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

 

Doran Binks’ Swanson Comes from Eighth to Fifth
In Mission Foods No. 77 and Pads Points Lead
As Series Makes First Visit to Salt City Speedway

HUTCHINSON, Kan., July 22 — The first USAC Silver Crown race ever held at Salt City Speedway presented many questions to the drivers and teams who competed in Saturday night’s 100-lap race at the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Doran Binks Racing and driver Kody Swanson worked through those questions, focused on the big picture, and advanced from eighth to fifth to pad their lead in the entrant and driver point standings.

Swanson had a 10-point lead over Justin Grant in the point standings before the race, but he left Kansas with a 31-point advantage over him in the driver point standings thanks to his work in the No. 77. Mission Foods, Glenn Farms, and Wilke Orthodontics are among the companies that sponsor the car, which is a Maxim chassis powered by a Hampshire Chevy engine.

Kevin Thomas Jr. established an automatic track record and earned the pole when he topped qualifying with a time of 21.090 seconds for the half-mile dirt track. Swanson, who has four fast time awards this year, qualified eighth in the very close field assembled for the Murphy Tractor & Equipment Salt City 100.

Thomas led the first 68 laps, but lost the lead to fellow front-row starter C.J. Leary on lap 69 in Turns 3 and 4 while dealing with lapped traffic. Unfortunately the pair made contact in Turn 2 working lap 84, which sent Leary flipping coming out of Turn 2 and onto the backstretch. He emerged from his wrecked car under his own power, but he was done for the night. Thomas led the rest of the race and posted his first series victory. In victory lane he apologized to Leary for his role in the accident.

Logan Seavey, the series’ defending champion, finished second while young Trey Osborne placed third. Chase Stockon, who started beside Swanson in row four, finished fourth and Swanson was fifth. At the checkered flag Swanson was 0.702 seconds behind Stockon and 2.823 seconds ahead of the sixth-place finisher, Kaylee Bryson, who had gotten close a couple of times in the early going.

Swanson was eighth for the first 55 laps of the race. He advanced to seventh on lap 56 when Mario Clouser dropped from sixth to eighth. He gained one more spot to move into sixth when the driver who had been fourth, Grant, had mechanical issues. He got fifth on lap 84 after Leary flipped.

There were six yellow-flag periods in the race.

After being seventh in the first two practice sessions on Friday night, Swanson was third in the final practice session that day. He was also third in hot laps on Saturday night with a 21.135.

“We went from eighth to fifth in the race tonight,” Swanson said afterwards. “A new track comes with a lot of unknowns, and we gave it our best shot. We just didn’t quite have enough.

“Thanks to all the fans who came out and supported this event,” he added. “I hope we’ll be back again next year!”

The event was streamed live on Flo Racing.

There are four USAC Silver Crown races scheduled for August: Aug. 10 at Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway; Aug. 16 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.; Aug. 17 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill., and Aug. 31 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in Du Quoin, Ill. For the complete schedule and more info see usacracing.com.

For more information on Doran Binks Racing, see DoranRacing.com and follow it on Facebook.

About Mission Foods:

The Gruma Corporation began in 1949 and is today the leading tortilla manufacturer worldwide. Mission Foods is a proud subsidiary of Gruma, and as the #1 tortilla company in the United States, manufactures a wide variety of authentic Mexican products. Five years ago it opened a state-of-the-art plant in Dallas, Texas, with the capacity to produce 30 million tortillas daily. Today Mission Foods is a global company, with special emphasis not only on the United States but also Mexico, Central America, Europe, China, Malaysia, and Australia. Its products include flour and corn tortillas; tostadas; low-carb, whole wheat, organic and gluten-free items; wraps; flatbreads such as naan, pita and roti; tortilla chips and organic chips; chicharrones; salsa, and dips. For more information see missionfoods.com

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