For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
E-mail: LKMRestart@gmail.com
Cell: (317) 201-0729

 

Swanson Finishes Fifth in USAC Silver Crown Race
At Eldora Speedway’s 4-Crown Nationals
In Doran Binks Racing’s Mission Foods No. 77

ROSSBURG, Ohio, Sept. 24 — Kody Swanson trailed point leader Logan Seavey by just one point going into the USAC Silver Crown race that was part of the 41st 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway. Swanson drove the Doran Binks Racing Mission Foods/Glenn Farms No. 77 to a solid fifth-place finish in the 50-lapper that ended in the wee hours of Sunday morning, but Seavey won the race and led the most laps to extend his lead to 16 points going into the season finale Oct. 14 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Ind. No other drivers have enough points to contend for the title at the season finale. A maximum total of 76 points are up for grabs on Oct. 14.

Swanson qualified eighth but he actually started seventh behind polesitter Justin Grant, C.J. Leary, Jake Swanson, Chase Dietz, Seavey, and Matt Westfall. Brady Bacon qualified third but suffered an eye injury before the race, so Tyler Courtney substituted for him and went to the rear of the field for the green.

Jake Swanson (no relation) had a bad start and faded from third to seventh on the first lap, which elevated Kody Swanson to sixth place. He remained in sixth for the first 22 laps, which included a yellow with six laps down when Matt Mitchell drew the race’s only caution flag.

Although Grant won the pole, he had dropped to fifth by lap eight, which put him right in front of Swanson. The pair battled the rest of race as they experimented with their lines to try to find the fastest way around the half-mile clay oval.

Carmen Perigo passed both Grant and Swanson on lap 23 to push Swanson back to seventh. Perigo would go on to finish fourth.

Swanson passed Grant to regain sixth place on lap 24. He moved into the top five on lap 32 by passing Leary.

Seavey took the checkered with a 2.169-second margin of victory over Westfall. Seavey also won the USAC sprint and USAC midget features at Eldora Saturday night.

Dietz, who led the first nine laps, finished third in the Silver Crown race followed by Perigo. Swanson was fifth, 0.416 of a second ahead of Grant, with the No. 77, which is a Maxim with a Bob Hampshire-built Chevy engine. Mitchel Moles, Courtney, Leary and Chase Stockon rounded out the top 10 in the 28-car field.

Swanson set the sixth-fastest lap of the race with a time of 19.842 seconds.

On Friday Swanson qualified eighth with a time of 17.534 seconds, just 0.458 off Grant’s pole-winning lap.

On Oct. 14 Swanson, the winningest driver in series history, will go for an unprecedented eighth USAC Silver Crown title. Doran Racing and Swanson are the series’ defending champions and Swanson is its winningest driver ever, with 40 victories.

Doran Binks Racing and Swanson also compete in the 500 Sprint Tour. They’re currently second in that championship too, just three points behind. Its season finale will also be at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Oct. 14, but before that is another race Oct. 7 at Anderson Speedway in Anderson, Ind. Swanson and Doran Racing won that series’ inaugural championship last year.

For more information see DoranRacing.com.

Linda Mansfield/Restart Communications
E-mail: LKMRestart@gmail.com
Cell: (317) 201-0729