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Swindell drives it like he stole it at Friday main at 49th
Annual Knoxville Nationals
By Stacy Ervin
KNOXVILLE, IA (August 14) - The 1983 Knoxville Nationals champion proved he
can still drive it like he stole it and that’s what Sammy Swindell’s wife,
Amy, reportedly told him in victory lane. And a few seconds later, he
promised the crowd he would “run the hell out of it” on Saturday’s finale.
The Tennessee driver won the Friday qualifying feature at the 49th Annual
Super Clean Knoxville Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Friday, August 14.
The win was worth $5,000 and he set a new track record for 20 laps in the
process. It was his 42nd win at the track.
Swindell made an amazing run in the 20-lap feature, starting ninth and
chasing down the early leaders even after a puff of smoke showed off his car
in one of the opening laps.
There was a red flag on the first start when seventh starter Erin Crocker
got sideways in turn one. Travis Rilat made contact and the two flipped.
Austin McCarl backed into the melee. He was the only one of the three able
to restart.
When the race went green again, polesitter Daryn Pittman grabbed the lead.
The yellow flag came out on lap two when Matthew Reed’s car went up in
smoke.
From there, the race stayed green for the distance, with Pittman leading the
first 11 laps. Having entered lapped traffic on that lap, Brad Sweet closed
fast on Pittman. Sweet took the lead down the backstretch coming to lap 12.
But a circuit and a half later, Swindell had stormed to second.
Coming to lap 15, Swindell put a similar move on Sweet down the backstretch
and took the lead. Sweet stayed close for a while, but the extreme high
groove was the fast way around and he could not get the lead back.
Instead of heat races this year, the night started off with three B-Mains.
They were won by Daryn Pittman, Tony Bruce Jr. and Brad Sweet.
The night also featured Scrambles for the top 10 drivers qualified for
Saturday’s A, B and C mains. Ryan Anderson won the C Scramble. Skip Jackson
won the B Scramble. Donny Schatz won the A Scramble.
The racing ended with the 20-car, 20-lap Digital Delivery Networks Knoxville
World Challenge invitational. The $10,000 to win race featured drivers who
qualified in various selected events in the United States, Canada and
Australia. This was the 16th annual event and featured the largest field
ever.
Lynton Jeffrey, originally from Australia but living in Iowa for some time,
started third and led the distance, leaving a ton of great racing action in
his dust. American Shane Stewart started 13th, made a tremendous run and
stole second in the last corner over Australian Kerry Madsen and American
Terry McCarl.
KNOXVILLE RACEWAY, Knoxville, IA
August 14, 2009
410 RESULTS
B Feature 1, 15 laps, No Time: 1. Daryn Pittman, Owasso OK; 2. Don Droud
Jr., Lincoln NE; 3. Erin Crocker, Wilbraham MA; 4. Matthew Reed, Melbourne,
VIC, Aust. ; 5. Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington IA; 6. Kenny Jacobs,
Holmesville OH; 7. Rob Chaney, Millersburg OH; 8. Jesse Hockett, Warsaw MO;
9. Caleb Griffith, Sandusky OH; 10. Ben Gregg, Glendale AZ; 11. Geoff Dodge,
Speedway IN; 12. Greg Hall, Albany, WA, Aust. ; 13. Chris Schmelzle,
Victoria, BC, Can. ; 14. Jordan Goldesberry, Springfield IL; 15. Patrick
Bourke, Edwards CO; 16. Kevin Ingle, Huron SD; 17. Clint Garner, Sioux Falls
SD;
B Feature 2, 15 laps, 4:10.9: 1. Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal KS; 2. Randy
Hannagan, Pittsboro IN; 3. Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie City IA; 4. Toni Lutar,
White Rock, BC, Can. ; 5. Austin McCarl, (R) Altoona IA; 6. Jason Sides,
Bartlett TN; 7. Bill Balog, Eau Claire WI; 8. John Lambertz, Sioux Falls SD;
9. Davey Heskin, St. Michael MN; 10. Ricky Montgomery, Lakewood CO; 11. Bill
Rose, Plainfield IN; 12. Ty Bartz, Sheboygan Falls WI; 13. Bob Weuve, Newton
IA; 14. Pete Crall, (R) DeSoto KS; 15. Scott Uttech, New Berlin WI; 16. Matt
Wasmund, Jackson MN; 17. Marlon Jones, Harrisburg SD;
B Feature 3, 15 laps, No Time: 1. Brad Sweet, Grass Valley CA; 2. Cody
Darrah, Red Lion PA; 3. Sammy Swindell, Germantown TN; 4. Josh Higday, Des
Moines IA; 5. Lance Dewease, Fayetteville PA; 6. Travis Rilat, Forney TX; 7.
Kaley Gharst, Decatur IL; 8. Chad Meyer, Sioux Falls SD; 9. Scott Winters,
Butterfield MN; 10. Dennis Moore Jr., Grinnell IA; 11. Mike Moore, Des
Moines IA; 12. Brian Ellenberger, Butler PA; 13. Mike Benson, Calistoga CA;
14. Greg Nikitenko, Minot ND; 15. Joey Moughan, Springfield IL; 16. Ryan
Bickett, Ramona SD; 17. Robert Bell, Colfax IA;
A Feature , 20 laps, 5:26.3 New Track Record: 1. Sammy Swindell, Germantown
TN; 2. Brad Sweet, Grass Valley CA; 3. Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro IN; 4.
Daryn Pittman, Owasso OK; 5. Don Droud Jr., Lincoln NE; 6. Lance Dewease,
Fayetteville PA; 7. Cody Darrah, Red Lion PA; 8. Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie
City IA; 9. Jason Sides, Bartlett TN; 10. Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal KS; 11.
Kaley Gharst, Decatur IL; 12. Toni Lutar, White Rock, BC, Can. ; 13. Josh
Schneiderman, West Burlington IA; 14. Josh Higday, Des Moines IA; 15. Bill
Balog, Eau Claire WI; 16. Rob Chaney, Millersburg OH; 17. John Lambertz,
Sioux Falls SD; 18. Austin McCarl, (R) Altoona IA; 19. Chad Meyer, Sioux
Falls SD; 20. Kenny Jacobs, Holmesville OH; 21. Matthew Reed, Melbourne,
VIC, Aust. ; 22. Erin Crocker, Wilbraham MA; 23. Travis Rilat, Forney TX;
24. Jesse Hockett, Warsaw MO. Lap Leaders: Pittman 1-11; Sweet 12-14;
Swindell 15-20
C Scramble , 12 laps, No Time: 1. Ryan Anderson, Charter Oak IA; 2. Garry
Brazier, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 3. Wayne Johnson, Knoxville IA; 4. Kerry
Madsen, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 5. Billy Alley, Lincoln NE; 6. Cale Conley,
Vienna WV; 7. Brandon Wimmer, Fairmount IN; 8. Rager Phillips, Pleasantville
IA; 9. Lee Sowell, Nesbit MS; 10. Garry Lee Maier, Cimarron KS;
B Scramble , 12 laps,3:34.5: 1. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 2. Chad
Kemenah, Findlay OH; 3. Jac Haudenschild, Wooster OH; 4. Dean Jacobs,
Wooster OH; 5. Jason Johnson, Eunice LA; 6. Johnny Herrera, Albuquerque NM;
7. Danny Smith, Danville IN; 8. Bronson Maeschen, Knoxville IA; 9. Greg
Wilson, Benton Ridge OH; 10. Calvin Landis, Knoxville IA;
A Scramble , 12 laps, No Time: 1. Donny Schatz, Fargo ND; 2. Sam Hafertepe
Jr., Sunnyvale TX; 3. Dale Blaney, Fowler OH; 4. Tim Kaeding, San Jose CA;
5. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg IN; 6. Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow OK; 7. Tyler
Walker, Encino CA; 8. Kraig Kinser, Bloomington IN; 9. Jason Solwold, Mount
Vernon WA; 10. Dusty Zomer, Brandon SD;
Knoxville World Challenge , 20 laps, No Time: 1. Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie
City IA; 2. Shane Stewart, Bixby OK; 3. Kerry Madsen, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ;
4. Terry McCarl, Altoona IA; 5. Garry Brazier, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 6. Ricky
Logan, Little Rock AR; 7. Danny Smith, Danville IN; 8. Wayne Johnson,
Knoxville IA; 9. Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro IN; 10. Paul McMahan, Nashville
TN; 11. Jason Johnson, Eunice LA; 12. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 13.
Jonathan Allard, Chico CA; 14. Toni Lutar, White Rock, BC, Can. ; 15. Bill
Rose, Plainfield IN; 16. Greg Hall, Albany, WA, Aust. ; 17. Joey Saldana,
Brownsburg IN; 18. Chris Schmelzle, Victoria, BC, Can. ; 19. Craig Dollansky,
Elk River MN; 20. Rob Chaney, Millersburg OH. Lap Leaders: Jeffrey 1-20
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