[TK Motorsports]

USAC Silver Crown "Rollie Beale 150" at Toledo Speedway

Kody...

Team 6R Racing Press:

Near the end of July, Team 6R Racing unveiled their Kroger/Wawona Packing pavement USAC Silver Crown cars at Lucas Oil Raceway. After starting 5th & 6th, Kody and Tanner Swanson put their #19 & #23 on the podium, taking 1st & 3rd in the 100-lap Kroger Speedfest event. After sitting since then, the USAC pavement Silver Crown cars headed to Toledo, Ohio on October 15th for the season finale “Rollie Beale 150.” With all of the competitors looking to score a win in the final Silver Crown race of the season, perhaps none seemed more determined than the Swanson brothers.

In qualifying, Kody set quick time and a New Track Record by lapping the half-mile oval in 14.809 seconds and averaging over 121 mph. Tanner was not far behind, qualifying his car in the 5th position for the 150-lap event with a lap of 15.126 seconds.

At the drop of the green, Kody shot into the race lead while Tanner quickly set his sights higher than the 5th position. In the first few laps, Tanner moved into 4th, and had passed into 3rd by a lap 15 caution. When the race resumed with over 125 laps to go, Tanner put pressure on the 2nd place car before settling in to a comfortable pace, managing his car to be strong at the end of the 150-lapper. However, Tanner never got that chance. By lap 50, oil smoke had started to appear from under the hood on his #23, as signs of bigger problems below. As the caution flag flew, Tanner was forced to retire from the event. Under that caution, Kody radioed in that something had gone amiss with his #19. The power steering pump had started to fade, causing the steering gear to lock-up in the middle of each corner, making this day just a bit more challenging. When the field went back to green, Kody began rebuilding his lead in what ended up being a 95-lap green flag run to the finish. As the race neared 50 laps to go, Kody continued to battle his steering issues and now lapped traffic, allowing 2nd place running Bryan Clauson to pull alongside for the race lead. While Kody escaped with a small lead intact, the race for the win had intensified. In the next few laps, Kody was able to negotiate traffic better as the duo lapped up to the 5th position. Able to generate a small lead at first, Kody pulled away to nearly a full-straightaway margin in the closing laps to pick up his 2nd USAC Silver Crown win of the season. With the win, the Team 6R Racing #19 has gone 2-for-2 carrying the Kroger and Wawona Packing brands, and had it not been for engine woes, it very well may have been another Swanson brothers podium in Toledo.

[TK Motorsports]

K&N Filters Race News- http://www.knfilters.com/news/news.aspx?ID=3629

Kody Swanson Wins Big at Toledo Speedway Leading Every Lap of the Rollie Beale 150


Adversity is our friend - it's how we learn what we're made of. Everyone's plans get broken, tumbles get taken, expectations fizzle. Ultimately though, it's what we choose to do after getting knocked down that defines us. Kingsburg, California's Kody Swanson way to deal with disappointment is to remain focused on all the positives and move forward. It's a trait his younger brother Tanner shares as well.

At the Rollie Beale 150 USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series finale at Toledo Speedway, Kody first claimed the pole in his Toyota/Team Six-R Beast/Toyota, at a speed of 121.548 mph. Then he led all 150 laps from green to checkered flag.

"Considering the circumstances that I've gone through this season, this final Silver Crown race really meant a lot to me," Kody told K&N News. "One year ago, I was in a position to steal the Championship as an underdog, and had I not had some really bad luck in the middle of the season (cut rear tire while leading at Raceway Park), we just might have done that."

"So, this year, I was really looking forward to trying to win that Championship for Team 6R Racing. Being that I missed the first three races (of an eight race season due to injuries resulting from a crash), that was out of the question. So I was really focused on salvaging my Silver Crown season, and capping off the year on such a strong note is a great way for us to look forward to 2012."

For a while during race it appeared as though Tanner was going to make it another sensational first and second place Swanson brother's finish. Tanner was running in third and pressuring second place, when his engine let go after only 50 laps.

"Tanner always does well focusing for races, especially big events," said Kody. "Case in point, he won his first Night Before the 500, at a track he'd never even been to (O'Reilly Raceway Park). So it was no surprise that he was strong at Toledo. While all know that it's part of racing, having something completely out of your control, take you out of a race, can be the most frustrating part. As good as his car was handling, he definitely had a shot at the win, and being sidelined early just adds insult to injury. He was still happy for the entire team, and he was the first person to greet me in Victory Lane in Toledo. But you better believe he'll be motivated when we get to Irwindale for Turkey Night."

"I don't think anyone has ever led all 150-laps of a Silver Crown race before," said Kody after being asked about his stellar feat. "Last year was the first year the Silver Crown series ran 150-lap races, and I'm the first to ever lead one wire-to-wire, so that was pretty neat."

Kody had his own trouble after a caution on lap 50; his power-steering pump was on the fritz. "So when we went back to green, I had to find a way to make things work. After a few laps I got a really good rhythm going, where I could turn the racecar by getting back to the throttle and getting the power steering pump to kick back on and turn the car. It was a little more difficult in lapped traffic, so I was happy to get a little breathing room before the end, and actually pull away by about a straight-away by the finish. After going through all of that, I was really excited to win for my team."

Do you guys have anything going between now and the Turkey Night Grand Prix?
"I actually hooked up with Alan Kaiser Construction Racing from Napa Valley, California earlier this year for a USAC Western Classic dirt race at Chico," added Kody. "We won the first night out, and now we're going to try our luck at the Oval Nationals in Perris. Knowing that I don't have much dirt Sprint car experience, we're just going to have a good time and try our best! We're both trying to work some things out for other races in mid-November, but we're both looking forward to Turkey Night."