World of Outlaws Report: Sammy Swindell Snaps Mark Kinser's Streak at I-80
30 September 1997
GREENWOOD, NE (September 27) - Sammy Swindell has made a habit of
stopping Kinser streaks over the years.
Steve Kinser won the first three Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series
championships before Swindell captured the 1981 and 1982 titles. "The
King of the Outlaws" had won 12 straight "A" Features in 1987 when
Swindell beat him at Placerville Speedway.
Mark Kinser was racing for his sixth straight feature victory at I-80
Speedway Saturday when Swindell pulled off a third-to- first move to
pass both Kinser cousins and take the lead. Sammy kept his #1
Channellock Gambler ahead of the Kinsers to win his 17th main event of
the year.
"I think Mark and Steve had good tires for the start of the race, but
we had the tires for the end," Swindell said. "On a track like this,
you have to drive it as if it's asphalt and you really have to be
patient in lapped traffic. The Channellock car was working good
tonight, and I knew with the choice we made in tires that we would be
around at the end."
Swindell earned the front row outside starting position by following
Preliminary Feature winner Mark Kinser across the finish line in the
Vivarin Dash. He was unable to keep pace with Mark on all three
attempts to start the World of Outlaws' 62nd "A" Feature of the year.
Kinser burst into the lead twice, only to have crashes force him to
take the green flag again. Skip Jackson bounced off the outside
retaining wall on the front straightaway on the original start.
Although he kept going, Dion Hindi, Larry Pinegar and Joe Gaerte
collided behind him and flipped. Travis Whitney and Jeff Mitrisin were
also involved, and Dave Blaney suffered two flat tires as he dodged
the wreckage. Rear end problems put second-row starter Lance Blevins
in the pits and Gaerte's crew was working on his #3G Stealth when the
race resumed. Hindi and Craig Dollansky crashed in turn four during
the second attempt to start the race. The #1W Conn West Freight Maxim
was damaged beyond repair, putting Dollansky out of the race. The red
period gave Blevins' and Gaerte's crews time to repair their cars and
rejoin the main event at the rear of the field.
The third start was clean, and Mark drove the #5M Wirtgen Maxim ahead
of the 24-car field. World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year candidate
Donny Schatz used a high move through the first and second corners to
pass six sprinters and take over 13th place early in the opening lap.
Steve Kinser steered his #11 Quaker State Maxim into the inside groove
on the front straightaway to pass Swindell for second early in lap
two. Two laps later, Greg Hodnett used a similar move to pass
Channellock Fast-Time Award winner Jac Haudenschild for fifth place.
Debris in turns one and two temporarily slowed the pace in the fifth
lap. Pinegar dropped out during the caution period.
After Mark controlled the ensuing restart, Schatz was on the move
again, passing Stevie Smith for ninth place with a low move into the
second corner early in lap seven.
Kinser enjoyed a 14-car-length advantage when he entered lapped
traffic nine laps into the race. Problems caused by the earlier crash
forced Gaerte into the pits during the ninth lap.
Steve caught cousin Mark in lapped traffic late in lap 11. Swindell
joined the battle for the lead the next time around and took the low
line through turns three and four to pass both Kinsers. Mark drifted
out of the low groove in the fourth corner, allowing three more cars
to pass him.
"I caught up to Mark and Steve when they were having trouble holding
the bottom," Swindell said of the winning pass. "That was my chance to
get by. Fortunately for us, the move paid off."
Andy Hillenburg's problems negotiating the inside line between turns
one and two early in the 16th lap allowed Mark and Hodnett to race
past. "The King of the Outlaws" was gaining on Swindell in dense
lapped traffic with six laps remaining when Mark slid out of the low
groove in turn two, allowing Hodnett to pass him for third.
The caution flag was flying again the next time around when Hindi
stopped in the first corner after colliding with Paul McMahan. Don
Droud, Jr., replaced his right rear tire and engine problems forced
Jeff Swindell to join Hindi in the pit area. McMahan, who is battling
Schatz for Rookie of the Year honors, raced back into 13th place from
the back of the pack.
Swindell raced away from his closest pursuers as the green flag
replaced the yellow and took the checkered flag with 10 car- lengths
to spare.
"We've had a first- or second-place car practically every race this
year," Swindell said. "The only thing that has hurt is something
happening to us and us dropping out.
"We try to go out and win every night, and we can usually get first or
second. If that happens, I don't think anybody can catch us (in the
race for the 1997 World of Outlaws championship)."
Steve Kinser held off Hodnett for second place. Mark Kinser finished
fourth, ahead of Hillenburg, Haudenschild, Jackson, Blaney, Smith and
Schatz.
The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' next event is the prestigious
Williams Grove National Open, scheduled for Friday and Saturday in
Mechanicsburg, PA.
WoO
1997 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series
I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, NE
Saturday, September 27, Feature Program #62
Qualifications: 1. Jac Haudenschild, Elden 22, 14.666; 2. Dave Blaney,
Blaney/Hylton 10, 14.877; 3. Andy Hillenburg, Hillenburg 2, 15.084; 4.
Skip Jackson, Serace 55, 15.097; 5. Craig Dollansky, Wahlie 1W,
15.123; 6. Greg Hodnett, Helm 11H, 15.145; 7. Jeff Swindell, Two
Winners 7TW, 15.376; 8. Scott Whitworth, Whitworth 96, 15.421; 9. Don
Droud, Jr., DOCC Racing 1BK, 15.428; 10. Paul McMahan, Stanton 75,
15.455; 11. Matt Moro, Moro 2M, 15.471; 12. Stevie Smith, Smith 19,
15.479; 13. Travis Whitney, Whitney 7S, 15.530; 14. Johnny Herrera,
Sonner 47, 15.667; 15. Dion Hindi, Hindi 11D, 15.705; 16. Donny
Schatz, Schatz 15, 15.716; 17. Marlon Jones, SOS Racing 1J, 15.738;
18. Joe Gaerte, Gaerte 3G, 15.778; 19. Larry Pinegar, Cahill 7H,
15.818; 20. Nick LoSasso, LoSasso 51x, 15.861; 21. Jeff Mitrisin,
Sereg 5J, 15.960; 22. Jaymie Moyle, Vanderecken 10V, 16.001; 23. Dan
Oswalt, Oswalt D1, 16.088; 24. Mitchell Moore, Hall 2K, 16.153; 25.
Randy Hibbs, Hibbs 2A, 16.236; 26. Bill Robertson, Eckley 16, 16.267;
27. Pat Bourke, B&B Excavating 27, 16.270; 28. Jerry Vandenhul,
Vandenhul 7V, 16.231; 29. Rich Bubak. Stroud 1S, no time; 30. Terry
LoSasso, Lone Coyote Racing 6, no time.
First Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Jac Haudenschild, 2. Paul McMahan, 3.
Jeff Swindell, 4. Donny Schatz, 5. Skip Jackson, 6. Larry Pinegar, 7.
Travis Whitney, 8. Jaymie Moyle, 9. Jerry Vandenhul, 10. Randy Hibbs.
(first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
Second Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Johnny Herrera, 2. Dave Blaney, 3.
Craig Dollansky, 4. Scott Whitworth, 5. Bill Robertson, 6. Marlon
Jones, 7. Matt Moro, 8. Nick LoSasso, 9. Dan Oswalt, 10. Terry
LoSasso. (first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
Third Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Stevie Smith, 2. Andy Hillenburg, 3.
Don Droud, Jr., 4. Greg Hodnett, 5. Dion Hindi, 6. Joe Gaerte, 7. Jeff
Mitrisin, 8. Pat Bourke, 9. Mitchell Moore, 10. Rich Bubak. (first
five qualified for the "A" Feature)
Finishing 1-4 in Friday's Preliminary Feature automatically qualified
Mark Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Steve Kinser and Lance Blevins for the
first four starting positions in the Vivarin Dash.
Vivarin Dash (five laps): 1. Mark Kinser, 2. Sammy Swindell, 3. Lance
Blevins, 4. Dave Blaney, 5. Steve Kinser, 6. Jac Haudenschild. (finish
determined the first six starting positions in the "A" Feature)
B Feature (12 laps): 1. Joe Gaerte, 2. Travis Whitney, 3. Marlon
Jones, 4. Larry Pinegar, 5. Jeff Mitrisin, 6. Pat Bourke ($200); 7.
Matt Moro ($175); 8. Nick LoSasso ($150); 9. Jaymie Moyle ($100); 10.
Mitchell Moore ($90); 11. Dan Oswalt ($80); 12. Jerry Vandenhul ($80);
13. Terry LoSasso ($50); 14. Randy Hibbs ($70); 15. Rich Bubak ($50).
(first five qualified for the "A" Feature)
A Feature (30 laps): 1. Sammy Swindell ($10,000); 2. Steve Kinser
($6,000); 3. Greg Hodnett ($3,500); 4. Mark Kinser ($3,200); 5. Andy
Hillenburg ($3,000); 6. Jac Haudenschild ($2,500); 7. Skip Jackson
($2,300); 8. Dave Blaney ($2,200); 9. Stevie Smith ($2,100); 10. Donny
Schatz ($2,000); 11. Scott Whitworth ($1,500); 12. Johnny Herrera
($1,400); 13. Paul McMahan ($1,300); 14. Don Droud, Jr. ($1,200); 15.
Lance Blevins ($1,000); 16. Bill Robertson ($1,000); 17. Jeff Mitrisin
($820); 18. Jeff Swindell ($600); 19. Dion Hindi ($600); 20. Travis
Whitney ($620); 21. Joe Gaerte ($620); 22. Marlon Jones ($620); 23.
Larry Pinegar ($620); 24. Craig Dollansky ($600).
Lap leaders: Mark Kinser 1-11, Sammy Swindell 12-30
Channellock Fast-Time Award winner: Jac Haudenschild
By Richard Day of Racing PR
