By Bryan Hulbert
TULSA, Okla. (February 10, 2014) “Win every race.” Answers don’t get much simpler when talking with Jeff Swindell about his goals for the 2014 Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by MAVTV American Real National Tour.
Returning to full-time competition in 2013, after taking the 2012 season off, Jeff Swindell will bring the Hammers family owned, Heartland Catfish No. 94 back in hopes of bettering his third in tour standings, in 2013.
Swindell set the season record for consecutive podium finish in 2013 and in doing so, made the largest points jump of any driver from eighth to third. Asked how often he has been able to put together a run like that, Swindell replied, “That just don’t hardly ever happen, and I think that just shows what a good group we have.”
Pointing out that the run didn’t happen until later in the season, Swindell was still pleased with the team’s performance, “We were in the learning stages last year with these guys, being the first full season with the team, the car, the motors, and everything. I think it just took us a little while to get everything figured out.”
Entering the 2014 season, Swindell has made very little changes to the overall team.
“We’ve got all the same people together, and all the same sponsors. We added Heartland Catfish at the end of the year as an associate sponsor, and now they wanted to come on board as the main sponsor so we’re really pleased with that. I plan on doing a lot of promotions with them.”
Planning on racing as much as possible, Swindell has put together a schedule of roughly 80-90 shows for the 2014 season to take advantage of downtime on the ASCS National schedule that includes 410, 360, and 305cid competition.
With the Cocopah Speedway kicking off the 2014 schedule, Swindell will have an uphill climb.
“I think one of the biggest assets I’ve got, is I can lean on my brother Sammy a little bit,” said Swindell when asked about setting up the car and the assets at his disposal.
Asked specifically about the Cocopah Speedway, where the Tennessee driver has had some good runs taken away from him by mechanical issues, Swindell replied, “I feel like I haven’t been really good at Cocopah come feature time every night out, we weren’t bad the first of the year, but broke a torsion arm bolt in half, so that killed us running third or fourth; then we had mechanical issues the next night. Then, at the end of the year, we were good all night until the feature. I just don’t feel like I’ve had the car underneath me, so Sammy’s given me a few little pointers on something to try, so we’re going to go at it a little different and try to knock Jason [Johnson] off that podium.”
Looking for a clean year of racing, Jeff is clear that he will race anyone the way he is raced. Asked about an incident during the 2013 season that resulted in damage to the No. 94, Jeff replied, “There’s no reason to drive guys like that. As long as I know how I’m going to be driven, that’s how I’m going to drive.”
Jeff Swindell’s overall season in 2013 consisted of 42 A-Feature starts. Jeff’s five wins in 2013 came at the Lawton Speedway (Lawton, Okla.) on June 19, Creek County Speedway (Sapulpa, Okla.) on June 20, Willamette Speedway (Lebanon, Ore.) on July 26, Salina Highbanks Speedway (Salina, Okla.) on August 17, and Jackson Speedway (Jackson, Minn.) on August 30.
Jeff Swindell’s first Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour win came on June 15, 2002 at the Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa.
News and information on Jeff Swindell can be found online at http://www.jeffswindell.com as well as Facebook and Twitter.
The 2014 Lucas Oil ASCS presented by MAVTV American Real season begins February 28 and March 1 at the Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz. Tickets for the $10,000 to win event are on sale at http://www.cocopahspeedway.com
2013 ASCS (Regional/National) Record: Events: 47: Wins – 5, Top 5 – 19, Top 10 – 29
Overall ASCS National Tour Record: A-Feature Starts: 100: Wins – 11, Top 5 – 40, Top 10 – 62
Summary of Wins: Date, Track, City, State
6/15/2002, Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, IA
4/15/2011, I-30 Speedway, Little Rock, AR
9/1/2012, Dodge City Raceway Park, Dodge City, KS
9/2/2012, Dodge City Raceway Park, Dodge City, KS
10/19/2012, Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, TX
10/20/2012, Devil’s Bowl Speedway, Mesquite, TX
6/19/2013, Lawton Speedway, Lawton, OK
6/20/2013, Creek County Speedway, Sapulpa, OK
7/26/2013, Willamette Speedway, Lebanon, WA
8/17/2013, Salina Highbanks, Salina, OK
8/30/2013, Jackson Speedway, Jackson, MN
The 2014 season marks the twenty-third year of sanctioning Sprint Car racing for the American Sprint Car Series, which brings the best of Sprint Car racing to dozens of different tracks throughout the nation. Anchored by the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series, ASCS also consists of ten different Regions throughout the nation.
Lucas Oil Products is the title sponsor of the American Sprint Car Series. More information can be found on Lucas Oil Products at www.lucasoil.com. MAVTV is the presenting sponsor of the American Sprint Car Series. Log onto www.mavtv.com for information regarding availability and listings in your area.
Associate sponsors for the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by MAVTV include: Hoosier Racing Tire and Brodix.
Team Lucas Sponsors for the American Sprint Car Series consist of Protect the Harvest, iON Camera, Smokey Mountain Moonshine, C&R Radiator, Hawk Performance Products, Geico, E3 Spark Plugs, and General Tire.
Product and Contingency Sponsorship provided by: K&N Filters, PitstopUSA.com, Engler Machine and Tool, FSR Radiator and Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Driverwebsites.com, Weld Wheels, Fuel Safe, Saldana Racing Products, Maxwell Industries, Print Place, Simpson, The Joie of Seating, Wesmar Racing Engines, Hinchman Indy Racewear, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, DMI Rear Ends, Rod End Supply, Smiley’s Racing Products, Speedway Motors, Speedmart, and Hilborn Injection Systems.
Additional information regarding the American Sprint Car Series is available at www.ascsracing.com as well as Twitter (@LucasOilASCS) and Facebook. News and information can also be sent to you with the ASCS E-News by texting ASCS to 22828 with any mobile device.