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.

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!

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.

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. 

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.   

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.  

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!

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
behind the wheel of the Shannon McQueen Racing #7. In qualifying time trials, Kody paced
the 1/3 mile clay oval with a lap of 13.471 seconds, posting the fastest lap and earning
Quick Time honors.

In his preliminary heat race, Kody failed to earn his qualifying time,
finishing outside of the Top 5 transfer positions. Lining up for the night's feature event in
11th, it would be a long charge from the back if Kody was going to make a challenge for the
win.

On the initial start, some of the leaders tangled, and reset the field. Escaping the
incident unscathed, Kody would line up 6th on the restart of the 30-lap event. In the
opening lap, Kody shot to 5th, where he would be for the first part of the race. A caution on
lap 11 regrouped the field, and gave Kody another chance at the leaders. On the restart,
Kody found some moisture on the low groove of the racetrack, and began moving forward.
In a few laps, Kody was third and battling for 2nd.

With 10 to go, Kody had moved to the
2nd spot for good and began hunting down 2-time Chili Bowl Midget National Champion,
Cory Kruseman. With three to go, Kody caught and pulled beside the "Kruser" for the lead
down the front stretch, set to make a move entering turn one when disaster struck.

A lapped car moved down in front of Kody, letting Kruseman pass with ease and ending Kody's
chances at victory. All in all, it was a very successful weekend for Kody and the McQueen
Racing team, producing a Fast Time award and a Top 2 feature finish!

TK Motorsports visits the Stockton 99 Speedway Winner’s Circle

Last Saturday night, the Tanner Swanson continued his fantastic 2009 season by dominating the USAC Western States events at Stockton 99 Speedway. Speeds were fast as the USAC Western Sprint and Midget series made their first visit to the freshly repaved ¼ mile oval, and records were sure to fall. Tanner set fast time in USAC Western Midget qualifying, lapping the quarter-mile oval at 12.517 seconds and setting a new track record! In the USAC Western Sprint car division, Kody went out, and qualifying at 12.475 seconds, broke the existing track record! However, Tanner was yet to make his qualifying run, and turning in a 12.344 second lap, he became the new track record holder! At the conclusion of qualifying, TK Motorsports remained on top of the board, Tanner then Kody.

TK Motorsports: Kody Swanson drove the #75 to its
10th Top Two finish in 11 races (M&M Racing Photos)

The USAC Western Midget feature was up first on the night’s schedule of events and Tanner would line up in the sixth position after an invert of the fastest six qualifiers. After showcasing his speed with his record breaking qualifying run, Tanner looked to quickly work through traffic and battle for the win. Early in the race, Tanner did just that, moving to 5th in the first lap, 4th in the 3rd lap and 3rd in the 4th lap. Then, Tanner ran down teammate Levi Roberts, making the pass for 2nd on lap 13. From there Tanner challenged the race leader on numerous restarts during the remainder of the race, but never could materialize the pass for the lead. Tanner did manage to post the fastest lap of the feature, a 12.393, but came home 2nd in his first event driving the DMS Race Products #21d.

Feature Winner: Tanner Swanson drove to his 5th USAC
Western Sprint victory of 2009. (M&M Racing Photos)

In the following USAC Western States Sprint car feature, Tanner and Kody started together in the third-row, Kody inside Tanner outside. However, after qualifying as the fastest two, the Swanson brothers were not likely to stay in their starting positions for long. As the flagman brought the field to green, the front few cars battled for the bottom of the racetrack, leaving the outside lane open and Tanner shot from 6th to 4th in the first two laps! Tanner’s move pinned Kody in on the bottom, pushing him back to 6th. Not letting Tanner get away, Kody made his way back to the rear bumper of the #17, taking over the 5th spot on lap 3. The order remained the same, Tanner 4th and Kody 5th, until Tanner took over the 3rd spot on lap 8 and Kody moved to 4th a lap later. From there Tanner made quick work of the leaders, moving to 2nd on lap 11, and taking the lead on lap 16! It wasn’t until lap 17 that Kody took over 3rd, but he quickly made the pass for 2nd on lap 21. From there, the chase was on. In the next few laps, Kody quickly shortened the gap to the leader, taking the distance from nearly 8 car lengths to less than 5. But as the duo neared the lap 30 mark, Tanner got word of his shrinking lead, and began pulling away from his older brother. The two quickly worked through lapped traffic, but on this night, there would be no denying the defending champ and current points leader, as Tanner Swanson drove his #17 to a dominating 2.9 second victory.

This race marked the 7th-straight victory for TK Motorsports, and the Swanson Brothers 6th
consecutive One-Two feature finish! The race was also Tanner’s 10th-striaght Top Two finish in the USAC Western States Sprint division, helping him to extend his points lead to 133 in the 2009 Championship chase.

As the USAC Western States Sprint car series comes to a close with its final two races, TK
Motorsports looks to win their 4th Car Owner’s Championship in 5 seasons. When the series returns to Madera Speedway on October 24th, the Swanson Brothers will look for their 7th 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 two races left to go, Tanner Swanson leads the driver’s championship, winning five times, with five 2nd place finishes and one fourth in eleven races. The TK Motorsports #75 has been driven by both Kody and Tanner, and leads the Owner’s category with six feature wins, and four 2nd place finishes in only eleven starts.


The Winner’s Circle: TK Motorsports in Stockton 99
Speedway victory lane after sweeping the USAC Western
Sprint Feature (M&M Racing Photo)

TK Motorsports Update

Last weekend TK Motorsports made the trip to Stockton 99 Speedway, to compete in the USAC Western States Sprint cars series.

Tanner also made his first start driving the DMS Race Products #21 in the USAC Western Midget series. Never one to disappoint, Tanner started off his new relationship with a new track record in qualifying!

This news article is complete with stories of all the great racing action, and even has a few photos thanks to Mark & Matt Sublett of M&M Racing photos.

(To see more photos from the event- please check out the websites of our contributing photographers at mmracingphotos.com and tomparkerphotos.com)

This weekend, TK Motorsports will travel to Ventura Raceway in Southern California to compete on the dirt in the USAC Western States Midget series.  Tanner will be driving the TK Motorsports/Team 6R Racing # 19k, and looking for his 5th series victory this season.

For the local fans, make sure to mark it down on your calendar, but TK Motorsports will be back in town, returning to USAC Western States Sprint car action on Saturday, October 24th at the Madera Speedway.

Thanks again for all your interest in TK Motorsports, and we hope to see you at the races!

TK Motorsports dominates Madera Speedway’s Harvest Classic!

Last Saturday night, the TK Motorsports dominated the USAC Western States events at Madera
Speedway. The team swept USAC Western Sprint car qualifying, Tanner posting the fastest time with Kody just behind in 2nd. Tanner was the 2nd fastest qualifier in USAC Western Midget competition, driving the McKenney Racing #88. After the night’s preliminary heat races, the USAC Midget feature was first up on the By virtue of his 2nd place Harvest Classic schedule. qualifying effort, and an eight-car invert, Tanner would line up for the feature event in the seventh position. At the drop of the green, Tanner wasted little time getting through traffic. He passed up to fifth in the first lap, was third by lap three, and took the lead on lap four! From there, Tanner never looked back, leading the final 26 laps to take his 3rd USAC Western Midget win of 2009!

After Tanner represented his team so well in the Midget event, both he and his brother set out to do the same in the USAC Western Sprint car feature. Being the fastest two qualifiers, the Swanson brothers would start in row three of the 50-lap event, Kody in 5th, Tanner in 6th. However, the running order would change very quickly, as Kody shot from his inside-third row starting position to third place in the opening lap, and made the pass for 2nd on lap three! From there, Kody set his sights on race-leader, and Indy Car driver Davey Hamilton. Once he narrowed the distance to the leader, Kody dove to the bottom of the racetrack, and from his 5th-place starting position made the pass for the lead on just lap 7! The caution flew on lap nine, and as Kody led the field back to green, Tanner had moved up to the 5th spot. Never to be counted out,
Tanner made his own charge toward the front in the middle part of the 50-lapper, taking over 4th on lap 16 and 3rd only one lap later. Tanner then began cutting away at the distance that separated him from the 2nd position, making the pass for that spot on lap 28! The caution flew again on lap 35, setting the stage for another Swanson brothers duel, asKody and Tanner battled for the top spot.

However, lapped traffic played a large role in this one, as a lapped car restarted between the two
leaders, giving Kody an extra car-length advantage before going back to green. On the restart, Tanner quickly moved past the slower car, setting his sights on his brother, and the race lead. However, as the final 15 laps wore down, Kody was able to maintain his advantage, taking the victory for his TK Motorsports team, with Tanner just behind in 2nd.

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!

For the fifth time in only seven races this season, TK Motorsports was in Victory Lane with the USAC Western States Sprint Car series. Tanner Swanson got the victory August 15th at Madera Speedway, with brother Kody running second, giving TK Motorsports their third One-Two finish in a row! Starting the trend at Roseville in May, the Swanson brothers swept the July event at Rocky Mountain Raceways and continued their streak through the August race at Madera. Due to scheduling conflicts, Kody has not been able to make all of the races, but Tanner has raced as the sole representation for the TK team. He has done a fantastic job, winning once and finishing 2nd in the other event. So far this season, Tanner’s performances have been outstanding. In the first event of the season he finished fourth, but hasn’t finished worse than 2nd
since, picking up three second place finishes to go with three season victories. Despite his limited appearances, Kody has competed well also, finishing second twice to go with his two series victories in only 5 attempts.

This Saturday night, when the USAC Western States Sprint car series travels to Salt Lake City, Utah’s Rocky Mountain Raceways, they will be led by series point leader Tanner Swanson. Currently enjoying a 43 point lead over the nearest competitor, the defending series Champion will look to improve upon his second place finish in the July event at RMR. The last time that the USAC Western Sprint series traveled to the Salt Lake City oval, the results were all TK Motorsports. The team swept qualifying One-Two, with Kody setting a New Track Record, pacing the 3/8-mile oval in 13.582 seconds. The brothers later swept the feature event from their third row
starting positions, Kody taking the victory with Tannerin tow. The battle between the brothers will continue, as Kody looking to defend his July race win from RMR, while Tanner brings the momentum of two straight August victories in the series at Roseville and Madera Speedways.

TK Motorsports’ Swanson brothers finish One-Two in All-American Sprints

When the USAC Western States Sprint series left Roseville, California’s All-American Speedway Saturday night, the Swanson brothers were on top. After starting 4th and 6th in the night’s feature event, Tanner and Kody moved quickly through the pack, running in the 2nd and 3rd positions by lap 16 in the 50-lap event. Lapped traffic played a key role in this race, with Kody using a slower car to get past leader JoJo Helberg on lap 31, and Tanner doing the same to take over the 2nd spot only a lap later. To the finish the TK Motorsports cars battled for the top spot, with Tanner all over the back bumper of Kody, looking to the lead the race himself. At the finish it was nose-to-tail, Kody then Tanner, as the gap to the rest of the field grew larger, leaving the Swanson brothers alone at the top of the heap. The feature event win makes TK Motorsports two-for-two at All-American Speedway, with Kody and Tanner each bringing home a victory of their own. This was TK Motorsports first One-Two finish in USAC Competition, and it was fitting that Kody and Tanner were driving their own TK Motorsports Western States Sprints when they did it. The Swanson brothers have been off to a great start already, combining for 6 wins, 10 Podiums, and 12 Top 5 finishes in the young season. Another fact that helps both Tanner and Kody stand out from the crowd, is that they are the only two drivers to have won a race in both of USAC’s Western States Sprint and Western States Midget divisions in 2009.

USAC Silver Crown - Eldora

While Tanner was out “cleaning house” on the USAC Western States competition, Kody headed to the Midwest, set to compete at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway as part of the USAC 4 Crown Nationals. Competing in the USAC Silver Crown division, driving for Team 6R Racing, Kody set out on the big half-mile late Saturday afternoon. In hot laps and qualifying, the track was slick, and the fast lane was up on the fence, and Kody adapted well, learning from his mistakes in hot laps to qualify a respectable 15th position, only 3 behind his teammate, two-time USAC National Sprint Champion Brian Tyler. Everyone who qualified outside the “Top 12” was entered in the night’s semi-main event, where the starting lineup was based upon qualifying, but the finishing lineup of this event would determine the starting lineup for the 50-lap 4 Crown Nationals Feature event. Starting inside row-two, Kody got shuffled back to 4th in the opening lap. Once in line, Kody began making progress, closing on the 3rd place car, and pulling down beneath him, attempting to make the pass. On lap 7, Kody got a run to the outside, when disaster struck in turn three. The 3rd place car caught a rut on the rough racing surface, sliding out to catch the left front corner of the Team 6R #19. The incident broke the front-end on Kody’s car, ending his semi-main event run.

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.

This weekend, October 3rd, Tanner Swanson will return to Hanford California’s Kings Speedway, set to do battle on the dirt with the USAC Western Midget series. In 2009, Tanner is now one of two drivers to win back-to-back Western Midget features, ironically the other is his brother Kody, but this weekend Tanner has the chance to go for three-straight. Coming off of victories on the pavement at Madera and All-American Speedways, Tanner will take to the dirt driving the Team 6R/TK Motorsports #19. As the USAC Western States Sprint car series bears down on its final three races, TK Motorsports looks to close on their 4th Car Owner’s Championship in 5 seasons. For the October 10th event at Stockton 99 Speedway, Tanner Swanson will be the sole representation of the TK Motorsports team, as Kody travels to Granite City, Illinois for the Gold Crown Nationals in the USAC National Midget series. 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 three races left to go, Tanner Swanson leads the drivers championship, winning four 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 six feature wins, and three 2nd place finishes in only ten starts.

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!

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
late in the feature before bringing home a solid 13th place finish.

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
front of them as fast as possible. It sure didn’t take long, as Kody got to second within the first two laps, with Tanner on his tail. Kody took the lead on lap 5, but it wasn’t even a lap later when Tanner took second, and the two began their race at the front. Late in the race, Kody pulled away from Tanner to a convincing victory, his third in a row at Salt Lake City’s Rocky Mountain Raceway.

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.

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
making his way back through the field when he got caught up in an accident, bending the right side nerf bar into the rear tire. Heading to the pit, the crew pulled the nerf bar out of the tire, and sent him back out onto the track. Restarting at the tail of the field, Kody moved his way forward, finding his way through the field, passing for the 4th position late in the race to earn his best ever USAC National Midget dirt finish.

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.

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.

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!