Inside Line Promotions - LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Oct. 28, 2013) - There aren't many people who get to celebrate their birthday in Victory Lane at the famed Short Track Nationals.
Big Game Motorsports driver Sammy Swindell did just that on Saturday at I-30 Speedway after claiming his third career title at the 26th annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals Presented by Hoosier Tires.
The first birthday present for Swindell - who turned 58-years-old on Saturday - was the pole position in the dash, which was given to him during the revenge draw by his son, Kevin. Sammy Swindell then gave himself a nice present by leading the rest of the night in his Big Game Treestands entry to win the dash and $15,000 main event.
"We've been pretty competitive over there," he said. "I remember going back over there in the late '60s with my dad. I've been over there quite a few times. Not so much in the last 10 or 20 years, but we did run over there some in the '70s and '80s. Any time you get to a place where they have 100 cars and the format they have, to be able to start up front that's saying something in itself."
Swindell opened the weekend at the bullring on Wednesday for the inaugural Short Track Nationals Open, which feature 95 competitors. After advancing from third to second place in his heat race, Swindell won a B Main to transfer to the back of the feature.
"We were just trying to fine tune everything," he said. "We went off the notes we ran there before. They changed the dirt there so it was a little bit different. We weren't quite tight enough and we made a little more change."
After starting 20th, Swindell rallied his Big Game Treestands car to record a seventh-place finish and earn the Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars.
"The car was pretty good," he said. "We got ran over the left rear on a restart and it killed the left rear shock. It kinda hampered us a little bit. I felt like we had a pretty good car. I made some slight adjustments for the next night."
Swindell returned to I-30 Speedway on Friday for his preliminary night of action. After maneuvering from seventh to third place in his heat race, Swindell powered from sixth to win his qualifier.
"In our heat we were ok," he said. "We got caught up with some guys for a bit and they took each other out. It moved us up to where we were like fourth in points for the qualifier. We made some changes and it was really good so we were able to win that from sixth."
That gave him the most points out of all the drivers and a spot on the pole for the 25-lap feature.
"That made it pretty easy," he said. "I had quite a few yellows so we were able to run out by ourself most of the time. I was able to play with the line and learn a little bit more about the car. It made us in even better shape for Saturday. Every time we went out I learned a little bit and was able to fine tune it more."
Swindell won his preliminary night, which locked the Big Game Treestands car into Saturday's Dash for Cash - a dash that determined the first three rows of the 40-lap main event. Following a rain delay that night, the track was fast and didn't allow for a lot of passing, which made track position key.
"In the main it was pretty easy," he said. "The car was really good. Most everybody was on the bottom. If I ran up to somebody that was there I could go around the top."
It marked Swindell's second Short Track Nationals victory in the past three years.
He and Big Game Motorsports teammate Craig Dollansky will return to action Nov. 7-9 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., for the 7th annual World Finals with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series.
QUICK RESULTS -
Oct. 23 - I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. - Heat race: 2 (3); B Main: 1 (2); Feature: 7 (20).
Oct. 24 - I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. - Heat race: 3 (7); Qualifier: 1 (6); Feature: 1 (1).
Oct. 26 - I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. - Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 1 (1).
SEASON STATS -
DOLLANSKY : 74 races, 6 wins, 20 top fives, 40 top 10s, 57 top 15s, 69 top 20s
SWINDELL : 78 races, 5 wins, 18 top fives, 44 top 10s, 61 top 15s, 68 top 20s
UP NEXT -
Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 7-9, at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., for the 7th annual World Finals 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 Oct 28, 2013
- Article Date: 10/28/2013 by Shawn Miller