For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
E-mail: LKMRestart@gmail.com
Cell: (317) 201-0729
Doran-Dyson Racing’s Swanson Wins One Race
And He Finishes Second in Another One
At IRP’s ‘Thursday Night Thunder Homecoming’
BROWNSBURG, Ind., July 1 — Kody Swanson hit the bullseye by leading wire to wire in Doran-Dyson Racing’s Henry Repeating Arms/Glenn Farms/Duncan Oil No. 1 and winning the USAC Silver Crown Shootout special event Thursday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
He finished second to his brother in the 500 Sprint Car Tour race that was also part of the “Thursday Night Thunder Homecoming” show. The Doran Racing Henry Repeating Arms/Glenn Farms/Duncan Oil No. 44 was just 0.877 of a second behind at the checkered flag.
In victory lane following the Silver Crown race Swanson said the No. 1 was “on rails,” and the Lebanon, Ohio-based team had the distinction of having prepared the cars that set the fastest laps run during both races.
The 25-lap USAC Silver Crown race didn’t award points but the 30-lap 500 Sprint Car Tour race did. Swanson went into the latter race second in points, but several of his primary rivals didn’t finish Thursday’s race so unofficially Swanson regained the point lead in that series with his runner-up finish. Unofficially he now has 614 points to Dakoda Armstrong’s 569 and Billy Wease’s 563.
Swanson, a native of Kingsburg, Calif., who now lives in Indianapolis, was first in Fatheadz Eyewear qualifying for the Silver Crown race, but with a random draw determining the lineup he started third behind polesitter Nick Hamilton and C.J. Leary in the 10-car field.
When the green flag dropped he floored it and headed for the track apron in Turn 1. The top three cars were three abreast as Swanson charged under both Leary and Hamilton in one fell swoop in Turn 1 on the first lap, which was a sight to behold for Swanson fans.
He already had a 0.685-second lead over Leary when he crossed the start/finish line the first time. By lap two he led by over a second; 1.035.
Swanson stretched his advantage over Leary to over 2 seconds by lap 12 and over 3 seconds by lap 14.
But on lap 15 Leary’s car suffered a flat left-rear tire that caused him to spin in Turn 2. It was bad for Leary because his car left on the wrecker, but it was also bad for Swanson because it erased his 3.760-second lead.
Tanner Swanson, who started ninth, passed Hamilton for second in Turn 2 after the restart with 10 laps remaining, but he had nothing for his brother in that one, and Kody Swanson had a 1.969-second margin of victory over his brother. Bobby Santos III finished third. Taylor Ferns passed Hamilton on the last lap for fourth, and Hamilton finished fifth.
Kody Swanson’s fastest race lap was lap seven, which was a 21.253-second lap for the 0.686-mile asphalt oval. Leary was second-fastest with a 21.358 on lap four.
“Silver Crown races of any length are tough, because when your car is good, you can’t show it. You’ve got to take care of it until the end,” Swanson said in victory lane. “It was a blast to go four wheels on the apron there to try to get the lead, and just show them what these cars are capable of.
“I wanted to show what a good car that the team gave me, because they’ve been giving me great cars all year,” Swanson continued. “It was a lot of fun. The Doran-Dyson Racing team gave me a great car, and our Lanci Ford ran great. I’m just thankful to be a part of this effort.
“Kasey Coler and his staff at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park also do a great job, and it’s an honor to come here for the Thursday Night Thunder Homecoming. I want to thank Henry Repeating Arms, Glenn Farms, and everyone else who helps on this team. I’m just thankful to be part of it.”
A mere 0.019 of a second separated Leary’s lap which topped qualifying and Kody Swanson’s fastest lap in time trials for the 500 Sprint Car Tour race, which was presented by Auto Value and Bumper to Bumper Parts Stores. The rules called for an inversion in the starting grid, however, and Kody Swanson started eighth in that 21-car race.
He passed Derek Bischak on the first lap for seventh, and Tyler Roahrig on lap two for sixth. With four laps down Roahrig’s car experienced a mechanical issue that appeared to be a blown engine, and he spun coming out of Turn 1 to bring out the first of the race’s two caution flags.
The restart was a great one for the Doran Racing No. 44, which is powered by a Binks Chevy engine. Kody Swanson charged under both Wease and Kyle O’Gara in Turn 1 on lap five, and then the leader, Ferns, stopped on the backstretch with a mechanical issue to bring out the second yellow flag with five laps down. That put Kody Swanson in third behind the new leader, Tanner Swanson, and Armstrong.
On the subsequent restart for Ferns’ yellow Kody Swanson dipped under Armstrong in Turn 2 to take second place on lap six. He was only 0.24 behind his brother at that point.
Kody Swanson almost made a pass stick on lap 12 in Turn 2 when he was 0.190 seconds behind. He made several other attempts, including one on lap 20 when he was just 0.102 of a second behind. But by lap 24 Tanner Swanson had built his advantage to 0.456 seconds, and Kody Swanson had to be content with second in that race. He was more than 2 seconds (2.661) ahead of the third-place finisher, O’Gara, at the checkered. Armstrong finished fourth and Leary placed fifth.
Kody Swanson set the fastest lap of that race on lap 3 with a time of 20.973 seconds. Ferns was second-fastest with a 21.027 on the same lap.
The team’s next event is a 500 Sprint Car Tour race at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway on July 9. Its next USAC Silver Crown race is July 21 at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway.
The event was streamed live on Flo Racing and MAVTV Plus. In a deal announced on Friday, MAVTV Plus-produced races will be shown on Flo Racing in the future.
For more information on Doran Racing see DoranRacing.com and follow the team on Facebook.
About Henry Repeating Arms: Henry Repeating Arms is one of the leading rifle and shotgun manufacturers in the United States and a world leader in the lever action category. The company motto is “Made in America, or not made at all,” and its firearms come with a lifetime guarantee backed by award-winning customer service. The company is also known for its Guns For Great Causes charitable program, which focuses on assisting the families of sick children, children’s hospitals, military veteran organizations, Second Amendment advocacy groups, and wildlife conservation organizations. The company currently employs over 550 people and has over 330,000 square feet of manufacturing space in its Wisconsin and New Jersey facilities. The company is named in honor of Benjamin Tyler Henry, who invented and patented the Henry lever action rifle in 1860 – the first practical repeating rifle and America’s unique contribution to the international stage of firearms design. Visit Henry Repeating Arms online at henryusa.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/HenryRepeating, and @henry_rifles on Instagram.
About Doran Racing: Doran Racing has prepared and fielded race cars in a wide variety of series for many years, from Indy cars to NASCAR trucks. It is legendary for the many championships and events it has won in IMSA sports car racing. Team owner Kevin Doran has won the prestigious Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona at Daytona International Speedway overall as a crew chief, a team owner, and even as a car manufacturer. Under his direction the Doran Racing-prepared MOMO Ferrari was the first team in U.S. history to win the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Watkins Glen Six-Hour race in the same year. In recent years the team has focused on asphalt sprint car racing, the asphalt portion of the USAC Silver Crown series, and historic sports car events, continuing its tradition of excellence on and off the track. For more information see DoranRacing.com and follow the team on Facebook.
Linda Mansfield/Restart Communications
E-mail: LKMRestart@gmail.com
Cell: (317) 201-0729