Swindell Banks $15K in 24th Annual Short Track Nationals Finale!
Lonnie Wheatley,
LITTLE ROCK,
Ark. (October 29,
2011) – It had been
more than 20 years
since his first dose
of STN glory, but
Sammy Swindell
finally became the
event’s fourth
multi-time champion
by taking the
$15,000 winner’s
share in Saturday
night’s 24th
Annual COMP Cams
Short Track
Nationals presented
by Hoosier Tires
40-lap championship
finale atop the
high-banked, ¼-mile
I-30 Speedway clay
oval.
After starting
fourth, Swindell
battled past early
leader Shane Stewart
on the 13th
circuit and then
went on to post his
second Lucas Oil
ASCS presented by
K&N Filters National
win of the year in
front of Brady Bacon
with Stewart taking
the final podium
position in third.
And, the 1990 STN
winner added his
second win with a
flat left front tire
over the final dozen
circuits of the
feature event that
doled out over
$80,000 alone to cap
the blockbuster
weekend that
included 100
competitors.
“The last few years
all I needed to do
was finish and I’d
win but things broke
or different things
have happened like a
tire going flat or
whatever,” Swindell
explained after his
ninth career STN
feature start. “We
had a flat tonight
but it didn’t slow
us down, with three
wheels it was still
better than anybody
else. Those guys
better go back to
work.”
Swindell was one of
six drivers locked
into Saturday
night’s STN
championship feature
after a third-place
run in Friday
night’s preliminary
feature, explaining
that, “The Big Game
Tree Stands Maxim
has worked great all
weekend, we just
didn’t show our hand
until they paid the
purse.”
While Swindell
worked forward from
fifth in the Dash
for Cash to earn the
fourth starting
position in the main
event, Dash winner
Danny Lasoski led
the way to the green
flag with Stewart
alongside.
Stewart gunned into
the lead at the
outset aboard Paul
Silva’s
Wesmar-powered
Rockstar Energy
Drink/Makita No. 57
A.R.T. and set the
early pace in front
of Swindell,
third-starter Bacon
and Lasoski while
wading through four
caution periods in
the initial eight
laps that sent Seth
Bergman tailback
with A.G. Rains,
Wayne Johnson and
Sam Hafertepe, Jr.,
all forced pitside
in separate
cautions.
After Hafertepe,
Jr., looped it
exiting turn four
and suffered
race-ending nose
wing damage on a lap
nine restart after
W. Johnson stopped,
Swindell went to
work on Stewart for
the point in short
order.
While Stewart worked
the low line,
Swindell worked just
to his outside and
finally raced into
the lead through
turns three and four
on the 13th
lap after battling
side-by-side for
several rounds.
Swindell then
slipped away and
opened up nearly a
straightaway
advantage just past
the midway point as
he worked traffic,
leaving Stewart,
Bacon and Lasoski to
dice for the second
position.
With Swindell
comfortably ahead,
Bacon battled his
way past Stewart for
second in the
Wesmar-powered
Fatheadz Eyewear No.
99 Triple-X on the
26th
circuit, just two
laps before one
final caution flew
for Kyle Larson’s
disabled mount on
the frontstretch.
Larson had been
battling among the
top ten before
apparent engine woes
cut his first STN
championship feature
start short.
While Swindell’s
left front tire went
completely flat
under the caution,
the veteran shoe
still had the
advantage of four
lapped cars between
himself and his
chasers on the
restart. And, even
though 2006 STN
champion Jason
Johnson was able to
unlap himself on the
restart, Bacon
wasn’t quite able to
clear traffic soon
enough to mount a
serious charge on
the leader,
ultimately falling
1.568 seconds short
of Swindell at the
stripe.
“At the end, I wish
we could have got a
restart with me
right there behind
him,” Bacon
explained. “We
might have been able
to get him when we
were slowed down
when his flat was
messing him up, but
once he got in a
rhythm I just
couldn’t quite pull
up on to him.”
With Swindell
leading Bacon to the
stripe, Stewart
claimed the show
position with
Lasoski fourth in
Mark Burch’s Engler
Machine No. 1m
Wolfweld and Jason
Sides fifth in the
Sparks Construction
No. 91.
Stevie Smith raced
from 14th
to sixth in his
rookie STN outing,
with Paul McMahan
surviving the lap
nine restart contact
with Hafertepe, Jr.,
to claim seventh
after starting 13th.
Tim
Crawley was
eighth in front of
his hometown crowd,
with 2010 STN winner
Brad Sweet turning
in the top passing
performance by
racing from 20th
ninth. Tim Shaffer
completed the top
ten.
Stevie Smith was one
of seven drivers
starting a first
career STN
championship finale
with the others
including Joey
Saldana (13th),
Seth Bergman (14th),
Ray Allen Kulhanek
(15th),
Larson (16th),
Aaron Reutzel (17th)
and Matt
Covington (18th).
Bergman worked his
way into the main
event by fending off
Crawley in the First
“B” Main. Crawley
earned his 17th
STN finale starting
berth with the
runner-up finish,
matching four-time
event winner Gary
Wright’s
total of 17 STN
feature starts.
Hafertepe, Jr., an
STN runner-up last
year, beat Covington
to the stripe in the
Second “B” Main.
Kyle Bellm and
Channin Tankersley
topped “C” Main
action,
Marshall
Skinner and Ernie
Ainsworth claimed
wins in the “D”
Mains and father-son
duo Zach and Rick
Pringle swept
through “E” Main
action.
With a total of 100
competitors taking
part in the 24th
Annual COMP Cams
Short Track
Nationals presented
by Hoosier Tires,
more than $116,000
in purse money was
distributed over the
course of the
three-night event.
24th
Annual COMP Cams
Short Track
Nationals presented
by Hoosier Tires
Saturday Results:
“E” Mains (Top 4
Advance to
Corresponding “D”
Main):
First “E” Main (10
Laps): 1. 8z-Zach
Pringle. 2.
33a-Austin
Alumbaugh, 3.
38m-Ryan Moore, 4.
14T-Tyler Brown, 5.
165-Miranda Arnold,
6. 32-Charles
Tankersley, 7.
23j-Junior Jenkins,
8. 58-Wade Oliver,
9. 4bx-Kevin Baugh.
DNS: 31-Justin Webb,
33h-Mark
Huddleston.
Second “E” Main (10
Laps): 1. 38p-Rick
Pringle, 2.
51b-Jimmy Brooks, 3.
44-Ronny Howard,
4j-John James, 5.
4T-Tommy Snellgrove,
6. 19-Jay
Snellgrove, 7.
12-Steven
Schaberg.
DNS: 5k-Jerry Kamer,
X-Charlie Louden,
51s-Lee Sowell,
51x-Beau Smith.
“D” Mains (Top 4
Advance to
Corresponding “C”
Main):
First “D” Main (10
Laps): 1.
26-Marshall Skinner,
2. 93-Chris Sweeney,
3. 01n-Jeremy
Newkirk, 4.
36b-Jonathan Beason,
5. 8z-Zach Pringle,
6. C4-Casey
Rowland, 7.
76-John Ricketts, 8.
3h-Nate Van Haaften,
9. 33a-Austin
Alumbaugh, 10.
44c-Henry Gustavus,
11. 1m-Jim Moughan,
12. 38m-Ryan Moore,
13. 0m-Andy
McElhannon, 14.
14T-Tyler Brown.
DNS: 9s-Justin
Sturch, 31b-Brandon
Berryman.
Second “D” Main (10
Laps): 1. 40-Ernie
Ainsworth, 2.
15b-Sean
McClelland,
3. 44w-Austen
Wheatley, 4.
28c-Jonathan
Cornell, 5.
9k-Kyle Sager, 6.
87m-Brian
McClelland, 7.
64-Scotty Thiel, 8.
38p-Rick Pringle, 9.
52-Frank Sudduth,
10. 19k-Klint
Angelette, 11.
4j-John James, 12.
44-Ronny Howard, 13.
17b-Ryan Bickett.
DNS: 4b-Eric
Baldaccini, 0c-Zach
Chappell, 51b-Jimmy
Brooks.
“C” Mains (Top 4
Advance to
Corresponding “B”
Main):
First “C” Main (15
Laps): 1. 14k-Kyle
Bellm, 2. 74e-Claud
Estes, 3.
21b-Brian Brown, 4.
05-Brad Loyet, 5.
5h-Mason Moore, 6.
36b-Jonathan Beason,
7. X1m-Jack
Dover, 8.
21k-Ryan Kitchen, 9.
93-Chris Sweeney,
10. 03-Joe Wood,
Jr., 11. 01n-Jeremy
Newkirk, 12. 47-Dale
Howard, 13.
89g-David Gravel,
14. 26-Marshall
Skinner, 15.
66-Tommy
Worley, 16.
51h-Mike Hess.
Second “C” Main (15
Laps): 1.
71-Channin
Tankersley, 2.
9x-Gary Wright, 3.
16-Anthony
Nicholson, 4.
28c-Jonathan
Cornell, 5. 4s-Danny
Smith, 6. 1x-Gary
Taylor, 7.
87j-Justin Carver,
8. 39-Brad Bowden,
9. 44w-Austen
Wheatley, 10.
40-Ernie Ainsworth,
11. 1g-Cody Gardner,
12. 15b-Sean
McClelland, 13.
27-Andy Shouse, 14.
6b-Ryan Beechler,
15. 11g-Mike
Goodman. DNS:
21x-Jimmy Hurley.
“B” Mains (Top 7
from each Advance to
“A” Main):
First “B” Main (15
Laps): 1. 23b-Seth
Bergman, 2. 88-Tim
Crawley, 3. M1-Tim
Shaffer, 4. 01x-Paul
McMahan, 5.
77x-Wayne Johnson,
6. 87-Aaron Reutzel,
7. 41-Jason Johnson,
8. 22h-Randy
Hannagan, 9.
28s-Jeff Swindell,
10. 18b-Tony Bruce,
Jr., 11. 81-Danny
Wood, 12. 3a-A.G.
Rains, 13. 21b-Brian
Brown, 14. 74e-Claud
Estes, 15. 05-Brad
Loyet, 16. 14k-Kyle
Bellm.
Second “B” Main (15
Laps): 1. 15h-Sam
Hafertepe, Jr., 2.
11c-Matt Covington,
3. 187-Kyle Larson,
4. 3g-Stevie Smith,
5. 21T-Ray Allen
Kulhanek, 6. 9-Joey
Saldana, 7. 49-Brad
Sweet, 8. 45x-Johnny
Herrera, 9. 94-Derek
Hagar, 10. 9x-Gary
Wright, 11.
16-Anthony
Nicholson, 12.
28c-Jonathan
Cornell, 13.
36-Jason Martin, 14.
71-Channin
Tankersley, 15.
14m-Jordon Mallett.
DNS: 91d-Cody Darrah.
Dash for Cash
(Finish Determines
Alignment of Front
Three Rows of Main
Event):
Dash (6 Laps –
Starting position in
parentheses): 1.
1mx-Danny Lasoski
(4), 2. 57-Shane
Stewart (2), 3.
99-Brady Bacon (6),
4. 1s-Sammy Swindell
(4), 5. 91s-Jason
Sides (1), 6.
29-Travis Rilat (3).
24th
Annual COMP Cams
Short Track
Nationals presented
by Hoosier Tires
Championship “A”
Feature:
A Feature (40 Laps –
Starting position in
parentheses): 1.
1s-Sammy Swindell
(4) [$15,000], 2.
99-Brady Bacon (3)
[$10,000], 3.
57-Shane Stewart (2)
[$7,500], 4.
1mx-Danny Lasoski
(1) [$5,000], 5.
91s-Jason Sides (5)
[$2,750], 6.
3g-Stevie Smith (14)
[$2,700], 7.
01x-Paul McMahan
(13) [$2,650], 8.
88-Tim Crawley (9)
[$2,600], 9. 49-Brad
Sweet (20) [$2,575],
10. M1-Tim Shaffer
(11) [$2,550], 11.
29-Travis Rilat (6)
[$2,525], 12.
41-Jason Johnson
(19) [$2,500], 13.
9-Joey Saldana (18)
[$2,475], 14.
23-Seth Bergman (7)
[$2,450], 15.
21T-Ray Allen
Kulhanek (16)
[$2,425], 16.
187-Kyle Larson (12)
[$2,400], 17.
87-Aaron Reutzel
(17) [$2,400], 18.
11c-Matt Covington
(10) [$2,400], 19.
15h-Sam Hafertepe,
Jr. (8) [$2,400],
20. 77x-Wayne
Johnson (15)
[$2,400], 21.
3a-A.G. Rains (21)
[$2,400].
Lap Leaders: Shane
Stewart 1-12, Sammy
Swindell 13-40.
Lucas Oil ASCS
Sprint Cars
presented by K&N
Filters Driver
Points (Top 15): 1.
Shane Stewart 2,811,
2. Johnny Herrera
2,674 3. Jeff
Swindell 2,628, 4.
Brady Bacon 2,561,
5. Tim Crawley
2,513, 6. Gary
Wright 2,473, 7.
Jason Johnson 2,394,
8. Seth Bergman
2,317, 9. Tony
Bruce, Jr. 2,303,
10. Aaron Reutzel
2,242, 11. Zach
Chappell 2,026, 12.
Wayne Johnson 1,778,
13. Jack Dover
1,471, 14. Dustin
Morgan 1,371, 15.
Danny Wood 1,275.
Lucas Oil ASCS
Sprint Cars
presented by K&N
Filters Owner Points
(Top 15): 1. Jason
Johnson Racing #41 –
2,946, 2. Paul Silva
#57 – 2,811, 3.
Herrera/Main #45x –
2,674, 4. Swindell
Group #28 – 2,628,
5. Bacon/Tel-Star
#99 – 2,561, 6. Mike
Ward #88 – 2,513, 7.
Petersen Motorsports
#23 2,317, 8. Bruce
Racing #18 – 2,303,
9. Kenny Reutzel #87
– 2,242, 10. Randy
Washburn #0 – 2,026,
11. Gary Wright #9 –
1,877, 12. M&M
Motorsports #2 –
1,371, 13. Danny
Wood #81 – 1,275,
14. Bryan Sundby #38
– 1,196, 15. Sam
Hafertepe #15h –
1,128.
