Lonnie Wheatley
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (October 26, 2013) –Another birthday translated into another win for Sammy Swindell as he wired the field in Saturday night’s 26th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires 40-lap finale atop I-30 Speedway’s high-banked, ¼-mile clay oval.
After locking into his 11th career STN finale with a win in Thursday’s preliminary feature, the veteran shoe bested son Kevin Swindell in the opening pair of corners and was in firm command the rest of the way as he celebrated his 58th birthday by collecting the $15,000 winner’s share over this year’s STN field of 105 competitors from 21 different states.
Swindell took the top spot in the 40-lapper that was interrupted by a pair of cautions at the lap 19 mark and ultimately beat Christopher Bell and Friday night winner Anthony Nicholson to the checkered flag.
In an unlikely turn of events, the elder Swindell landed on the pole of the night’s Dash when Kevin pulled the number one card in the Cheater’s Day style draw during a rain delay of nearly four hours following the “D” Mains. After a couple of minutes of deliberation, Kevin handed the pole position to his father, commenting “Happy Birthday”.
It was all Sammy Swindell from there as he added his third career STN triumph and second in three years after previous scores in 2011 and 1990.
Swindell won the Dash with ease to earn the pole for the $84,175 feature event, with Kevin making the move from third to second to start alongside his father in the main event.
And, after the pair entered turn one side-by-side on the initial lap and rubbed wheels, Sammy set the pace with Kevin giving chase for the first half of the race.
While Sammy slipped away by several car lengths early until traffic came into play after just eight laps, Kevin closed in to Sammy’s tailtank on the 13th round and kept the heat on Sammy until looping it exiting turn four on the 20th round.
With Kevin Swindell taking it pitside, seventh-runner David Gravel was pinched into the frontstretch wall on the restart and lost the right front wheel exiting turn two, collecting Channin Tankersley and Seth Bergman in the melee with all three done for the night.
Battling past Nicholson for position on the 16th lap, 18-year-old Bell restarted on Swindell’s tailtank in position to challenge for the win after starting tenth. Swindell’s Big Game Tree Stands No. 1 proved to stout though, gunning into the lead and slipping away from Bell and company.
Swindell opened a straightaway advantage in short order and, despite traffic over the final nine laps, was able to take the checkered flag with a comfortable advantage.
Bell jumped the cushion in Brandon Berryman’s No. 31b to allow Nicholson back into second on the 21st lap before regaining the position on the 25th round and then distancing himself from the remainder of the field to snare runner-up honors for the second year in a row.
Nicholson rounded out the podium in his first career STN championship feature start, Johnny Herrera crossed the stripe fourth in his first STN final start since 1990 and Shane Stewart was among the top five for the sixth time after winning the night’s Second “B” Main.
Chad Kemenah was sixth with Ray Allen Kulhanek, event rookie Terry McCarl, Dustin Morgan and Brandon Hanks completing the top ten.
McCarl was the top finisher of three STN rookie contenders to make it the 40-lap finale with his eighth place showing, besting Tyler Thomas in 13th and Kraig Kinser in 19th.
Three other drivers started their first career STN Championship finale including Nicholson in third along with Brandon Hanks in tenth and Tankersley in 16th.
Nic Jenkins and Ryan Beechler opened the night with wins in “E” Main action, with Justin Henderson and J.P. Bailey victorious in “D” Main action before Mother Nature intervened with showers that delayed the proceedings.
When action resumed, Zach Pringle and Paul Nienhiser topped “C” Main action with Kemenah and Stewart winning “B” Mains.
The First “B” Main offered up some drama in the battle for the seven transfer positions with Sam Hafertepe, Jr., first turned around by Dalton Davis for seventh and then Tony Bruce, Jr., and Davis getting together soon after with Zach Pringle flipping in the ensuing chaos. Hanks and Derek Hagar were the primary beneficiaries of the chaotic turn of events by landing transfer positions.
26th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires Saturday Results:
“E” Main (Top 4 Advance to Corresponding “D” Main):
First “E” Main (6 Laps): 1. 1j-Nic Jenkins, 2. 69-Larry Howery, 3. 42-Henry Gustavus, 99-Blake Jenkins. DNS: 27x-Andy Shouse, 0m-Andy McElhannon, 12m-Kolt Walker, 5x-Tyson Hall, 93-Chris Sweeney, 3n-Nate Van Haaften, 12s-Adam Schmidt, 77x-Wayne Johnson, 8a-Wyatt Burks, 12-Jerrod Hull.
Second “E” Main (12 Laps): 1. 6b-Ryan Beechler, 2. 17wx-Cole Wood, 3. 12r-Nick Roberts, 4. 88m-Scottie McDonald, 5. 38-Rick Pringle, 6. 13-Todd Fayard. DNS: 81a-Chris Morgan, 4j-John James, 87r-Aaron Reutzel, 13TT-Triston Tidmore, 13T-Taylor Tidmore, 5s-Tyler Smith, 31-Brandon Berryman.
“D” Mains (Top 4 Advance to Corresponding “C” Main):
First “D” Main (12 Laps): 1. 91-Justin Henderson, 2. 49-Shawn Dancer, 3. 17x-Josh Baughman, 4. 39c-Travis Rilat, 5. 4pm-Whit Gastineau, 6. 57-Kyle Chady, 7. 42-Henry Gustavus, 8. 31g-Johnny Gardner, 9. 99-Blake Jenkins, 10. 40dd-Caleb Griffith, 11. 4x-Shawn Petersen, 12. 51-Matt Ward, 13. 1j-Nic Jenkins. DNS: 8-Alex Sewell, 01-Roger Crockett, 69-Larry Howery.
Second “D” Main (12 Laps): 1. 45b-J.P. Bailey, 2. 11s-Patrick Stasa, 3. 74e-Claud Estes, 4. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 5. 17m-Austin Brown, 6. 3-A.G. Rains, 7. 17wx-Cole Wood, 8. 27-Beau Stewart, 9. 23-Howard Moore, 10. 21-Ryan Kitchen, 11. 5r-Jerod Roller, 12. X-Charlie Louden, 13. 12r-Nick Roberts, 14. 36-Jonathan Beason, 15. 6b-Ryan Beechler, 16. 88m-Scottie McDonald.
“C” Mains (Top 4 Advance to Corresponding “B” Main):
First “C” Main (12 Laps): 1. 14z-Zach Pringle, 2. 95-Matt Covington, 3. 21x-Joey Moughan, 4. 9p-Parker Price-Miller, 5. 53-Jack Dover, 6. 39c-Travis Rilat, 7. 91-Justin Henderson, 8. 21tx-Brandon Schure, 9. 17g-Cody Gardner. DNS: 29-Brandon Hahn, 05-Brad Loyet, 14k-Kyle Bellm, 41-Jason Johnson, 39-Brad Bowden, 49-Shawn Dancer, 17x-Josh Baughman.
Second “C” Main (12 Laps): 1. 9-Paul Nienhiser, 2. 1-Sean McClelland, 3. 17w-Harli White, 4. 2j-Gary Taylor, 5. 26-Marshall Skinner, 6. 1h-Kyle Hirst, 7. 81-Danny Wood, 8. 74e-Claud Estes, 9. 7m-Kevin Ramey, 10. 17h-Blake Hahn, 11. 94-Jeff Swindell, 12. 11s-Patrick Stasa, 13. 88-Tim Crawley. DNS: w20-Greg Wilson, 19-Klint Angelette, 45b-J.P. Bailey.
“B” Mains (Top 7 from each Advance to “A” Main):
First “B” Main (15 Laps): 1. 6s-Chad Kemenah, 2. 82-David Gravel, 3. 93m-Dustin Morgan, 4. 6T-Terry McCarl, 5. 03-Joe Wood, Jr., 6. 3h-Brandon Hanks, 7. 9jr-Derek Hagar, 8. 4am-Mike Goodman, 9. 9p-Parker Price-Miller,10. 21x-Joey Moughan, 11. 18-Tony Bruce, Jr., 12. 95-Matt Covington, 13. 12d-Dalton Davis, 14. 14z-Zach Pringle, 15. 15h-Sam Hafertepe, Jr., 16. 1m-Danny Lasoski.
Second “B” Main (15 Laps): 1. 3g-Shane Stewart, 2. 31b-Christopher Bell, 3. 23x-Seth Bergman, 4. 0-Channin Tankersley, 5. 22h-Randy Hannagan, 6. 59-Kraig Kinser, 7. 6-Tim Shaffer, 8. 17b-Ryan Bickett, 9. 7s-Jason Sides, 10. 2j-Gary Taylor, 11. 87b-Jason Barney, 12. 1-Sean McClelland, 13. 9-Paul Nienhiser, 14. 10-Terry Gray, 15. 17w-Harli White, 16. 21b-Brian Brown.
Dash for Cash (Finish Determines Alignment of Front Three Rows of Main Event):
Dash (6 Laps – Starting position in parentheses): 1. 1-Sammy Swindell (1), 2. 71x-Kevin Swindell (3), 3. 45x-Johnny Herrera (4), 4. 21T-Ray Allen Kulhanek (2), 5. 16-Anthony Nicholson (5), 6. 87T-Tyler Thomas (6).
26th Annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires Championship “A” Feature:
A Feature (40 Laps – Starting position in parentheses): 1. 1-Sammy Swindell (1) [$15,000], 2. 31b-Christopher Bell (10) [$10,000], 3. 16-Anthony Nicholson (5) [$7,500], 4. 45x-Johnny Herrera (3) [$5,000], 5. 3g-Shane Stewart (8) [$2,800], 6. 6s-Chad Kemenah (7) [$2,750], 7. 21t-Ray Allen Kulhanek (4) [$2,725], 8. 6T-Terry McCarl (13) [$2,700], 9. 93m-Dustin Morgan (11) [$2,675], 10. 3h-Brandon Hanks (17) [$2,650], 11. 22h-Randy Hannagan (16) [$2,625], 12. 3-A.G. Rains (21) [$2,600], 13. 87T-Tyler Thomas (6) [$2,575], 14. 9jr-Derek Hagar (19) [$2,550], 15. 82-David Gravel (9) [$2,525], 16. 0-Channin Tankersley (14) [$2,500], 17. 23x-Seth Bergman (12) [$2,500], 18. 71x-Kevin Swindell (2) [$2,500], 19. 59-Kraig Kinser (18) [$2,500], 20. 03-Joe Wood, Jr. (15) [$2,500], 21. 6-Tim Shaffer (20) [$2,500], 22. 1m-Danny Lasoski (22) [$2,500].
Lap Leaders: Sammy Swindell 1-40.
Note: A.G. Rains earned a starting berth via I-30 Speedway track champion provisional and Danny Lasoski started the main event via the STN Open Provisional.