The World of Outlaws: Swindell Completes Sweep of U.S. Dirt Nationals
15 October 1997
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PEVELY, MO - Although Sammy Swindell often wears a poker face and lives near the Mississippi River, you wouldn't take him for a riverboat gambler. The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series points leader's gamble paid off in a big way Saturday as he completed his sweep of the Sixth Annual U.S. Dirt Nationals at I-55 Raceway.
"I thought the outside would be better for the start, so we gambled and ran second in the Vivarin Dash," Swindell admitted after winning his 19th "A" Feature of the season. The $10,000 victory was Sammy's fifth straight on the World of Outlaws' tour.
Swindell earned the right to start the Vivarin Dash on the pole by winning Friday's Preliminary Feature. He allowed two-time 1995 U.S. Dirt Nationals champion Mark Kinser to beat him across the finish line so he could start the main event outside the front row, however.
Sammy and Mark raced wheel-to-wheel down the front straightaway and into the first corner. Swindell surged ahead in turn two and beat Kinser down the back stretch at the beginning of the 40-lap "A" Feature.
"Mark got a good jump off the bottom and I had to move down in one and two," Swindell explained. "But the Channellock Gambler was good enough to get back around him and get out front."
Kinser caught Swindell as they entered the third corner. He steered the #5M Wirtgen Maxim hard into the low groove, but slid out and allowed Danny Lasoski to catch him. Sammy, Mark and "The Dude" raced three-abreast through turn four and Swindell won the drag race to the finish line.
Swindell opened a half-straightaway advantage during the first five laps as Jac Haudenschild challenged Kinser for third place. Channellock Fast-Time Award winner Dave Blaney joined the battle two laps later.
Sammy was a full straightaway ahead of Lasoski when he entered lapped traffic during the eighth lap. "The Dude" narrowed the gap as Swindell slowed behind a pack of backmarkers three laps later.
Kenny Jacobs brought out the caution flag when a mechanical problem forced him to stop on the back stretch late in lap 13. "The Wild Child" challenged Lasoski for second place as the green flag replaced the yellow, and took the low line into turn three to pass him the next time around.
The red flag was flying late in the 18th lap when "B" Feature winner Dean Jacobs flipped in the fourth corner. Stevie Smith surrendered his sixth-place running position as his crew replaced his right rear tire during the red period. Jeff Swindell, who started inside the 10th row, passed 11 cars during the first 17 laps and lined up eighth as the green flag replaced the red.
Sammy immediately started rebuilding his advantage and Andy Hillenburg challenged Lasoski for third place as the race resumed. Hillenburg and Lasoski exchanged the position while Jeff passed Mark Kinser for sixth place during lap 19.
Hillenburg and two-time U.S. Dirt Nationals champion Steve Kinser raced past as Lasoski faded midway throught he race.
Craig Dollansky allowed the #1W Conn West Freight Systems Maxim to crash into the second corner fence late in the 28th lap. Mark Kinser coasted into the pits with a packed right rear wheel during the caution period.
Steve Kinser steered his #11 Quaker State Maxim high into turn four to pass Hillenburg for third place as the race resumed. Jeff Swindell and Blaney exchanged fifth place during the 30th and 35th laps as Sammy raced away from the field. Although he battled lapped traffic during the final five laps, Sammy took the checkered flag with a straightaway to spare.
"You really had to run against the track as much as you did the other cars tonight," Swindell said. "The cushion was rough, but that seemed to be the fastest way around. You just had to get into a rhythm and try to not let lapped traffic throw you off.
"We've won three U.S. Dirt Nationals at three different tracks (at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in 1992 and Hartford Speedway last season)," Swindell said. "Hopefully, we can use this to keep our momentum up and we can win the rest of them."
Haudenschild finished second, ahead of Steve Kinser, Hillenburg, Blaney, Jeff Swindell, Tyler Walker, 24th-starting Kelly Kinser, Greg Hodnett and Johnny Herrera.
The World of Outlaws' 20th season is scheduled to continue with the Third Annual Fall Nationals Thursday at Battleground Speedway and the 24th Annual Winter Nationals at Devil's Bowl Speedway Friday and Saturday.
Richard Day -- Racing PR
