row of the opening heat race. The Eyecon Trail Cameras car led the distance and the Big Game Treestands car placed second to lock both into the dash.
Dollansky finished seventh in the dash and Swindell ninth to earn the Big Game Motorsports teammates top-10 starting spots for the feature.
"We had a decent car on Friday," Dollansky said. "We were racing for a top-five position and ended up getting three wide with a couple of cars on the backstretch. I was in the middle and got our front end taken out."
Dollansky went to the work area and the team repaired the damage, sending him out to tag the back of the field. He rebounded to place 13th.
Swindell battled within the top 10 for the entire feature and finished seventh.
Night two of the Gold Cup didn't go as well for the drivers. Dollansky, who was the first car to qualify, timed in 42nd quickest Saturday on the questionable track. That set him behind the eight ball from the start and after failing to advance out of the C Main, he was forced to take a provisional.
"Due to our qualifying effort, we weren't able to dig ourselves out of the hole," he said.
Swindell qualified fourth quickest for the third time in four races and advanced through his heat race to earn a spot in the dash. After placing third, Swindell was again in contention for a top five in the main event until a hole in his right rear tire dropped him to an eighth-place result.
"At the end we came in and had a pound and a half of air in it," he said. "At the end the wheel was digging in the ground so we wound up losing a couple of spots the last couple of laps. Just things happen."
Dollansky charged from last - 26th - to place 14th in the main event, earning his 54th top-15 result of the season.
Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif.
The West Coast swing ended on Sunday with the Big Game Treestands car qualifying seventh quickest and placing third in the heat race to miss the dash by one spot. The Eyecon Trail Cameras car timed in 20th quickest and ended fifth in the heat race.
The Big Game Motorsports teammates couldn't catch a break in the feature as both drivers were caught up in multiple incidents as Dollansky's front end was knocked out during a crash and Swindell endured a cut right rear tire as well as damage to the right rear of the car on separate crashes.
Dollansky placed 18th and Swindell 21st.
QUICK RESULTS -
DOLLANSKY:
Sept. 3 - Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. - Qualifying: 23; Heat race: 8 (8); B Main: 4 (6); Feature: 12 (19).
Sept. 4 - Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. - Qualifying: 15; Heat race: 5 (5); Feature: 14 (15).
Sept. 6 - Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. - Qualifying: 16; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 7 (7); Feature: 13 (7).
Sept. 7 - Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. - Qualifying: 42; Heat race: 6 (9); C Main: 6 (8); Feature: 14 (26).
Sept. 8 - Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif. - Qualifying: 20; Heat race: 5 (5); Feature: 18 (20).
SWINDELL:
Sept. 3 - Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. - Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 4 (3); Dash: 3 (3); Feature: 3 (3).
Sept. 4 - Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. - Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 3 (3); Dash: 4 (5); Feature: 21 (4).
Sept. 6 - Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. - Qualifying: 11; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 9 (3); Feature: 7 (9).
Sept. 7 - Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. - Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 3 (4); Dash: 3 (3); Feature: 8 (3).
Sept. 8 - Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif. - Qualifying: 7; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 21 (13).
SEASON STATS -
DOLLANSKY : 68 races, 6 wins, 18 top fives, 38 top 10s, 54 top 15s, 65 top 20s
SWINDELL : 69 races, 3 wins, 16 top fives, 40 top 10s, 56 top 15s, 60 top 20s
UP NEXT -
Friday at Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, Iowa, for the Arnold Motor Supply Shootout and Saturday at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
LIVE AUDIO -
Keep up with Big Game Motorsports via free, live audio from DIRTVision at every World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series event throughout the season. For more information, click http://www.DIRTVision.com.
MEDIA LINKS -
Big Game Treestands: http://www.BigGameTreestands.com
Aggressive Hydraulics: http://www.AggressiveHydraulics.com
MobileStar: http://www.MobileStar.us/mobilestarwebsite
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Big_Game_TS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Game-Treestands/251832101535076?fref=ts
BIG GAME TREESTANDS -
Established in 1977 in Windom, Minn., Big Game Treestands has grown to be a leading company in the outdoor industry. Big Game Treestands offers a Rock Solid™ line of field tested, safety certified above TMA requirements, welded steel stands & free standing elevated platforms that gives you not only a safe and extremely sturdy vantage point, but also reliable all-day comfort at a great value. Large, non-slip standing platforms, top-notch fastening systems, and our innovative pinned, sleeved ladder sections provide the Rock Solid™ stance, twist free climbing, and all around silence that Big Game Treestands® is known for. Non-glare, powder coat finish keeps our products hidden from nature's wary eye.
For over 30 years, it has been our goal and our philosophy to provide the most innovative and practical treestands and hunting accessories in the field. As tradition continues, we are Exceeding Limitations and once again providing new models that challenge Mother Nature. In 2012 Big Game extended the line into Trail Cameras known for the easy to set, great picture quality, and over all great camera Eyecon Trail Cameras exceeds the expectations of consumers. Big Game Treestands® and Eyecon Trail Cameras® offers undeniable quality on time-tested favorites as well as new innovations for 2013.
For more information on Big Game Treestands, visit http://www.BigGameTreestands.com.
EYECON TRAIL CAMERAS ® -
Eyecon Trail Cameras® are premier trail cameras for hunters and outdoorsmen. The Black Widow Trail Camera, Storm Trail Camera and Quikshot Trail Camera provide a variety of options that are user-friendly with exceptional imaging. To learn more about or purchase Eyecon Trail Cameras®, visit http://www.EyeconTrailCameras.com.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS -
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors' return on investment.
To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.insidelinepromotions.com.
- Admin Account on Sep 10, 2013
- Article Date: 9/10/2013 by Shawn Miller