Toledo Speedway

A Christmas morning accident at his parents’ home resulted in a severely broken left foot. Multiple surgeries later, the Kingsburg, Calif. native was affixed with a walking boot and a pair of crutches. Throughout the arduous rehabilitation process, Swanson longed for the day that he could return to the USAC Silver Crown National Championship. On Saturday afternoon at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway, that long awaited day had finally arrived.

When seemingly backed against the wall for the majority of the distance, the Kingsburg, Calif. native still managed to pull through and prevail in the 100-lapper, leading a total of 23 laps to score an astounding seventh career Rollie Beale Classic victory, and his fifth-in-a-row at Toledo with the champ cars dating back to 2018.

Since 1976, there’s been one individual who’s stood head and shoulders above all others in terms of USAC national feature victories at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway. That’s Rollie Beale. On Saturday night, Kody Swanson moved atop the list, topping the 1973 USAC National Sprint Car champion’s long-standing record at his hometown track, and he did in the race named after the legend he passed.

Kody Swanson possesses the rare and unique talent to make the extraordinary seem commonplace, and for the high majority of Sunday afternoon’s USAC Silver Crown season finale at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway, he performed just as you’d come to expect from the series’ winningest driver.