SWANSON SCORES $30,000 RACE FOR THE MILLION PAY DAY AT OWOSSO SPEEDWAY
OVID, Mich. (June 3, 2026) – Kody Swanson added another marquee victory to his long list of on-track accomplishments capturing the second race in the Race For The Million Series at Owosso Speedway.
Swanson gained control of the race early after starting fourth. He held off Willison on the final restart and was eventually faced with maneuvering around lapped traffic. There were a couple of close calls with lapped traffic, but ultimately didn’t stop him from being victorious.
Swanson exclaimed, “This 50M is something special. Top or bottom or wherever you need to put it around this Owosso Speedway. What a bunch of great race cars we get to race against. They were really fast all week. So it makes getting one of these extra special. Sure appreciate the chance to be a part of this Race For The Million series.”
With a round two victory, Swanson joins inaugural series winner, Aaron Willison securing a $30,000 pay day and strong points position for the championship standings.
Race For The Million founder Richard Fieler said, “Having such strong participation from the United States and Canada shows the depth of interest in pavement sprint car racing. It crosses borders and there’s some awfully good race car drivers in Canada. There’s some awfully good drivers in America. I’m really happy with the direction our series is headed and looking forward to seeing everyone at Berlin Raceway next month.”
Jimmy McCune from Toledo, Ohio, was the recipient of the Eibach Spring Forward Award, advancing from 17th to 8th. Chase Cabre went Quick Time and set a new track record for all divisions at Owosso Speedway with a lap of 11.774.
The event also featured appearances by NASCAR stars, Christopher Bell and Ryan Newman, with Bell running a midget and Newman running both series.
Race For The Million heads to Berlin Raceway on July 25th for round three.
FEATURE RESULTS (Unofficial):
Sunbelt Rentals Feature (55 laps): 1. 50M-Kody Swanson [4]; 2. 36-Aaron Willison [1]; 3. 22A-Bobby Santos [6]; 4. 26-Chase Cabre [3]; 5. 14-Davey Hamilton Jr. [10]; 6. 61-Colton Bettis [7]; 7. 29-Jake Trainor [5]; 8. 88-Jimmy McCune [17]; 9. 5-Joe Ligouri [12]; 10. 1-Dakoda Armstong [16]; 11. 4-Donnie Adams Jr. [14]; 12. 33J-Jeff Montgomery [2]; 13. 7-Matt Dimit [15]; 14. 15-Eric Humpries [8] 15. 55B-Mike Ling [22]; 16. 18-Landon Butler [21]; 17. 11-Kyle Edwards [13]; 18. 6G-Bryan Gossel [11]; 19. 24-Ryan Newman [20]; 20. 41-Troy DeCaire [9]; 21. 81-Marty Rosler [19]; 22. 99-C.J. Leary [18]; 23. 02-Mel Andrus Jr. [24]; 24. 44-Teddy Alberts [23]
About Race for the Million
The Race for the Million is a bold new chapter in 410-Winged Pavement Sprint Car racing, bringing fresh energy and excitement to pavement ovals across the nation. The brainchild of owner and founder Richard Fieler, the series hits legendary short tracks across the country delivering heart-pounding, wheel-to-wheel racing and a full-scale entertainment experience that redefines the traditional night at the races. The 2026 season features a four-race schedule with a total purse payout and point fund exceeding $1 million. FloSports, a leader in sports streaming and original content, will provide exclusive live coverage of each event. For more information regarding the Race for the Million, visit www.raceforthemillion.com.
Fans can also follow Race for the Million on X at @race4themillion, Instagram at @race4themillion, Facebook at Race for the Million, and YouTube at Race for the Million.
CONTACT:
Sarah Tonsmeire
Public Relations, Race for the Million
Submitted By: Sarah Tonsmeire
Swanson Wins Little 500 at Anderson Speedway In Doran Racing’s Wilke Orthodontics No. 77
ANDERSON, Ind., May 24 — On Wednesday Kody Swanson was honored as the #1 driver of 2025 by the National Pavement Sprint Car Rankings. On Saturday night he put an exclamation mark on that honor by winning his fourth Little 500 at Anderson Speedway in Doran Racing’s Wilke Orthodontics/Glenn Farms No. 77 asphalt sprint car.
After leading the first 158 laps before pitting and falling to 10th, Swanson battled back, passed Davey Hamilton Jr. on the frontstretch on lap 473, and led the last 28 laps of the 78th annual Unified Group Services Little 500 Presented by Ed Martin Automotive Sales for his Lebanon, Ohio-based team’s first victory in the biggest pavement sprint car race in the world. Swanson, a native of Kingsburg, Calif., who now lives in Brownsburg, Ind., also won this race in 2016, 2018, and 2019.
He started third beside polesitter Tyler Roahrig and Jackson Macenko, but he was first before the second turn on the initial lap with his car, which is powered by a Dan Binks-prepared Chevy V8.
Roahrig hounded him incessantly, just a tenth or two-tenths of a second behind as they toured the quarter-mile, high-banked oval. For the first part of the race Swanson held the fastest race lap with a 11.433-second lap on lap 23, while Roahrig was second with a 11.439 on lap 22 and Hamilton was third with a 11.451 on lap seven.
On lap 157 Bobby Santos III brought out a yellow and then a red when he and another competitor had contact in Turn 1 while Santos was running 12th. Santos came to a stop high in Turn 2 with his car on fire. Luckily he got out quickly and wasn’t injured.
When the race restarted under yellow both Swanson and Roahrig dipped into the pits for their first of two mandatory pit stops. That gave the lead to Logan Seavey on lap 159. Swanson’s pit stop went well but the push trucks got Roahrig underway a little quicker. After some others made pit stops Roahrig was ahead of Swanson in fifth place and Swanson was sixth when the green waved again on lap 164.
Swanson was either sixth or fifth from that point until lap 179, when he passed Rylan Gray for fourth. Seavey still led, with C.J. Leary second and Roahrig third.
By lap 200 Seavey, who hadn’t made his first pit stop yet, still led. He had a 3.230-second advantage over Leary at that point, but Leary cut that down to 0.386 seconds before Seavey finally pitted, giving the point to Leary on lap 206 with Roahrig second and Swanson third. The top three were still in that order at the halfway point.
Roahrig passed Leary for the lead on lap 283 and Swanson got by Leary for second three laps later. The top eight cars were all on the lead lap at that point. Roahrig and Swanson continued to battle like they had at the beginning, although their positions were reversed.
Hamilton passed Leary for third on lap 305, and Dakoda Armstrong got around Leary for fourth on lap 308. Meanwhile, Roahrig and Swanson still ran one-two, only a couple tenths of a second apart.
The top pair pitted together again on lap 387, with Swanson dropping from second to sixth and Roahrig from first to fifth. Hamilton took the point followed by Armstrong, Justin Grant and Mario Clouser.
On lap 405 Roahrig and the 10th place driver whom he was lapping, Seavey, made contact by the blend line between Turns 1 and 2, with Roahrig flipping and bringing out a second red flag. Luckily no one was hurt. Swanson had to take evasive action not to become involved, but he was unscathed for the restart and in fifth place.
Swanson passed Clouser for fourth on lap 416, and he got third on lap 429 when Grant dropped from third to eighth.
Hamilton had a 1.122-second lead over Swanson on lap 445, but Swanson set the fastest lap of the race by anyone two laps later with a 11.417-second lap. Then with a little help from a lapped car, he passed Hamilton on the frontstretch on lap 473 for the lead and went on to win with a 1.924-second margin of victory.
Armstrong finished third, with the top three drivers the only ones completing all 500 laps. Jake Trainor was fourth, one lap down.
Clouser placed fifth, two laps down, and was the rookie of the race. Ryan Newman, Derek Bischak, Travis Welpott, Colton Bettis, and Gray rounded out the top 10 in the 33-car field.
Swanson started on the outside of Row 1 (third) after he ran four consecutive laps in 11.088 seconds, 11.040 seconds, 11.051 seconds, and 11.070 seconds for a combined total of 44.249 during the first round of qualifying on Thursday. That was just 0.247 off the combined time of 44.002 seconds that Roahrig ran to earn the pole.
Kody Swanson: (Regarding the pass for the lead): “I was able to get to the inside of Davey on the frontstretch in lapped traffic. I had been trying to work closer to him the last few laps, and when I got a big run into traffic I had to go for it.
“I had a few close calls; I think you always do in this race, but I barely missed getting involved in that accident with Roahrig and Seavey. We were each pressing so hard through traffic, and it all happened so quickly with us running tight together. I was hard on the brakes, and felt the fronts trying to lock up, but thankful it worked out where we missed it.
“The first part of the race we were really close, but Tyler and I have been good at giving each other room when we’re lapping cars. We’ve raced together for a number of years now, and we both respect each other. Through that early part of the race we were both just trying to manage our cars and our tires, and get through the traffic clean to that first pit stop.
“Then in the second half of the race I was the one chasing. We were both just trying to see if we could race it out through traffic to the end.
“We had great pit stops tonight. It’s a fun element that helps make this race so unique, and part of that is getting the push trucks to you quickly too. Tyler qualified on the pole and picked a good pit stall that might have been a little better for the push trucks to get to him tonight, but that’s all part of the competition and strategy of this race.
“With about 95 to go there was a long line of cars ahead of me. We did have fresher tires, but still had a lot of track position to make up, and I had to just race for it at the end. I’m thankful to have been in a position to race for a win like that, and really glad we could get one for everyone involved with the Doran Racing team and all of our sponsors.”
Swanson Dominant at Anderson
By Ken de la Bastide
APRIL20 - ANDERSON – Veteran driver Kody Swanson led all 100-laps to capture the opening event for the yourBigplan.com 500 Sprint Car Tour.
Defending race winner Dakoda Armstrong set fast time during qualifying Saturday at Anderson Speedway besting Tyler Roahrig by one hundreth of a second with Swanson, Derek Bischak and Colton Bettis rounding out the top five.
The redraw put Swanson and Armstrong on the front row for the start with Swanson claiming the point.
Armstrong's night ended on lap 4 when he lost the right front tire entering turn three and made contact with the outside retaining wall.
Glen Niebel Classic presented by CB Fabricating Results
The caution flag would wave twice more before lap 15 for incidents involving Rylan Gray and Colin Grissom.
During the long field run that followed Swanson pulled away from the field with Bischak holding down the second spot until lap 52 when Roahrig got inside entering turn three.
Bischak lost three more positions by lap 70 to Bettis, Bobby Santos III and Jackson Macenko.
Swanson had built up a 7-second lead over Roahrig when the caution flag waved on lap 77 when Kyle O'Gara spun on the back straight while trying to keep from being lapped.
On the restart Swanson again pulled away from Roahrig and had to maintain the lead after the final caution flag waved on lap 89.
The top three finishers from the Glen Niebel Classic - Colton Bettis (Third), Kody Swanson (First), Tyler Roahrig (Second) - Rick Kimball Photo
Swanson went on to win by 2.4-seconds over Roahrig with Bettis, Santos and Macenko rounding out the top five.
It was a race of attrition with only nine of the 23 starters running at the finish.
“My crew gave me a great car,” Swanson said in victory lane. “I'm thankful I have the opportunity to run for the 500 Tour championship.
“It was a good tune-up for the Little 500,” he said. “I was a little concerned about lapped traffic and I'm sorry what happened with Kyle (O'Gara).
Swanson said of course he didn't want to see the caution flags because the restarts can be unpredictable.
Roahrig said he didn't think he had a car to challenge for the win after working his way from the fifth starting spot.
“I think we would have finished second either way, even if we started in the front,” he said. “Kody was really fast and Dakoda would have been right up there too.”
Bettis said his car was good on the longer runs, but following an early caution the handling went away and the car got free.
“I knew if I made a mistake that I was going to get passed for third in a good battle (Santos and Macenko)”, he said. “We learned some things about the car and get ready for the Little 500.”
KODY SWANSON WINS BACK-TO-BACK BITNILE OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWNS
LAS VEGAS, NV (November 8, 2025) – Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, California used high side magic to take his second consecutive $50,000 jackpot, winning Saturday’s 100-lap feature at the BITNILE Open Wheel Showdown presented by askROI. The victory in the Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Winged Sprint Cars came at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the third annual event. Photo by Faith Rompain
British Columbia’s Jeff Montgomery led the 26-car field to green alongside fast-time qualifier Jake Trainor of Medway, Mass. Idaho’s Mike Murgoitio used lapped traffic to dive underneath both Swanson and two-time event runner-up Bobby Santos to move into second. Santos then bounced off of Swanson in the third turn to spark a chain reaction of spins for a caution flag on lap 36.
Swanson roared around the high side of Murgoitio to retake second, then tracked down Montgomery. Montgomery led Swanson by less than a car length into the lap 50 halfway break with Murgoitio in third.
The high side continued to benefit Swanson on a restart. He raced to the outside of Montgomery and the duo staged a thrilling duel. Swanson eventually seized the lead on lap 63 and never relinquished it. Murgoitio drove to second followed by a hard-charging Santos who advanced back to third. 2023 winner Aaron Willison and Washington’s Evan Margeson rounded out the top-five.
“I knew there’s a lot of good cars here. Mike was real good and so was Bobby. I know we’re all racing hard there real early so I hate how that went (with Bobby). Appreciate racing with so many great people and the opportunity to drive this 50m for Dick Meyers and everybody on this RAM Engineering team. Man what a special group to be a part of.”
“This is a special event and I know a lot of people work hard to do it and I’m so grateful Davey (Hamilton, Jr.) got the ball rolling for us.”
Indiana’s Kevin Newton led just the final two laps to take the inaugural Larry Trigueiro Memorial for Super Modifieds, driving Warren Buddell’s famed Pink Lady No. 98 to the coveted win. Colorado’s Kyle Ray dominated all practice sessions and time trials during the Firstline Systems-sponsored event. Ray drove into the lead on lap nine of the feature, but tangled with a lapped car on lap 12. Ray was sent spinning into the turn two wall and eliminated from the event. He was uninjured.
The incident thrust Colorado’s Rich Castor into the lead with Newton in pursuit. Newton dove underneath Castor on the backstretch for the decisive pass to lead lap 29. Newton scored the $5,000 win. Castor settled for second followed by Canadian Jimmy White, Washington’s Randy Anderson, and Davey Hamilton, Sr.
Kyle Tellstrom of Ukiah, California won his inaugural appearance in the BITNILE Open Wheel Showdown, earning the $7,500 prize in the Klotz Synthetics Modifieds. The 75-lap feature saw Tellstrom maintaining a slight lead over Arizona’s Dylan Cappello. Cappello finished second while Jaron Giannini represented home turf in third. Northern California driver Cameron Austin and Colorado’s Nathan Gasser were the balance of the top-five. Defending winner Aaron McMorran recovered from an early incident to finish eighth.
INEX Legends and Bandoleros debuted at the Open Wheel Showdown with two action packed main events. 2025 INEX Legends Nationals Young Lions feature winner Ben Morabito from New York State held off a three-wide challenge to take the 30-lap feature win. The victory in the Windshield Defense Legends paid $1,500. 2025 Pro Nationals feature winner Brenden Ruzbarsky and fellow California Jeremy Doss gave Morabito all he could handle on the final restart. Mike Alcaro of Fredon, New Jersey finished fourth. NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch outperformed his son Brexton in the feature by finishing fifth.
A green-white-checkered finish led to a thrilling victory in the INEX Bandoleros main event. Idaho’s Jhett Phipps knifed underneath Las Vegas’ Caitlin Ford to take the lead in turn four and eventually the coveted victory. Utah’s Cru Bowen, Las Vegas’ Malcom Mancias, and Jaxon Muhler of Brighton, Colorado rounded out the top-five.
Swanson Rules $10,000 Mid-Michigan Sprint Car Nationals Finale At Owosso
OVID, Mich. (Aug. 31, 2025) – When the arguable best pavement short-track driver in the discipline links up with the arguable best pavement sprint car team in America, magic tends to happen.
It certainly did Sunday at Owosso Speedway, as Kody Swanson and owner Dick Myers authored a complete drubbing of the Must See Racing Perfit Sprint Car Series field to complete a weekend sweep of the two-day Mid-Michigan Pavement Sprint Car Nationals.
Wheeling Myers’ familiar No. 50m, the car nicknamed ‘Seabiscuit’ which has won countless features over nearly a quarter century, Swanson charged from fifth to first in just seven laps around the three-eighths-mile paved oval.
From there, the Kingsburg, Calif., native then controlled the final 34 circuits and drove off to a staggering 8.291-second victory over runner-up and fast qualifier Aaron Willison, who’d started on the pole following the feature redraw and paced the opening six laps.
But once Swanson got outside position on Willison exiting turn four on lap seven, he flexed his muscles and said farewell to the rest of the competition. With a car that could go “anywhere I wanted it to,” Swanson surgically knifed through slower traffic throughout the weekend finale and lapped all but the top five in a stout 20-car feature field.
He banked $10,000 for his efforts Sunday, bringing his weekend winnings to $14,000 in total.
It marked Swanson’s third career Must See Racing victory overall and second with a wing overhead, as he and Myers seemingly finally unlocked the full potential of their pairing at last.
“This is one wail of a race car,” said Swanson in victory lane. “Dick and his crew always have this car spectacular, but tonight it was truly in tip-top shape. I’m just thankful to be the one that they’ve tapped to drive it, and when you have a race car this good, as a driver you just don’t want to mess it up.
“It’s been a learning process to figure out how these guys race with the wing on top, but I think we’re there where we need to be now.”
The 40-lapper actually ran green to checkered, following a stack-up in the middle of the field on the initial start that forced a second try to get the feature underway.
That incident saw 10th-starting Jason Blonde fail to get up to speed with a throttle linkage issue, causing the likes of Taylor Ferns, J.J. Dutton, and Johnny Petrozelle to accordion together near the back of the field. All three slowed dramatically, forcing the only yellow flag.
During the caution period, third-starting Jimmy McCune Jr. – the 16-year-old son of five-time Must See Racing national champion Jimmy McCune – surprisingly pulled pit-side with a loss of oil pressure, ending his hopes of a breakout performance after a stellar heat race victory from earlier in the program.
Once the race resumed, however, the headlines were all about Swanson as he did what he so often does by methodically driving forward and crushing the hopes of those pursuing him.
The domination came despite what Swanson described as a “high-RPM vibration” that developed briefly on his second time-trial lap and had the nerves of the eight-time USAC Silver Crown champion on edge for a while during the afternoon hours.
“I get emotional anyway [after wins], but if you knew everything that we were working through from post-qualifying through the race … that’s why this one is a big deal to us,” Swanson noted. “I’m not sure if it was truly an engine problem or just some phantom thing that us drivers feel sometimes, but these guys just kept after it and kept looking and kept working to try and make sure of what we had.
“Finally they gave me the green light for the feature, and said, ‘Hey, if it feels right, then you’re racing it.’ And man, it certainly felt right out there when it mattered.”
Willison found himself at a straightaway deficit by the halfway point and knew then that there was no catching his rival. The pair has built a legacy of respectful competition between them over the past two years as the top two pavement sprint car drivers in North America.
“When you race Kody, you know you’re racing against the cream of the crop every single time,” said the Canadian veteran, who hails from Langley, British Columbia. “They did a great job, and congrats to them on a well-deserved win, but I’m also really happy about our Statham Construction team’s performance and where we’re at as a whole. We made some big gains this weekend and it’s a program we’re continuing to build.
“We’ve got our qualifying speed hammered down now, and we made some strides in our race pace from Saturday to Sunday as well,” Willison added. “I just didn’t have any balance in the car for about the first 12 laps … and by the time I felt more comfortable, Kody was just long gone at that point.”
Saturday night runner-up Troy DeCaire was three quarters of a second behind Willison at the finish, earning a second straight podium for car owner Aaron Pierce and the Sam Pierce Racing squad.
Ontario’s Ryan Litt made it two Canadians in the top four, with Joe Liguori crossing fifth as the final car on the lead lap to extend his point lead in pursuit of a second straight and third overall series title.
Justin Harper, driving a second entry for Liguori Motorsports, was the night’s hard charger after advancing from 17th to 10th.
Willison began the program with a scorching 12.297-second (109.783 mph) lap in qualifying to obliterate his all-time track record from 22 hours earlier, while McCune Jr., Dorman Snyder, and Donnie Adams Jr. won their respective eight-lap heat races prior to the main event.
Though Adams won his heat, he was one of four drivers – joined by John Trudell, Jeff Bloom, and Alby Ovitt – who were unable to start the weekend finale due to engine issues or other mechanical maladies.
In all, 24 drivers were on the property Sunday, marking the largest field of the season for Must See Racing’s national contingent.
The Must See Racing Perfit Sprint Car Series concludes its season Oct. 3-4 on the Gulf Coast, with a weekend doubleheader split between the half-mile ovals of Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., and Montgomery (Ala.) Motor Speedway.
For more information on Must See Racing, visit www.mustseeracing.com.
Hysteria! Kody Swanson Becomes 4-Time Bettenhausen 100 Winner at Springfield
August 16, 2025 - Richie Murray
Kody Swanson joined the exclusive four-time Bettenhausen 100 winners club on Saturday at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
The Kingsburg, California native took the lead early, then lost it only to regain it again past the halfway mark, then led the final 42 laps en route to victory aboard his John Haggenbottom/Radio Hospital – Belmont’s Garage – Kreider Manufacturing/Maxim/Hampshire Chevy.
Only five drivers have accrued at least four Bettenhausen 100 Presented by Hunt Brothers Pizza wins in their career, led by Chuck Gurney’s seven, while A.J. Foyt, Jack Hewitt, Brian Tyler and now Swanson have all tallied four apiece.
Swanson, who had previously won 100-mile USAC Silver Crown race victories at the Springfield Mile in 2014, 2015 and 2021, earned his fourth win in the event in much similar fashion as the first three. Well, kind of.
In all three of his previous Springfield triumphs, Swanson was also the fastest qualifier. However, in 2015, he was forced to start 16th on the grid due to missing his spot in the qualifying line. In 2021, he was relegated to the 23rd starting spot due to a pre-race right rear tire change. In all instances, he still found the path to the checkered and the victory lane photograph.
This time around, Swanson set the tone by earning quick time once again, but no grid penalties were in the equation on this occasion as he qualified for and started from the pole, providing Pennsylvania car owner John Haggenbottom his first career USAC Silver Crown pole position and victory on the same day.
For Swanson, it was just his second time in the seat of the Haggenbottom ride, and first since a nondescript 16th place result at Indiana’s Terre Haute Action Track four months earlier in April. The moment wasn’t lost on Swanson, who earned his first dirt win with the series since Springfield in 2021, while also bringing a dream come true to the Haggenbottom team, which had only captured one top-five finish in 52 series starts, just nine top-tens, and had never led a single lap. Until Saturday. No foolin’.
“They’re all extremely special and this one certainly is,” Swanson exclaimed. “To be the first winner in the Haggenbottom 24 is really something. These guys are a great group and have been a part of this series for a while, doing all they can to support it all the way from Philadelphia. They make the tow and I’m so happy to get them the win here today.”
Despite Swanson’s optimal starting position from the pole, it was outside front row occupant Matt Westfall who initially gained the upper hand, holding the lead for the first eight laps of the 100 miler. However, as soon as Swanson fell back, he began to reel Westfall in. On the ninth lap, Swanson used a run down the back straightaway to glide right past Westfall and into the lead.
Meanwhile, Carmen Perigo was an animal on the dirt mile. Akin to a rocket, starting eighth, Perigo climbed into the top-five under Jimmy Light in turn one on lap 12. On the 14th lap, Perigo flew past Stockon for fourth, then soared to third past Clouser on lap 14. A lap later, he zoomed by Westfall entering turn one on the 15th circuit!
That said, that last pass was negated after Will Armitage (13th) got high and dry in turn three, tagging the wall and flipping over to bring out what turned out to be the only stoppage of the race. Armitage, who was making his USAC Silver Crown debut, walked away under his own power.
Slotted back in third for the lap 16 restart, Perigo wasn’t about to let it go. He went to work again, chasing down Westfall and completing the turn three pass around the outside on lap 25. Another nine laps later, Perigo made the same move in the third turn to overtake Swanson for the race lead on the 34th trip.
“It was excruciating to know that could’ve been for the win and it’s going away,” Swanson recalled. “I felt terrible. My wife is doing a great job spotting and all I’m hollering is ‘what lap is it’ because I’m trying to figure out my strategy and if I could make it back to him in time.”
For the first time in his USAC career, Perigo held the lead, and wound up leading 25 of them. By lap 58, Perigo’s three second lead over Swanson had been slashed to no more than a second. Off turn four on lap 59, Swanson went to the outside and streamed past Perigo to lead at the stripe by a wheel with 42 laps remaining.
Swanson ultimately poured the sugar on to construct a lead of more than four seconds over Perigo with merely a quarter of the race remaining. But by lap 76, Perigo’s magnificent run began to fade as Westfall and Mario Clouser freight trained Perigo on the front straightaway to slot into second and third, respectively.
Chase Stockon and Justin Grant followed suit the following lap, on 77, to make their way into fourth and fifth while Perigo fell to sixth. By lap 80, Perigo had dropped to eighth, bringin’ on the heartbreak for the veteran racer and taking him out of contention.
Westfall wasn’t quite finished yet as he carved into Swanson’s lead with all his might, flashing across the start/finish line with only a one second deficit after just moments before trailing by four full seconds with less than 10 laps remaining.
“The track got slick and I was sure my tire was bald,” Swanson explained. “But the tire actually looks great, so I’m glad I didn’t give it away by just not doing it right.”
Although lapped traffic loomed for the front runners, Westfall was unable to budge any closer as Swanson navigated past both Taylor Ferns and A.J. Fike, putting them a lap down in the process, while providing himself with an enviable buffer that allowed him to fan out the flames of Westfall’s pressure. For Westfall, it was too late. For Swanson, it was euphoria.
Swanson finished the deal off with a 1.374 second margin of victory over Matt Westfall, who came up just short of his first career USAC Silver Crown win, but instead grabbed his fifth career runner-up finish with the series. Mario Clouser took third with point leader Justin Grant scoring fourth while nursing a broken left foot. C.J. Leary rounded out the top-five.
No driver has passed more cars in USAC Silver Crown history than Brian Tyler with 825 positions advanced dating back to his 1990 debut. On this day, no driver in the field passed more cars than Brian Tyler. Starting 26th on the grid, he went +20 to finish sixth and earn Rod End Supply Hard Charger honors.
Carmen Perigo didn't win today, but he sure won the hearts of the fans here at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Starting eighth, the Pennsylvanian raced his way into the lead by lap 34 and led the first 25 laps of his USAC career before finishing eighth. That earned him the Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night.
Mission Statement! It’s 6-in-a-Row for Swanson at Salem
August 9, 2025 - Richie Murray
After a five-year absence for USAC Silver Crown National Championship competition at Indiana’s Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery, Kody Swanson didn’t miss a single beat on Saturday night.
The Kingsburg, California driver picked up right where he left off by leading all 100 laps from the pole position to capture his sixth consecutive USAC Silver Crown victory at the .555-mile paved oval following previous scores in 2016-2017-2018-2019-2020.
That tied the record for the most consecutive USAC Silver Crown victories by a single driver at one particular track, equaling Swanson’s very own streak of six straight triumphs at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway between 2018-2024, a run which ended back in April of this season.
However, Swanson wasn’t about to let his Salem dominance end any time soon in his Doran Binks Racing/Mission Foods – Wilke Orthodontics – Glenn Farms/Beast/Lanci Ford as he raced to his third USAC Silver Crown victory of the year and the 48th of his career.
That said, Swanson’s latest success at Salem came in a different manner than each of his past five scores, all of which were 75 laps in length. Saturday’s race marked the first 100-lap USAC event at Salem in nearly 57, dating back to Rollie Beale’s Sprint Car win on the 33 degree high banks in October 1968.
That fact alone added another 33 percent to the fuel load, thus changing the dynamics and feeling of the racecar for all drivers at the start of the race.
“This is the most fuel we’ve run here, and I wanted to try and be aware of that early,” Swanson explained. “This place is so cool, but it’s got a lot of character to it. In three and four, if you time it wrong with your pedals, it can upset your car. So I tried to be aware of that all throughout the race as the fuel load burned off.”
To start off the day, Swanson set a brand new USAC Silver Crown one-lap track record at Salem during Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying. His lap of 15.809 seconds, with an average lap speed of 126.384 mph, surpassed his very own eight-year-old former track record of 15.923 seconds set back in 2017. That placed Swanson on the pole position for the sixth consecutive time at Salem.
Prior to the start of the feature, the driver slotted to line up directly behind Swanson in the third spot, C.J. Leary, was forced to pull into the pits due to an issue on the right front shock. After time spent in the Indy Metal Finishing Work Area, Leary returned to the field but was forced to start 13th. By lap 39, he had picked his way up through the field to fourth and remained there for the remainder of the event to stay solidly in the hunt for the series championship.
Now slotted on the inside of row two, Justin Grant took advantage and charged by outside front row starter Mario Clouser off the bottom of turn four on the opening lap to slot into second. Grant was back in action to race for the first time since breaking his left foot in a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car crash at Lawrenceburg Speedway just 13 days earlier.
On the 39th lap, Clouser made a bid to take second from Grant. Entering turn one, Clouser dove low, but got his front wheels on the flat part of the racetrack, which bottomed out his racecar and sent him into a 90 degree spin straight up the racetrack and directly into the path of Grant. In a moment’s notice, Grant’s left brake foot was put to the test as he narrowly avoided escaping the spinning Clouser. Clouser miraculously avoided contact of any sort as well. Clouser restarted and finished eighth.
Throughout the remainder of the race, Swanson remained in total control of the race as he continuously upped his lead over his challengers. Despite feeling in total control, Swanson still felt the pressure. Salem Speedway is one of the most notoriously fast and unforgiving ovals on the planet, and one misstep could spell disaster.
“You race each other but you also race the racetrack,” Swanson explained. “Even there to the end, you can’t take any corners off because it’s too easy to make a mistake here. We had a long run to the end there and there’s a lot different about the end of the race that you wish your car was doing but that’s the whole job, to hang on. I had a great car, but there are a lot of great cars in the series, and to be able to win one anytime, is special.
Swanson turned the fastest lap of the race just before the midway point on the 46th circuit of 16.783 seconds while establishing a race pace in the 118-119 mph range. With 10 laps to go, Swanson had run his lead out to five seconds. Meanwhile, the battle for second raged on behind Swanson.
At the exit of turn four on lap 94, Grant dove his way under the sixth place car of Kyle Steffens to put him a lap down while simultaneously escaping the challenge posed by Dakoda Armstrong who had been with one to three car lengths off the back bumper of Grant for practically the entire second half of the race.
Up front, Swanson had everything handled as he crossed under the checkered flag 10.522 seconds ahead as Grant beat Armstrong to the line for second by a single car length. Leary came home fourth while Nathan Byrd raced to his second consecutive top-five result with the series to finish fifth.
Justin Grant earned the Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night following his “tougher than nails” performance with a bum left foot loaded with screws. During the week, crew chief Dennis LaCava spent three days at the team’s shop rigging up a brake pedal that Grant could run off his shin to ease the tension on his foot. Admittedly, Grant’s last 30 laps at Salem gave his pain tolerance the ultimate test. Not only did Grant finish all 100 laps, he gritted it out to finish one of the remarkable second place results you’ll ever witness.
Dakoda Armstrong started off his day without brakes, and throughout the feature, fought that issue as well as another problem that allowed him only to go half-throttle at times. In the end, he was unable to garner enough momentum to get by Grant but still collected a third place result for his for his fifth podium finish in six Silver Crown starts in 2025.
FINISHES FOURTH SATURDAY NIGHT AT LORAIN RACEWAY PARK
We had a little fun on a Thursday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Thanks to the entire Bertrand team for the fast car, David Sink for the photo, and Jo for cooking up some celebratory tacos!
Kody was quickest in qualifying and finished second in the heat race. The invert was an eight for the feature, and he was able to pull off the win!
SWANSON MAKES HIS WINGED RETURN AFTER NINE YEAR HIATUS
June 25, 2024 – Holly, Michigan – Must See Racing Sprint Series Presented by Perfit-Parts officials confirmed today that pavement sprint car guru Kody Swanson is one of the first entries for the July 5 event at Birch Run Speedway in Birch Run, Michigan. The single day event will also feature the Maxima Racing Oils Midwest Lights Series.
It will be the first time Swanson has competed in a winged asphalt sprint car since 2015.It is no surprise Swanson is set to return to winged asphalt sprint car competition as it is quickly becoming very popular, and big paydays are becoming regular occurrences for this sector of the sport.
Swanson is no stranger to MSR competition. In fact, he has one career victory with the series, but it wasn’t in winged competition. Swanson was victorious in the lone MSR non-winged event held at Indianapolis Raceway Park during the 2020 Indy Summer Nationals. Swanson’s last appearance in MSR winged competition occurred on May 23, 2012, at Anderson (IN) Speedway where he was runner-up to winner Jason Blonde.
HIGH-FIVE! SWANSON POCKETS $26,000 PAYDAY WITH FIFTH HOOSIER HUNDRED WIN
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Brownsburg, Indiana (May 25, 2024)………One year after dominating the first 116 laps of the Hoosier Hundred, Kody Swanson only had to focus on a mere 100 circuits around Brownsburg, Indiana’s Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Saturday morning.
In fact, he seemingly didn’t have to worry about a thing throughout the entire distance as he led from start to finish to score his fifth career Hoosier Hundred victory aboard his Doran-Binks Racing/Mission Foods – Wilke Orthodontics – Glenn Farms/Beast/Lanci Ford.
Swanson’s four previous Hoosier Hundred wins in 2014-15-16-18 all came on the dirt at the now-shuttered Indiana State Fairgrounds mile, but this time around, the win came on the pavement of IRP where it has been held in each of the past two seasons.
“It’s great to have the Hoosier Hundred continue,” Swanson said in praise of the race that has been held regularly since 1953. “I loved it at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, but it’s so great that (IRP promoter) Kasey Coler and his team put it on, and it pays more now for us than it ever did before. That means a lot to the racers, and I appreciate him sticking his neck out on that.”
PERSEVERANCE! SWANSON RETURNS FROM INJURY TO DOMINATE TOLEDO USAC SILVER CROWN OPENER
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Toledo, Ohio (April 20, 2024)………Four months ago, Kody Swanson saw his season and the future of his racing career hang in the balance.
A Christmas morning accident at his parents’ home resulted in a severely broken left foot. Multiple surgeries later, the Kingsburg, Calif. native was affixed with a walking boot and a pair of crutches. Throughout the arduous rehabilitation process, Swanson longed for the day that he could return to the USAC Silver Crown National Championship.
On Saturday afternoon at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway, that long awaited day had finally arrived.
SWANSON IS FASTEST QUALIFIER AND FINISHES SECOND AT GLEN NIEBEL CLASSIC 500 SPRINT CAR TOUR OPENER
By: Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
ANDERSON, Ind., April 15 —Doran Binks Racing and driver Kody Swanson got the 2024 season off to a great start Sunday afternoon when Swanson was the fastest qualifier in the Mission Foods/Glenn Farms No. 77, led a third of the 100-lap Glen Niebel Classic, and finished a solid second in the 500 Sprint Car Tour season opener at Anderson Speedway.
After earning the pole when the inversion was a one, Swanson led the first 34 laps as the 21-car field sped around the quarter-mile paved oval. Dakoda Armstrong used lapped traffic to help him vault from third to first in Turn 2 on lap 35, and he went on to win the race with Swanson in hot pursuit. The winner’s cousin, Caleb Armstrong, placed third followed by the defending race winner, Kyle O’Gara, and Taylor Ferns.
THE LONG ROAD BACK: KODY SWANSON RETURNS FROM INJURY TO RACE AGAIN
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (April 12, 2024)………For any racer with the level of accomplishments Kody Swanson has accrued throughout his career, there are always obstacles to overcome and hills to climb en route to a successful season.
Swanson knows this all too well, and to prove it, he’s racked up seven driving titles and 40 victories on his illustrious USAC Silver Crown resume. However, the 2024 season has presented him with an unanticipated obstacle unlike any other he’s ever faced.
On Christmas morning roughly three-and-a-half months ago, Swanson’s season and the future of his racing career instantly came into question in a split second. An accident at his parents’ house in Kingsburg, Calif. resulted in a severely broken left foot. Swanson was ultimately rushed into surgery that same day.