7th in HOSS at Anderson Speedway

The 1/4 mile Anderson (In) Speedway is a frequent stop for the Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Series, but Saturday night was the first time that Kody competed with them there. Driving the SpeedChasers Diablo Chassis that is new to the team for 2013, Kody timed in 8th quick in qualifying. As the day wore on, Kody and the team struggled with the new chassis, trying to learn just what it would need to rotate the tight corners on the small oval. The team made numerous changes through-out the day, hoping to make enough adjustments to improve the handling on the #64. Kody started 3rd and finished 4th in his preliminary heat race, and would line-up 8th for the 30-lap feature. Kody started alongside fast qualifier Aaron Pierce, and carried his momentum around the outside of the speedway and into the 7th position on the opening lap. For the next 20, Kody tried to track down the next car, and was nearly able to pull alongside when a lapped car spun directly in front of them. When the field restarted with just 10-laps to go, the handling on the #64 seemed to start to slip away, and over the last few circuits Kody fought to hold his position, and earn a hard-fought 7th place finish.

3rd in Auto Value Super Sprints at Toledo Speedway

On Friday night, 24 cars rolled into Toledo Speedway for the AVSS "Fastest Short-Track Show in the World." While Kody had never competed at Toledo in a winged Sprint car, he was very familiar with the 1/2 mile Ohio oval, being the USAC Sprint car & Silver Crown track record holder for the track. Kody qualified the SpeedChasers #64 in the 5th position, touring the 1/2 mile in 12.836 seconds. In his preliminary heat race, Kody moved from 6th to 4th to transfer directly to night's A-Main event. With an invert of the 8 fastest qualifiers, Kody started outside the second row in the 4th position. At the drop of the green, Kody moved around the outside of turns 1 & 2, taking the 3rd spot down the backstretch, chasing front row starters Troy DeCaire & Aaron Pierce. Kody continued to pressure for the 2nd spot, finding it difficult to navigate in the dirty air produced by the lead cars. As Kody got a run on the #26 of Pierce down the back-stretch, the caution flag flew for a spinning Kyle Feeney on lap 8. As the field came back to green, Kody again found a tough time in dirty air, allowing Jason Blonde (a 3-time winner of the event) to get around him on the outside. Kody continued in his pursuit, working to catch Blonde while he worked on Pierce for 2nd. The battle waged on, when with 5 laps to go, Blonde got alongside Pierce as the duo raced off of turn 4. The turbulent air created by the two cars side-by-side greatly affected Kody's #64, and he nearly spun as a result. Kody gathered it up, but not after falling to the 5th position and losing over a straight-away of ground on the 3rd & 4th place cars, with just 4 laps to make it up. As the field came to 2-to-go, Kody moved underneath Jimmy McCune for 4th, and set his sights to catching 3rd. As he raced into turn 1 for the final time, Kody was able to clear Aaron Pierce for 3rd, and finish the 30-lapper with a solid podium finish for the SpeedChasers team.

From 10th to 5th at M40 Hoosier Outlaw Sprint Show

It had been over a year since Kody Swanson had really raced a Winged Pavement Sprint car, when he ran 2nd at the Must See Racing event at Anderson on May 23, 2012. He made some laps at Winchester this year, but with some mechanical issues wasn't able to compete in the feature event. Saturday night, Kody got to get back in the saddle, and try to put on a show at the Hoosier Outlaw Sprint series event at M40 Speedway. After Winchester, Tom, Tony, Cheryl, Ryan and the SpeedChasers team went to work on the #64, taking care of the issues that had risen working in a new car. At M40 in Jones, Michigan, everything was really working well on the racecar, but the team struggled with a new problem: too much rear grip. While the #64 was fast, it was hard to get it to rotate in the center of the corner to produce a good lap time. Kody qualified 11th in the 18 car field, with an 11.071 second lap around the tight 1/4 mile. Tom and the team kept hard at work, making more changes to the #64. Things were definitely headed in the right direction, as Kody won his preliminary heat race from the pole, and in convincing fashion. Despite the longer race, without a race incentive to let it all hang out, Kody got the #64 down into the 10.9 second bracket, showing the definite handling improvement that the team made with the car. A few more changes were made before the night's Feature event, hoping to hit the set-up just right in order to move forward from their 10th starting position. In the first lap, Kody moved up into the 8th spot when the caution flew. As the race restarted, Kody struggled to keep up with the fast qualifiers that started in front of him. As the race wore on, Kody continued to move around the racetrack, trying to find a place that his car would like. Near the halfway point, Kody really got something going, starting to run down the cars in front of him just as they started into lapped traffic. Kody was able to gain a position to 7th, and hang with the group running in front of him. With less than 5 laps to go, another set of lapped traffic helped Kody get a run on his competitors, moving the #64 to the 5th spot as they flashed under the white flag for the final lap. All in all, it was still a great day of racing at M40, and a great effort by the SpeedChasers team. This weekend, they plan on running back-to-back nights, at Toledo Speedway (OH) on Friday, and Anderson Speedway (IN) on Saturday, and hope to build on their momentum from M40.

A Lot to Learn from Limaland

In 2007, Kody made 3 starts in a Winged Dirt Sprint car, in 2009, he made 2 more. Last year, he ran one once, and last Friday he made his 6th career start. For the first time in his 6 starts, he missed the show. Kody went to race the K&L Racing #12 at Limaland in Lima, Ohio, one of the baddest 1/4 miles in the country. "A number of people told me how tough the track was at Limaland, and they were right. This is definitely a cool place, but it took me too long to get reacquainted with a Winged Dirt Sprint car to be competitive tonight. I felt like we had started to really make some progress late in the Semi, but without a yellow I was already too far behind after starting 9th. I definitely learned a lot for the short night that we had, but I look forward to giving it another shot" -Kody.

Oh So Close: Swanson 2nd in the Gateway 100

Kody and the DePalma Motorsports/Hampshire Engines team nearly pulled off a huge Win at Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis. In their first event together, they timed in 3rd fastest around the big 1.25 mile oval, averaging over 143mph and reaching nearly 180mph each straightaway. At the start, Kody fell to 8th and had to work his way back through the field. The 80-lap race was caution-free when Kody moved into 3rd with 10 laps to go. A late caution set up a Green-White-Checkered finish with just 2 laps to go, and Kody running 2nd. On the restart, Kody fell to 4th down the front-straightaway, but powered into 3rd in turns 1 & 2. Kody was 3rd on the final lap, but moved to the outside entering turn 3, taking over 2nd and getting a huge run toward the back of the leader! As they raced off of turn 4, Kody was able to pull alongside the leader, but came up just 0.040 seconds short. It truly was a great run in a David v Goliath type effort for the 63 team, and a pleasure to be a part of. Kody and the team will head to Pikes Peak, CO for the next event and look to make up those last 10 feet.

Engine Woes Mean Early End to Night Before the 500

Kody and the WilkePAK Motorsports #11 started off their "Night Before the 500" with a 4th place qualifying effort, improving on their racecar and laptimes from their 8th place showing in practice. In the 2nd USAC "Scramble" (like the Duel's at Daytona), Kody started 6th, and would line up on the outside row of the Feature Event based upon his finishing position. Kody moved into the 4th spot early and ran down the 3rd spot before the end of the 12-lap race. His 3rd place scramble finish lined him up outside of Row 3 in the 6th position for the night's feature event. As rain moved through the area, USAC & Lucas Oil Raceway worked hard to get the event in. The feature was shortened to 30-laps, but at least the race would be run. Kody quickly moved into 5th, then 4th, and was tracking down the 3rd spot when he was forced to retire from engine woes on lap 10.

Solid Run in the Hoosier Hundred

Kody made his first start in the Ricky Nix Tire Service #43 at this year's Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Kody and the team worked well together, getting things situated through-out practice. In time trials, Kody qualified 16th of the 24 competitors. The team made some adjustments to the car, and hoped for the best in the 100-mile feature event. Kody immediately began moving through the field, passing a bunch of cars, and working his way toward the front. Kody made it into the top 10, and up to the 7th position before the brakes faded on the #43, eventually leading to a 12th place finish. It was still a great run in the Nix #43, and they'll try again in Springfield, Illinois at the Tony Bettenhausen 100.

Swanson 5th in Ventura's USAC/VRA "Battle at the Beach"

(April 6, 2013- Ventura, CA) It was a solid day for Kody in the Neverlift Motorsports/David Prickett Racing #55, scoring a Top 5 finish, but leaving more to be desired. Without qualifications, Kody drew to start 3rd in the night's 1st of 3 heat races. At the drop of the green, teammate and Neverlift owner David Prickett shot from his 2nd starting spot to the lead, with Kody taking over 2nd a lap later. Despite a caution, the duo pulled away from the rest of the pack to finish 1-2 for a great start to the evening. Based upon their heat race finishes and accumulated passing points, David & Kody scored 4th & 5th highest after the heat races. With an invert of the 4 highest point totals to set the line-up for the feature event, David found himself on the pole, with Kody starting 5th. At the drop of the green, David's #15 pulled a big wheelstand, leaving him to gather it up into turn 1. At the end of the first lap, Kody was to 4th, with David sliding to 5th. In the early stages, the leaders were on the bottom of the racetrack, with Kody & David chasing the top 3 in the same order. As the race wore on however, the outside groove began to come in. Kody stayed on the bottom a few laps too long, falling to the 6th spot before jumping up top. David ran in 5th, Kody 6th until a lap 22 restart. Kody got a run exiting turn 2, pulling down to slide in 3 when the 3rd place car jumped the cushion. Kody was able to clear the stumbling car and his car owner, but a caution negated the pass. With the 3rd place car involved in the incident David & Kody moved up to 4th & 5th. After some intense racing over the final 8 laps, the positions never changed as the duo rounded out the Top 5 at Ventura. "I want to say thanks to David and all of the guys helping out the Neverlift Motorsports team. The car did everything I needed it to, and I'm taking full responsibility for not finishing better tonight. We were rolling good on the bottom early, and I didn't realize how much the top had come in until it was too late. It was my mistake. The car had great speed up top, but it was really hard to pass once everyone was up there. Thanks again to all of the guys for their hard work, and I just hope we get the chance to race together again soon." -Kody

Kody drives the Rosen Racing #4 to USAC/BCRA Victory Lane

(From March 21, 2013- The Race Preview & Background Story) Kody returns to the seat of Bob Rosen’s #4 for the first time since 2011- and a race that is still hard to forget. Kody drove the #4 for the 2011 Vukovich Classic at Madera Speedway, and had a solid event, running well through-out qualifying and preliminary events. At the start of the feature, Kody was caught up in an incident on the front-straightaway. He was able to refire, and start at the tail of the field. With a great handling racecar, Kody was able to slice through the field, and take the lead well before the half-way point in the event! After a longer green flag run, Kody had extended a sizable lead, looking to have the race well in hand. Yet, a red flag condition brought the field to a stop with just 7 laps remaining. As the field restarted, Kody felt something had gone a miss with his #4- and in fact, the Right Rear tire had started going flat. Kody held on, and finished a respectable 4th place- but still looks forward to the chance to finish what could have been...

(From March 24, 2013- The Post-Race Report) It was definitely an up and down kind of day for the Rosen Racing #4 and the USAC/BCRA Midgets at Madera Speedway. It was the first time that the Rosen #4 had seen a racetrack in 2013, and the team really didn’t have much time to work with it. 3 laps into their first practice, another car got into the wall and ended the session short, then the second practice session cancelled altogether, and the Midgets went right into qualifying. Kody timed in the 2nd spot, behind the Arata Racing #88 of David Goodwill. With only an 8 lap heat race left before the feature, the Rosen Racing bunch hoped for a chance to see what some adjustments would do to the car. However, when the entire track was oiled down at the end of the previous heat race, it ruined any chances of telling what difference those adjustments made. Still, Kody finished 2nd in the heat, by 0.024 seconds at the line- less than a foot in car-to-car distance. A few minor adjustments were made before the 30-lap feature, with Kody starting off in the 3rd position, and fast qualifier Goodwill on the pole. Kody restarted 3rd after a lap 2 caution, and got to work. He slipped past Frankie Guerrini III for 2nd on lap 4, and began tracking down Goodwill. On lap 7, Kody pulled alongside the leader exiting turn 4, drag raced to the line and completed the pass in turn 1.

As the duo encountered lapped traffic, Kody continued to pull away to nearly a 1/4 lap lead, when another car lost an engine, oiling down the racetrack and bringing out the red flag on lap 23. (A red flag on lap 23 is exactly what plagued Kody and the #4 two years ago, when it allowed their Right Rear tire to go flat after having a comfortable lead) As Kody brought the field back to green, the red flag had greatly affected the handling on his #4, bringing Goodwill to his back-bumper. At one point, the #88 pulled alongside exiting turn 2, but Kody maintained his lead into turn 3 and held on for the final few laps to win the feature event, scoring his first in the Bob Rosen #4. Thanks to Bob, Steve, Chris, Steve, Curtis and the entire Rosen Racing family for the opportunity, all of their hard work, and a great handling racecar! ~Kody

The Inside Track: 2013, Episode 2 - USAC/BCRA Midgets at Madera 

Kody & David Prickett Racing Nearly Pull "Copper on Dirt" Upset

In July of 2010, Kody Swanson drove the Neverlift Motorsports/David Prickett Racing #15 at Madera Speedway for a one-off event at the Al Pombo Classic. The new driver/team combo won their first race together. Fast forward to March 2013, and the duo did their best to pick up where they left off, at Arizona’s “Copper on Dirt,” and against some of the top Midget racers in the country.

Night #1: Despite a late draw on a deteriorating racetrack, Kody timed his #45 11th fastest of the 22 qualifiers, and the fastest out of the final 8 to take time. Kody started 3rd in the night’s 2nd heat race, and after getting pinned to the bottom of the racetrack in the first corner, fell to the 6th spot. Kody rallied to catch the 4th & 5th place competitors, and as the trio battled over the final few laps it was to no avail and Kody finished 6th. Based upon his qualifying time, Kody would start 11th in the night’s 25-lap A-Main event. At the drop of the green, Kody quickly went to work, battling for grip near the very bottom of the racetrack. After a series of cautions, Kody had worked his way up to the 9th position, and with a good handling racecar, hoped to move further up the order. However, as the race went on, a persistent hesitation developed under the hood of the #45, battling an engine stumble in the center of the corner. Kody kept on, raced to a dead heat for the 8th spot with #35 Scott Pierovich at the finish, and was credited with 9th.

Night #2: After Friday night’s engine issues, the Neverlift team got to work in search of a remedy, opting to switch fuel pumps in hopes of a cure. Kody qualified 4th out of the 21 car field, but this fuel pump had a leaky seal, so, it was back to the first pump. In his heat race, Kody started 5th, and when a car nearly spun in front of him, he stalled trying to avoid an accident. Kody restarted at the tail, and finished 4th. After stalling in the heat, longtime Prickett Racing friend Scott Pierovich loaned his spare fuel pump to the team for the night’s feature event, hoping that would do the trick. Kody would start 3rd for the 30-lapper, but Night #1 Winner & 3-Time USAC National Champ Bryan Clauson would start on the front row. At the drop of the green, Kody held the bottom line in turns 1 & 2, and drove down the backstretch with the lead! The Neverlift #45 was was really running good, and Kody led virtually unchallenged until a lap 17 caution. After a series of yellows and restarts, Kody thought the car seemed a little different as he brought Clauson & the field to green on lap 19. As Kody picked up the throttle, his left rear wheel had stripped out the center splines, leaving his car and ending his night. While it was a sad ending to a great run, it was still a great run for a small California car against the big dogs.

Thanks to the entire Neverlift/Prickett Racing family for all of their hard work, and the opportunity!

Kody & Tanner Swanson left looking for new USAC Silver Crown Rides;

Team 6R Racing closes after 24 years

When Team 6R Racing announced they were closing down earlier this month, it left two of the best young drivers in the series looking for a new ride. Kody & Tanner Swanson both had successful careers driving for Team 6R, but both will have to find a new seat to compete in next season.

Team 6R Racing hired Kody in late 2008, and the youngster ran his first full USAC Silver Crown season in 2009, finishing 5th in the standings as the series Rookie of the Year. For the 2010 season, Tanner joined Kody at Team 6R, and made quite an impression in his first season of Silver Crown competition. On August 12th (2010), Tanner scored his first career Silver Crown win, while he and Kody became the First Brothers in History to Sweep a USAC Silver Crown event 1st & 2nd when they topped the field at the “Great Lakes 150” in Marne, Michigan.

The United States Auto Club recognized both Tanner & Kody as their “Most Improved Drivers” after the 2010 season that saw each of them score their first career USAC Silver Crown wins, Tanner win the “Night Before the 500” in only his 1st attempt, and Kody finish just 11 points shy of a Silver Crown Championship.

The Swanson brothers have both shown that they are capable of being Championship contenders in the USAC Silver Crown series. After Kody finished 3rd in the 2010 season, Tanner sat atop the standings at one point in 2011, then Kody led the series during the middle of 2012. Even though the brothers have shown their abilities to contend for the Championship on both surfaces, they have been even more impressive on the pavement.

In his 11 USAC Pavement Silver Crown starts since November 2009, Kody has put up some incredible statistics, leading all drivers in 3 major categories. He is tied for the Most Wins (2) with 2008 Silver Crown and USAC Triple Crown Champ Jerry Coons Jr., has the Most Podium Finishes (9) over the 2012 Series Champ Bobby East (5), and has the Most Top 5 Finishes (10) over East again (6). Only twice in that 11 race span has the elder Swanson finished worse than 2nd: including a 4th at Toledo in 2012, and a 2010 DNF at Lucas Oil Raceway- where Swanson led the race before being forced to retire from mechanical woes.

Tanner has made his own impressive headlines in his USAC career, showcasing his capability to adapt by: winning his first USAC Pavement Silver Crown race in just his 2nd start (2010), winning the famed USAC Midget "Night Before the 500" in just his first attempt (2010), winning in his first USAC National Sprint Car start (2008) and winning in his 2nd career USAC Western Sprint start (2007) to become USAC's Youngest Pavement Sprint Car Feature Winner.

Tanner and Kody are also the only brothers to sweep a Thursday Night Thunder Sprint feature 1st & 2nd, are the only two drivers to exceed a 146+mph average speed for a lap in a traditional Silver Crown car (set at Iowa Speedway on June 22, 2012), and both of them graduated as Kingsburg High School Valedictorians. Even though neither brother has a solid lead at this point, both Kody and Tanner are actively looking for, and hoping for, an opportunity to continue their careers in the USAC Silver Crown series’ 2013 season.

TK's Racing For Education Challenge a huge success at National FFA Expo

Heartbreak strikes in Springfield

When the USAC TRAXXAS Silver Crown series headed to Springfield, Illinois, Kody Swanson sat atop the points standings. At the conclusion of the Tony Bettenhausen 100, Swanson still leads the standings, but that may be the only silver lining of his trip to Springfield.

Swanson qualified his Team 6R Racing #19 6th in the 20+ car field, lapping the big dirt mile in 31.587 seconds, averaging 113.971 mph. After the Top 5 qualifiers completed the series re-draw instated for the dirt mile events, Swanson was left to start in the 3rd position, behind 2x & Defending series Champ Levi Jones, and 3x series Champ Bud Kaeding. By the time the field got to the first turn, Swanson was already in the lead. By the time the first caution flew at lap 8, Kody had a sizable lead. When they roared back to life, Swanson again pulled away to an 8+ carlength lead, and did it with ease. Then, disaster struck. Swanson's #19 popped out of gear in turn one on the 19th lap, and rolled to a stop entering turn 3. The Team 6R Racing crew worked quickly to get Kody back out, as he returned to the lineup just 2 laps down. Kody began working his way up through the field, and was in the Top 10 of the running order when it happened again. Something had gone awry with the mechanical linkage creating the drive from Swanson's Toyota engine to the rear-end, and Swanson was forced to return pitside. While the team tried to come up with a solution, Swanson returned to the racetrack, hoping to keep from losing more laps, and the damage to a minimum. After being notified by USAC that a 3rd caution would end his day, Swanson had to find a way to keep his car in gear, so he did. As the field came back to green, Kody manually held his car in gear, using his right hand to hold the lever locked in gear, and his left hand to steer. Kody continued to pass a number of cars, before settling in line to just make laps and salvage points for the day. Unfortunately, their troubles were not gone, as damage caused when the car came out of gear retired the #19 near the half-way mark in the 100-miler with engine woes.

Kody's lead is now down to just 4 points over Bobby East, and 13 over Jerry Coons, Jr, with just 3 races remaining. The series resumes on September 2nd at the DuQuoin, IL mile for the "Ted Horn 100." Kody was the 2010 Winner of the event.

Swanson 2nd at Lucas Oil Raceway

For the 3rd time in just 5 USAC Silver Crown races this season, Kody Swanson has brought the Team 6R Racing #19 home in the runner-up position.

Kody's lap of 21.071 seconds around the .686 mile oval qualified him in the 4th position, and set his spot on the grid for the 100-lap Rich Vogler Classic. In the early laps, Kody was able to get to the 3rd position, before stalking 2nd place runner Kyle Larson for much of the first half of the race. As the duo entered lapped traffic, Kody made his move on lap 38, and took away the 2nd spot. The entire 100-lap affair went green-to-checkered, and Kody had to settle for yet another 2nd place finish.

Although the results weren't as high as they were hoping for, another strong podium finish helped Kody maintain his series point's lead going into the second half of the season. The series will resume on Springfield, IL's Dirt Mile for the Bettenhausen 100 on August 18th.

Kody Swanson leads USAC TRAXXAS Silver Crown to Lucas Oil Raceway

As the USAC Silver Crown series approaches the half-way mark in its 2012 season, Kingsburg, California's Kody Swanson shows the way in the series standings.

Kody started the series campaign by sitting on the Pole of the season-opening "Hall of Fame Classic" at Lucas Oil Raceway, and finished 2nd in the feature event. He repeated that performance with a Pole run and 2nd place finish at Iowa Speedway in June, before finishing 4th at Toledo Speedway in Ohio.

In the lone dirt event completed thus far in 2012, Swanson finished 5th while battling some engine troubles in the "Hoosier 100" at Indianapolis' State Fairgrounds.

Swanson comes into the "JD Byrider 100" at Lucas Oil Raceway as the defending event winner.

Hard to get a Handle at Ace Speedway - Swanson runs 6th

Kody Swanson makes USAC National dirt Sprint debut in Ocala

TK Motorsports News- Kody Swanson Announces 2012 Racing Plans

Ted Slinkard's #19 ready for Bubba's Winter Dirt Games this weekend in Ocala, FL.

After finishing a 2010 season that left him just 11 points shy of his first USAC Silver Crown series Championship, driver Kody Swanson was eager to take on the 2011 racing season. Less than two weeks after he stole the show to win the return of “Thursday Night Thunder” at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, and just three weeks after getting married, his plans changed. Kody was life-flighted from the Hut 100 with serious head trauma, two skull fractures, two pelvis fractures and a broken clavicle. With his championship hopes demolished, Kody Swanson returned to racing in July of 2011, and won his first USAC Silver Crown race back from injury, the JD Byrider 100 at Lucas Oil Raceway. After finishing the season with victories in the Wayne Sue Classic and Rollie Beale 150, the young driver is looking forward to a fresh start with the upcoming racing season.

In 2012, Kody will return to Team 6R Racing in the USAC Silver Crown series, in pursuit of his first series Championship after he was kept from competing for the title one year ago. Swanson’s 3 series wins since September of 2010 has helped propel Team 6R Racing back to the All-Time lead in Silver Crown victories at 28.

For More on Kody's 2012 Racing Plans- Click Here!