(Photo by Vince Vellella Photos)
Inside Line Promotions – SALINA, Okla. (May 7, 2018) – Sammy Swindell recorded his first top-10 finish of the season with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series last Saturday at Salina Highbanks Speedway.
Swindell and car owner A.G. Rains elected to tackle the weekend with ‘The Greatest Show on Dirt’ beginning on Friday at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo. Swindell qualified 13th quickest before he placed sixth in a heat race, which locked him into the 16th starting position for the A Main.
“We probably didn’t run enough gear and what we were doing wasn’t quite right for what we wanted (in qualifying),” he said. “We made some changes for the heat and it was a bit better. We gained a lot of rear grip and side bite, but it was picking the front wheels up too much.
“In the main event I was up to 11th or 12th when we had a rear brake caliper bracket break. I tried to run a few laps without the brakes, but for where we were at it wasn’t worth the risk of tearing the car up. But we learned some things and were able to get more time on the motor so that was a positive.”
Swindell was unable to finish the race and he was credited with a 21st-place result.
Saturday night went much smoother at Salina Highbanks Speedway, where Swindell timed in eighth quickest during qualifying. He placed fourth in a heat race to start the main event on the inside of the sixth row.
“I changed some shocks around and changed the setup on the car a bit,” he said. “We were a lot closer. When we went out in the first set (of hot laps) the track was a little greasy so I didn’t get a good feel. We were a little off on the gear and a couple of things to have the car really roll around there nice in qualifying. It seemed like there were a lot of guys in the 12.1s and I was on the end of that. We were sixth tenths off last year and this time we were two tenths off. You have to be able to qualify good. Tenths or hundredths of a second can make a big difference.
“I felt like the car was as good as it’s been with the car and the motor working together. The stock cars cleaned everything off (before the sprint car A Main) and we were back running around the top. I felt faster than the car ahead of me, but being able to pass was difficult. Sometimes a car in front of you would make a mistake and it’d bottle us up, then the guys behind you would get a run and slide you. I was able to pass most of them back.”
The track took rubber midway through the race and Swindell ran in the ninth position until the checkered flag was waved. Swindell ran the fastest lap of the race out of all the competitors and was the only driver to have a lap in the 12-second bracket.
“It all went good,” he said. “We learned a lot being out there. Every time we gain a lot. I found some things that helped the rear of the car, but it did change the rest of the setup. We’re just putting everything together race by race.”
QUICK RESULTS –
May 4 – Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Mo. – Qualifying: 13; Heat race: 6 (5); Feature: 21 (16).
May 5 – Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, Okla. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 4 (3); Feature: 9 (11).
SEASON STATS –
13 races, 0 wins, 6 top fives, 8 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 8 top 20s
UP NEXT –
TBD
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.SammySwindell1.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/1sam91
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Acme Graphix & Design
Acme Graphix & Design is a graphic and design company owned by sprint car driver A.G. Rains. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/Acmegraphixanddesign/.
“Acme Graphix has been doing all my graphic stuff, decals, banners for the trailers, etc., for a long time,” Swindell said. “A.G. has race cars and knows how things should go together. I can call him up and say I need something and he gets it done.”
Swindell would also like to thank Whitacre Glass, CP Pistons, High Performance Lubricants, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, FK Rod Ends, Simpson Race Products, Sweet Manufacturing, Schoenfeld Headers, W&B Service Company, Griffin Fishing Charters and Lodge, South Bay Partners, 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.
- Shawn Miller on May 07, 2018
- Article Date: 5/7/2018 by Inside Line Promotions