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| K&N News- "Kody Swanson and Team Wilke-Pak Win at ORP and Make USAC History" | |||||||||
| Toyota Motorsports Feature Story: "Good Things Come in Small Packages" | |||||||||
| K&N News- Tanner and Kody Swanson Dominate the "Night Before the 500" | |||||||||
| K&N News- Kody Swanson gives Harvest Supply first ever USAC Western Sprint win | |||||||||
Swanson drives the Mott-Bolding #15 to 5th at RMR! In a special "Memorial Day" event at Rocky Mountain Raceways, Kody Swanson flew out to Salt Lake City to compete for Mott-Bolding Motorsports in their Harvest Supply Racing #15. The day started out promising, as Kody qualified in the 2nd position, with a lap of 13.89 seconds around the 3/8 mile paved oval. From there, the team went into their preliminary heat race event, needing only to finish in order to secure a starting position for the main. Starting in 5th, Kody moved quickly to 4th, and ended up 2nd at the finish of the heat race. After an invert of the six fastest qualifiers, Kody would line up 5th for the 50-lap feature event. At the drop of the green, Kody quickly began moving forward, moving from 5th to 3rd in the first lap, and 2nd by lap 12, and set his sights on race leader and two-time RMR Sprints Champion Jimmy Wysong. Unfortunately, engine woes began to take away power from the 15, and Kody just tried to hold on to finish the 50-lapper for his team. Kody was still able to hold on to a solid 5th place feature finish, and although it wasn't the result they were hoping for, it was still a respectable run in Salt Lake City. |
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Swanson runs 3rd in the Wilke-PAK #11w at the "Night Before the 500!" The "Night Before the 500" National Midget event at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis is very prestigious, and has a storied history at the .686 mile paved oval. Kody made his first start in the event in 2007 driving for Steve Lewis' Nine Racing, and was running 2nd with 2 laps to go when he lost an engine. This year, Kody would be making his first start behind the wheel of a famed Wilke-Pak Motorsports #11, while Tanner would be making his first ever laps at the speedway, driving the DeBeaumont Motorsports #51. In qualifying, the brothers ended up 4th (Kody) and 7th (Tanner) in the 40+ car field. In order to make the starting grid for the 50-lap affair, the brothers would each have to finish in the Top 4 of their preliminary heat races. In Tanner's heat race, he drove from 5th to 3rd to transfer to the feature, while Kody came from 6th to 3rd to make the historic event. With the 2nd place qualifier losing an engine in preliminary events, and an invert of the 6 fastest qualifiers to start the feature, it put young Tanner on the pole of the event, and left Kody to start from the 4th position. At the drop of the green, Tanner took the lead and led the opening lap before falling into the 2nd position. While Kody fell to 5th at the start, in the next few laps he battled up to the 3rd position, behind his younger brother. For the next 30 laps, Tanner hounded leader Bryan Clauson, often driving to the bottom of the racetrack and pulling alongside the race leader in the battle for the top spot. However, on lap 32, Tanner shot to the inside of the wide, fast racetrack, and was able to officially retake the lead. From there, Tanner "checked-out" from the competition, driving to over a straight-away lead by feature's end, and winning the "Night Before the 500" in only his first attempt! Older brother Kody drove his car to a solid 3rd place finish to give the "Swanson Brothers" duo a 1st-3rd podium finish! |
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Swanson runs Fourth in the "Hoosier Hundred!" Team 6R Racing's Swanson Brothers headed to the Indiana State Fair to compete in round 3 of the USAC Silver Crown series. In qualifying, the brothers ended up 23rd and 25th in the stout 36 car field. After qualifying, the team found that Kody started to develop an engine problem in his #19. Tanner was very selfless to offer his #23 to his older brother, who was currently 5th in the series standings. In order to complete the switch, Kody would have to give up his starting position, and start in Tanner's #23 at the tail of the 35 car field. In the 100-mile event, Kody quickly began working his way through the field, and by the mandatory competition red-flag at lap 50, Kody had moved the #23 from 35th to 11th. During the red-flag period, teams were allowed to refuel and change tires, with the rule that a changing a right rear tire would send a car to the tail of the field. While 8 of the top 10 teams elected to put on new tires and go to the tail, Kody and the Team 6R #23 stayed on their used tires, and advanced to the 3rd position on the restart. With a field full of new tires behind him, it would be difficult for those who elected to stay on their used tires to stay out front. For the next 25 laps, Kody battled among the top 3, and fell to 4th when eventual winner Shane Hmiel came through the field on his new tires. With 30 laps to go, Kody began moving toward the front, and passed for 3rd. By 6 laps to go, Kody closed on 2nd place and completed the pass with 5 to go, when the caution came out. With 95 laps down and 5 to go, Kody restarted 2nd with a group of better tires behind him. Kody was passed by defending Champ Bud Kaeding and USAC Triple Crown Champ Jerry Coons, but held on for 4th place finish, his career best on the "Dirt Miles." This solid finish moved Kody up to 4th in the series standings with the next Silver Crown event scheduled for Illiana Motor Speedway on July 8th. |
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| Swanson scores "Top 10" in USAC National Sprint feature at Iowa Speedway!
Last Saturday, TK Motorsports made their USAC National Sprintcar debut at Iowa Speedway. The 7/8 mile paved oval was nearly twice the size of the largest track they had previously competed on, and proved to be challenging for the team, who was also debuting the TRD 360 Toyota Sprintcar engine in Tanner Swanson’s #17. Tanner held his own against the 410’s, qualifying his #17 in 10th position, just one ahead of brother Kody in his #75. For the 50-lap feature, the series utilizes a lap 30 break to allow the cars to refuel and prepare for a 20-lap sprint to the finish. For the first two laps, Tanner & Kody battled side-by-side for the 10th position, under the momentum from the outside lane carried the 17 past the 75, and Tanner into the Top 10. Kody continued to struggle with the handling on the 75 for a few laps, falling as far as the 14th position, while Tanner continued to battle among 8th and 9th. By lap 10, Kody’s car had come to life, and he was gaining ground on the pack in front of him, passing back up to 11th and to the back-bumper of the #17 when Tanner pulled into the pits with a mechanical issues. Kody continued to move forward, passing into the Top 10 and the Top 8 by the end of the 30-lap run. During the break, the TK Motorsports team refueled the 75 and fixed the issues on the 17 to get the brothers back onto the track for the final 20-lap stint. Multiple laps down, Tanner returned to racing action to get more experience on the larger tracks, being his first trip to Iowa Speedway, and to prepare himself for the upcoming Silver Crown event. Kody battled among the Top 10 drivers in the closing laps to eventually finish in the 9th position. Although the results weren’t quite what the team had hoped for, the experience was invaluable and will prepare them for the next events, when the USAC National Sprints head to O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis and Berlin Speedway in Marne, Michigan for a June 10th & 12th weekend doubleheader. |
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Kody Swanson finishes 2nd in Iowa Silver Crown race! Last Saturday night, Kody Swanson capped off the Pride of Iowa USAC Tripleheader at Iowa Speedway with a drive from 13th to finish 2nd in the 100-lap feature. The USAC Silver Crown series was making their first stop on the pavement tour for 2010. This event marked the first time that the Swanson brothers, Kody and Tanner, competed for Team 6R Racing, powered by Toyota, in a pavement Silver Crown race. Unfortunately, Tanner lost an engine in practice, missed qualifying and would start the feature in 23rd. Kody logged a 13th place qualifying effort, and would have to charge from the 7th row to be a factor. At the drop of the green, the elder Swanson began picking off cars, moving up to the Top 10 by a lap 5 caution. Under the caution, Tanner had to pull in to make mechanical repairs to his #23, and returned to racing action a few laps down. When the field returned to green, both brothers began charging through the field. Kody quickly moved toward the Top 5, and had taken over 4th when the track went yellow again around lap 35. Over the main stretch of the race, Kody battled for the 3rd spot, and began hunting down leader AJ Fike and 3-time series Champ Bud Kaeding. Meanwhile, Tanner was moving quickly through the field, and although was laps down in the running order, had moved all the way up to 5th on the racetrack when engine woes sidelined him on lap 73. Nearing the finish, Kody had pulled to the back-bumper of the 2nd place car, and was pressing for the position when the caution came out on lap 85. On the lap 90 restart, Swanson shot to the outside of Kaeding, taking over the position on lap 92 and setting his sights on leader Fike. Over the last 8 laps, Swanson wasn’t able to close the gap to the leader, and came home with a solid 2nd place finish. The strong finish vaulted the elder Swanson from 14th to 5th in the series points chase heading into the “Hoosier Hundred” at the Indiana State Fairgrounds this Friday. |
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Swanson pilots McQueen entry to second runner-up finish! Last Saturday night, Kody Swanson returned to the USAC Western Midget series, behind the wheel of a Shannon McQueen Racing special. Just a month ago, Kody drove one of the McQueen Racing cars to Fast Time honors and a 2nd place feature finish in only his first time driving the car, and his first ever event at Bakersfield Speedway. While Kody would be making his 2nd McQueen Racing start, it was his first ever trip to the 1/3-mile clay oval of Santa Maria Speedway. In similar fashion to his Bakersfield run, Kody set Quick Time in time trials, making him 3-for-3 as the Fastest Qualifier in USAC Western Midget competition. In his preliminary heat race, Kody finished 5th to transfer to the night’s 30-lap feature event. By virtue of his Fastest Qualifying effort, Kody would start the event from outside the 3rd row in the 6th position. On the original green, the front row starters touched wheels, brought out the caution and were relegated to either the tail of the pack or the pit area. On the restart, Kody lined up outside row two, and shot to the 2nd position in the first half-lap! From there, Kody was in pursuit of race leader and two-time Chili Bowl Champ Cory Kruseman, even pulling alongside in a battle for the race lead! A lap 11 caution saw Kody still behind the seasoned veteran, waiting for a good opportunity to make another bid for the lead. However, on the restart, third place runner and 2010 race winner in the series Jonathon Henry, shot to the outside of the leading duo, and took the lead into turn 3. Off of turn four, Kody passed Kruseman, who was now suffering engine woes, and began his pursuit of the new leader. For the next 19 laps, Kody trailed leader Henry, and was never able to make a serious charge for the win. Nevertheless, Kody earned himself another Fast Time honor and 2nd place finish for the McQueen Racing team. Kody will return to USAC Western Midget action behind the wheel for Shannon McQueen when the series returns to Bakersfield Speedway on June 26th. |
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Kody Swanson runs 2nd in his SuperModified debut! written by Lance Tatro and published on tatroracing.com! In Mathew 5:5, it is written “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” and somewhere in the intention of that script, they must have had young men like Kingsburg’s Kody Swanson in mind. At the 2010 Vukovich Memorial Race, Madera was witness to some of the finest driving it has seen in the last 20 years in the supermodified division. Not to say that Troy, Billy Vukovich, Woodward, Birges, Hamilton or even myself and others have never drove the lights out at the speedway. But not our very first time in a ground-pounding supermodified. I was there to see all these driver’s debuts, and although we have all placed are marks on the history of this speedway, we did not make such a statement at our rookie debut. What Madera fans saw was this young man is for real, simply put he is everything that he is advertised to be. What the fans saw is passing and set ups of a seasoned professional. As we all witnessed the battles that took place on Saturday, we may have all forgotten that this was the first time Kody had ever driven a winged car of any kind. What they saw was raw talent that realistically could rival that of a young Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, or Billy Vukovich. No, he doesn’t have the marketing behind his campaign, or the stack of premier owners that are willing to sign him yet. However, he continues to draw their attention by making his mark on the racing world one small track at a time, one race at a time, and excel in each attempt he makes. What the fans saw this night was the unmistakable raw talent that every once in a while hits the Central Valley. What the fans did not see from the stands is the integrity and humbleness that young Kody has. If you met him, and spoke with him, you would encounter a humble, smug-less and polite young man who treats everyone with respect. What you may not ever get the chance to know is the veteran feedback that he provides his crew when exiting the car. He breaks every corner down to braking, non-braking, pre and post apexes and cut and acceleration zones. He lets you know what is his fault and what needs to be fixed on the car. He speaks of dynamic influences verses those that are static. If you were to look away just for a moment, you would never guess you were talking to a racecar driver that is 23 years old The Race The night started with Kody anxious to get some laps in with other cars on the track. He was looking to get some time with Troy, Jim and the other 410s to have a better gauge of how far to push the car. After a clean few sessions, Kody was third quick time, with Birges and Russell second and first respectively and Troy forth. The Dash found Kody on the outside pole and against the aggressive Regier, who was in an unfamiliar car, and still hurting from the winter dessert accident. Nevertheless, it was 8x Supermodified Champion Troy Regier. Kody took the outside lane, and never looked back to win the opening event, Birges finished a close second. Kody and the Tatro owned car missed the heat due to a cracked rear-end housing. “My father-in-law found a crack as we were getting ready to roll out for the heat…That could have lead to something nasty if he had not noticed the small crack” Tatro said. Pat (Dutcher), Miah (Jeremiah Bearden) and the crew pulled the housing, while Greg and Kevin worked to prepare the car for the main event. The crew finished with enough time for Kody to take a couple precautionary laps to see that everything was safely intact, and it was. The Main Event saw Kody, and the Tatro Racing team starting four rows back, and that is really where the young Swanson showed his talents. Swanson move from eighth to second in two laps, and then into the lead shortly thereafter. But in order to do that, he had to pass the other Kingsburg native Lance Jackson. Kody held the lead for a few laps, and then was passed by Birges on an inside move. “I had told Kody that the car is not really good on the short runs, but is very good after about 10 laps”. Kody was patience and then on lap 10 started his climb back to the lead. He passed Birges and continued to stretch the lead out to just over a straight-a-way (over Birges), and to several car lengths over now second Russell. All looked well for Swanson’s debut.. until…. A lengthy red flag halted the race, and the tires began to cool. This is where Tatro’s cars’ technical disadvantages showed. As Birges made adjustments, Kody could not. After the restart, Kody was able to hold the lead for a short time, but it proved only a matter of time before Jim’s car overtook Kody and started to pull away… Until… 10 laps after the restart, and with no brakes, Kody began to pull up on Birges. “Mike told Kody that he needed to make a choice as far as the brakes, if he did not feel comfortable driving with no peddle left, then he could pull in”. He responded “I lead with no brakes for 15 laps, I’m okay” and with just a couple of laps to go he was now reengaged with Jim and setting to make a crisp inside pass. Until… the yellow flag dropped for a stranded Kinchen, and once again the tires began to cool. Kody finished second, after an earlier dominating showing. What the crowed didn’t see is that Kody was driving a car with a 17 year old motor… in other words, it was built when he was six, strapped into a car that was originally built when he was 3. Although the heads were made of aluminum… so perhaps restrictions are forth coming… Yes, even more impressive, was that Swanson was dominating in an older car, with 40 less horsepower, weighed 150 pounds more than the minimum limit and had no ability to make adjustment within the cockpit to help the handling. Any questions about his talent? Now I am not saying that this car isn’t good… It owns an open division track championship (1993), and a 2009 360 championship as well. In addition, the car has been revamped and the team is continuing to update the equipment to be even more competitive for the next time the car runs. Did I mention that Kody had never driven a winged car? No one told him he was starting the race with such a disadvantage over the 2010 Birges car. No one told him, so he drove the car as if he believed any short comings that the car may have had… he could overcome. He did. I was proud of our team to overcome the night’s adversity, proud of our choice to put Kody in the car, and proud to witness my car being driven by a future superstar… he already is in our books! |
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Kody takes 2nd to Two-Time Chili Bowl Champ in Bakersfield Last Saturday night, Kody Swanson made his debut at Bakersfield Speedway in his first start In his preliminary heat race, Kody failed to earn his qualifying time, On the initial start, some of the leaders tangled, and reset the field. Escaping the With 10 to go, Kody had moved to the A lapped car moved down in front of Kody, letting Kruseman pass with ease and ending Kody's |
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TK Motorsports visits the Stockton 99 Speedway Winner’s Circle
As the USAC Western States Sprint car series comes to a close with its final two races, TK |
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TK Motorsports Update Last weekend TK Motorsports made the trip to Stockton 99 Speedway, to compete in the USAC Western States Sprint cars series. TK Motorsports dominates Madera Speedway’s Harvest Classic! This race marked the 5th straight One-Two finish for TK Motorsports, sweeping the May 30th event at Roseville’s All American Speedway, the July 25th and September 5th events at Rocky Mountain Raceways and now the August 15th and September 19th events at Madera Speedway! Tanner’s 2nd place finish and quick qualifying effort helped him extend lead in the 2009 Championship points chase, increasing the margin to 84 points. Putting together an outstanding year in the USAC Western Sprint series, the Swanson brothers are responsible for seven feature wins, seven 2nd place finishes and one 4th, in only nine races! As the USAC Western States Sprint car series bears down on its final four races, TK Motorsports looks to close on their 4th Car Owner’s Championship in 5 seasons. For the September 26th and October 10th events at All-American and Stockton 99 Speedways, Tanner Swanson will be the sole representation of the TK Motorsports team, as Kody travels to the Midwest for USAC National Silver Crown and Midget competition. However, when the series returns to Madera Speedway on October 24th, the Swanson Brothers will look for their 6th consecutive One-Two finish, and their third at the California racetrack. From there, the series will head to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, California, for their final event as part of the 69th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix. With just four races left to go, Tanner Swanson leads the drivers championship, winning three times, with five 2nd place finishes and one fourth in nine races. The TK Motorsports #75 has been driven by both Kody and Tanner, and leads the Owner’s category with five feature wins, and three 2nd place finishes in only nine starts. TK Motorsports goes One-Two for 3rd time in 2009! TK Motorsports’ Swanson brothers finish One-Two in All-American Sprints |
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USAC Silver Crown - Eldora The entire Team 6R Racing team went to work on the damaged #19, quickly changing the front-axle, radius rods, shocks and the rear jacobs-ladder, all in time to make the feature event. Without a finishing position in the night’s preliminary event, Kody lined up inside row-twelve, in the 23rd position. Early in the event, Kody made his way forward, passing cars both high and low for the first few laps. A major crash in the first fifteen laps collected as many as six cars, and Kody was able to sneak through the accident scene unharmed, and gained a few more positions on the racetrack. As the event neared half-way, Kody made his way into the Top 12, and was hunting down the next two positions when leader Dave Darland put him a lap down. Unfortunately, an untimely caution left Kody the first car one-lap down, and without NASCAR’s “Lucky Dog” policy, Kody’s chance to gain more positions had ended. When the checkered flag fell, Kody had moved up to the 11th position, and coming from 23rd, earned the night’s Larry Rice Memorial Hard Charging Performer award! Although the results weren’t fantastic, Kody and the Team 6R racing team are doing well in Kody’s “rookie” USAC Silver Crown season, currently 7th in Up the Middle: Kody Swanson drives between in the USAC Silver Crown event the series standings. |
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| USAC National Midgets - August 30th at Angell Park Speedway Coming back for his second year in a row to the USAC National Midget Hall of Fame Classic, Kody Swanson was ready to return to the 1/3-mile bullring at Angell Park. After qualifying 13th in a field of 35 of the nation’s best, Kody lined up in the 5th spot for the preliminary heat race. At the start, Kody was shuffled back to the 8th position, but came charging forward to the Top 5 by the midway point and was looking for 4th on the final lap, coming up just short. Failing to finish in the Top 4 and transfer through the heat to the feature, Kody lined up 3rd in the night’s semi feature, needing a 6th place finish to earn a spot in the main event. In the first corner Kody moved to the second spot, and ran the final 12 laps there, solidifying his place in the 2009 Hall of Fame Classic. Starting the feature in the 13th position, Kody was shuffled around that area for most of the race, battling with cars all over the wide racing surface. Late in the race, a battle broke out from 6th to 16th, with cars three-wide and all across the track. Kody fell back to 14th before battling back up to a solid 12th place finish in the action-packed event. |
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USAC Silver Crown - August 22nd at Springfield State Fairgrounds The USAC Silver Crown series traveled to the Springfield State Fairgrounds to compete in the Bettenhausen 100. Racing on the big dirt miles always mean high speeds, sometimes averaging over 120-mph! Kody drew a poor number for qualifying and had to go out early, a huge disadvantage for these types of race tracks. Still, he managed to run a solid lap, qualifying the Team 6R Toyota in the 18th position. Early in the100-miler Kody was patient, slowly picking off a few cars, but mainly taking care of his equipment for later in the race. However, tragedy struck on lap 26, when a crash at the front of the field stacked up the rest of the pack, collecting Kody in the aftermath. With a bent shock and brake problems, their chance to compete for the win had ended, but Kody soldiered on for another 50-laps to collect valuable points for the championship chase, before retiring with 20-laps to go. disappointed with the end results at Springfield, theteam still did well and looks forward to their next chance, the September 6th event at the The Team 6R #19 Toyota on the mile at the Hoosier 100 DuQuoin mile. |
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USAC Western States Sprint Cars - August 15th at Madera Speedway After winning in his previous two USAC Western States Sprint car starts, Kody Swanson entered the August 15th Madera Speedway event as a potential favorite. Seeming to enter this event without breaking stride, Kody put the TK Motorsports #75 on top of the board, posting quick time in qualifying. After finishing in the 4th in his preliminary heat race, Kody lined up 6th in the starting lineup for the night’s 50-lap feature event. On the opening lap, Kody drove around the outside of two cars, quickly moving up to the 4th spot. As Kody caught the two cars in front of him, a four-car battle broke out for the second position. Making a move to take third, Kody got pinned in behind another car, letting brother Tanner slip around the outside and dropping Kody back to 5th. The battle continued, and the Swanson brothers were able to slice through traffic, breaking through the pack to run 2nd and 3rd, Tanner then Kody. Contact during the battle for the lead brought out the first caution on lap 32, placing Kody in the 2nd spot, behind his brother in the lead. Just after the restart, Kody stuck his #75 to the bottom of the racetrack, pulling along side his brother’s #17, as the two battled lap-after-lap, Kody took the lead by a nose on lap 36. Only a lap later, Tanner battled back on the outside, retaking the lead from his brother. The two ran nose-to-tail, with Kodymaking a few more attempts at the topspot, before settling into 2nd as Tanner pulled away in the final laps to give TK Motorsports their 3rd One-Two Feature event sweep of 2009! |
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USAC Silver Crown - August 6th at Oswego Speedway On a special Thursday night event, Team 6R Racing traveled to the historic Oswego Speedway in New York, for the Kasey Kahne Steel Palace Classic. The USAC Silver Crown series had a strong 26 car field in attendance for the event, and Kody qualified the #19 in the 10th position, pacing the 5/8 mile paved oval in only 18.26 seconds. Lining up for the 100-lap event, the consensus among teams was that there would be little to no passing. Starting in the 10th spot, Kody looked to prove them wrong, putting together a very nice run in the first 40-laps, passing up to the 5th position all on the outside! Kody passed another car on a restart and pressured 2004 USAC National Sprint Champ Jay Drake for the 3rd spot for the next 35 laps, coming up just short of a podium run. Still a solid 4th place finish from 10th was a good run for his team, and boosted Kody all the way to 5th in the Championship points chase. Team 6R Racing had a fantastic night, as Joe Johnson Photo Kody’s teammate, Brian Tyler, won the feature event! |
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USAC Silver Crown at Iowa Speedway- July 31st Coming off a strong 6th place run at O’Reilly Raceway Park, Kody and the Team 6R #19 looked to improve upon their results last Friday at Iowa Speedway’s fast 7/8th’s mile. After struggling to find a vibrationin the racecar during most of practice, the team was able to pull off a solid 9th place qualifying run to earn themselves a position in the night’s 100-lap feature event. However, early in the race, Kody faded as far back as 16th before making his run toward the front. With the car heavy and full of fuel, the handling just wasn’t what it needed to be, but when it came in, Kody began passing cars and improving his position. Battling throughout most of the race, he made it quickly into the Top 10 and toward the Top 5 as the race drew near the end. Passing for the 5th spot with 30 laps to go, Kody was able to hang in there and gain positions late in the race to come home with a 3rd place finish for his first podium in the Silver Crown division! |
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POWR’i National Midgets at Junction Motor Speedway- July 28th & 29th The POWR’i National Midget series traveled to the beautiful 3/8th’s mile dirt track at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Nebraska for the Cornhusker Midget Challenge. Starting two complete nights of racing, Kody started out strong, winning his preliminary heat race and earning himself a 5th place starting position for the night’s feature event. Early in the race, Kody fell as far back as 12th position before making his return toward the front. Using restarts to his advantage, Kody came all the way back up to a strong 6th place feature run. For Wednesday’s event, Kody was scheduled to start his heat race from the 9th position. In the first few laps, Kody made it up to the 5th spot, and found something late in the race to pass for 4th. Based upon passing points and his heat race finish, Kody earned an 11th place starting position for the night’s 40-lap Cornhusker Midget Challenge. Despite handling issues, Kody ran as high as 10th |
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USAC Western States Sprint Cars at Rocky Mountain Raceway- July 25th Set to make his third appearance at Rocky Mountain Raceway of 2009, Kody was looking for his third feature victory. The day started out very well as Kody broke his own track record, lowering his previous best of a 13.836 to a lap of 13.583 seconds around the 3/8th’s mile oval. Driving the TK Motorsports #75, Kody ran as high as 2nd in the preliminary heat race to transfer to the night’s feature event. Virtue of being the fastest qualifier, Kody would line up in 6th for the start of the feature event, next to his brother Tanner, the 2nd fastest qualifier. Knowing that the race through traffic may as well be the race for the win, the two brothers set to pass the four drivers in |
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USAC Silver Crown & National Midgets at O’Reilly Raceway Park- July 23rd National Midgets- It was a tough day for Kody and the Western Speed Racing team at ORP, starting in practice. When another car leaked oil, Kody spun and was run into by another car, breaking many of the rear components and ending the day for the #60. Rolling out the back up car, and with qualifying rained out, Kody was credited with a 32nd place run. Scheduled to start the heat race from the pole, Kody had to come in with a fuel leak, forcing him to restart at the tail. Kody quickly moved from 8th to 5th, before the handling went away and he failed to advance to the feature. Starting in the 16th position in the semifeature, Kody moved all the way to 8th in the opening lap before a caution caused a complete restart and negated the advance. Restarting in 16th again, Kody moved quickly through the field, and ended up 8th in an event that transferred 6 to the feature event, and ending their night early in the midget. Silver Crown- The Team 6R Silver Crown #19 had a tough day at ORP as well. With qualifying rained out, Kody’s 19th place practice time would count as the official time. In a 32-car field, Kody started the 100-lap feature event in the 19th position and faded to 22nd in the early laps. However from then on, forward was the only direction the #19 was going, as Kody moved up to 15th by lap 30 and by the half way mark was running in the top 10. The Team 6R #19 was working best at the top of the racetrack, so that’s where it ran, right up on the wall and heading for the front. Passing cars both high and low, Kody made it all the way up to 6th by the end of the 100-lap feature that went caution free. His first pavement Silver Crown Top 10, Kody and the Team 6R team put together a strong run going into next week’s event at Iowa Speedway. |
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USAC National Midgets at Twin Cities Raceway Park- July 14th Making up the rained out event from Indiana Midget Week, the USAC National Midget series traveled to Twin Cities Raceway Park in North Vernon, Indiana. The TK Motorsports/Team 6R #19k had a strong run, qualifying 13th and running 2nd in the preliminary heat race to transfer to the night’s feature event. Starting in the 12th position, Kody was running just outside the Top 10 when disaster struck and the car stalled in turn 3. Refiring and starting at the tail, Kody was |
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ASCS Rocky Mountain Sprints at Atomic Motor Raceway- July 10th & 11th After running without the wings for at least two years, Kody got the opportunity to put the wing back on and race in the ASCS Winged 360 Sprint Car division. Driving Bill Martin’s #74u, Kody made his ASCS debut at Atomic Motor Raceway in Atomic City, Idaho. On Friday night, Kody was running 2nd in his heat race when a spark plug wire failure ended their event. Based upon their misfortune in the heat race, Kody and the 74u would start the feature event in the last row. Kody moved up through the field, running in the Top 10 at lap 10 when he came in under caution to make sure that the motor was running properly. After getting the go ahead, he came back onto the track and drove from the tail of the field to 4th in the 25-lap feature event. Saturday night, Kody got his second attempt with the series and had a rough start in the heat race. Running second, he got loose, spinning out, having to restart at the tail. After a frustrating event, Kody finished 5th, earning a 10th place starting position for the feature event. After starting 10th, Kody moved quickly through the field, and was up to 6th in the early laps. About the half way point, the brakes failed on the car, but there was no need to stop the 74u, as the 25-lap event went non-stop. Late in the race, Kody was making good time, passing for 3rd, and then 2nd in the final laps for an impressive finish in his ASCS debut. |
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Midwest Regional Midgets at Kokomo Speedway-June 28th The Bob Darland Memorial was held at Kokomo Speedway, giving the Team 6R/TK Motorsports dirt midget team another opportunity to gain some valuable experience. The night’s format did not include qualifying, so heat race finishes were critical in getting a good starting position for the night’s feature event. Needing a Top 3 finish to start in the Top 6 of the feature, Kody quickly moved from his 7th place starting position to 4th, making a final lap pass for the 3rd spot. Earning himself a 3rd place starting position in the 20-lap feature, Kody put together a solid effort coming home in the 6th position. |
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USAC Silver Crown at Richmond International Raceway- June 27th The USAC Silver Crown series ran at the ¾ mile Richmond International Raceway in conjunction with the IndyCar series event. Kody’s first time at the Virginia racetrack, and it wasn’t one that’ll be easy to forget. After picking up speed toward the end of practice, Kody went out to qualify with a good handling racecar.However, upon leaving the pit lane the Toyota engine began to lose power and shake, signaling a major problem. Taking only one lap with the hurt motor, Kody qualified 19th. It was determined that the motor was beyond repair, so a fresh one was installed prior to Saturday’s 100-lap race. Starting near the rear of the field, Kody quickly worked his way through traffic, passing groups of cars in the early laps and running as high as tenth in the first 25 laps. However, the bad luck just wouldn’t go away and a broken timing belt ended the race for the Team 6R #19 only two laps later. Unfortunately the results weren’t there, but the car was really handling well in the feature event, and a little luck should bring some positive results soon! |
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Angell Park Speedway - June 21st Badger Midgets: Fresh off the Indiana Midget week tour, Kody and the TK/Team 6R #19k traveled to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin to compete in the Badger Midget series. Kody started out the night very well, qualifying fast time for the first time in his dirt midget career. In a heat race that transferred the Top 3 finishers directly to the feature event, Kody drove from his 8th place starting position to pass for the win in the final corner on the last lap. Looking to continue a night of personal bests, Kody lined up in the 10th position for the 25-lap feature event. In the early stages of the race, Kody was moving forward when the car in front of him began to spin, making contact and bending Kody’s right front radius rods, ending his night and chance for victory. |
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USAC National Midgets Indiana Midget Week June 10th - Gas City I-69 Speedway The first event of Indiana Midget Week got off to a rough start. After qualifying 30th, Kody finished 8th in his heat race, failing to transfer to the feature event. However, after starting 14th in the 12-lap semi-feature,Kody moved to 6th to take the final transfer spot. In the feature event, Kody was up to 13th position, when he got caught up in a lap 27 crash, ending his night at Gas City. June 12th - Bloomington Speedway At Bloomington Kody qualified below the existing track record! But 16 other drivers did too, leaving Kody 17th in qualifying. After finishing 5th in a heat race that transfers 4 to the feature event, Kody started 7th in the 12-lap semi-feature, and moved up to 3rd on a late restart to transfer into the night’s main event. Kody completed all 30 laps of the feature event, running much of the event with a strong group of cars, coming home in the 16th position. June 13th - Lawrenceburg Speedway Kody qualified in the 4th position at Lawrenceburg, posting his best USAC National dirt midget qualifying effort to date. After failing to transfer through the heat race, Kody finished 6th in a semi-feature that transferred 7 to the feature event. In the feature, Kody fell back as far as 13th before driving back to a 10th place feature finish. June 14th - Kokomo Speedway To start the night at Kokomo, Kody qualified in the 17th position, but failed to transfer through his heat race. Starting in the 5th position in the night’s semi-feature, Kody was collected in an opening lap incident, bending the rear jacobs ladder and bending the right side nerf bar into the rear tire, severely damaging the handling of the car and any chance of transferring to the feature. However, a provisional starting position was awarded to the Team 6R/TK #19k, and Kody drove from his 24th place starting position to a 6th place feature finish, earning the hard charger award and his best USAC National dirt midget finish to date. |
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Rocky Mountain Raceways - June 6th USAC Rocky Mountain Sprints: Kody Swanson and Jimmy Wysong go 3-for-3 in Rocky Mountain Sprints Continuing a streak that started in September of 2007, Kody Swanson put a Wysong Sprinter in Victory Lane for the third time in three tries at Rocky Mountain Raceway. The day started out well for Kody and the team, breaking the existing track record set in late 2006, by nearly a full tenth of a second. Based upon their qualifying effort, and an invert of the six fastest qualifiers, Kody would start the feature event in the sixth position. However, in the first two laps, Kody moved to third, passed for second by lap four, and set his sights on the leader. After a lap 7 restart, it would only be another lap before Kody would take the |
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All-American Speedway - May 30 USAC Western States Sprint Cars: Kody blistered the old track record in qualifying. Going into the day, the record stood at 12.46 seconds, and Kody ran a 12.18, over a tenth of a second better than the closest competitor. By virtue of being the fastest qualifier, and having an invert of the six fastest qualifiers, Kody lined up for the feature event in the sixth position, starting directly behind his brother Tanner in fourth. Knowing how tough it would be to pass later in the event, Kody quickly moved through the field. He passed for 5th on lap 4, 4th on lap 6, 3rd on lap 8 and 2nd on lap 11, then set his sights on the leader. After a lap 13 restart, Kody settled in the 2nd position, letting the race wear on before making his move. However, shortly after, younger brother Tanner escaped from the pack behind, and began running down his older brother and the leader. With a new added pressure, Kody reeled in race leader JoJo Helberg, making his pass for the lead in lapped traffic on lap 31. Less than a lap later, Tanner cleared Helberg for second and began the battle for the lead. Tanner pressured Kody for the lead, searching for a way around, as the laps remaining began to wind down. In the end, Kody held on for the win over brother Tanner, helping TK Motorsports earn their first 1-2 finish in USAC Competition. |
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| Rocky Mountain Raceway - May 25 USAC Rocky Mountain Sprints: Everyone knows that Mondays can be the worst, but after this weekend, racecar driver Kody Swanson knows that Mondays can be the best. On his way home from a race weekend in Indianapolis, Kody stopped in Salt Lake City to run the Rocky Mountain Regional Sprint car race on Memorial Day. Working with two-time Rocky Mountain Champion Jimmy Wysong, Kody brought home his second win in as many attempts with the team. Kody won the USAC Western Sprint event in September of 2007 to earn his first win, and came back a year and a half later to pick up win number two. Kody will travel back to run the regional series’ next event at Rocky Mountain Raceways on June 6th. |
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