Sammy Swindell Wins the 26th Annual Knoxville 360 Nationals
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (August 6, 2016) – For the second time in Knoxville Raceway history, a driver has added the 360cid and 410cid Nationals Championship to their Trophy Case as Sammy Swindell parked the A.G. Rains / Acme Graphix No. 3s in Victory Lane to claim the $15,000 top prize in the 26th annual Arnold Motor Supply ASCS 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank.
Joining Danny Lasoski as the only other driver to win both crown jewel events at the Marion County oval, Swindell is the fourteenth different winner of the 360 Nationals since 1991. The win is also the first as a car owner for West Memphis, Arkansas native, A.G. Rains.
“Praise the Lord, I’ve just been so blessed here lately with things going a lot of different directions,” said Sammy in Victory Lane after his fifth career 360 win at Knoxville. “I’m still out here doing this, getting to do what I love to do driving these cars and they gave me a perfect car tonight. All the things we did yesterday, they were all right. We hit it on the head and I couldn’t ask for anything any better.”
“When I was on the bottom there, I thought I was okay there. Then Clint [Garner] got around, and I just had to wait for my turn to get a shot and see where he was good at, and where he wasn’t to make my move; but the car just got better and better throughout the race.”
Taking off from the front row, Swindell took off into the race lead with Clint Garner, quickly taking over the point on the second lap. Stalked by the Acme Graphix No. 3s, the pair rolled top and bottom on the Knoxville Raceway with Swindell finally able to reclaim the lead on Lap nine.
The wily veteran began distancing himself from the current Knoxville 360cid point’s leader as the race through the top-five heated up, with Lasoski up to third and closing. Taking over the runner-up spot on the 13th trip around the half-mile, the 1995 winner of the 360cid Nationals came to Swindell’s back bumper as the caution flew on Lap 16 for Josh Baughman whose engine expired.
On the restart, the mover was Brian Brown. After fading to ninth early on, the FVP/Casey’s General Store No. 21 was back up to fourth. Stealing away third on Lap 20, the pass for the runner-up spot on Lap 22 would be Brown’s last pass of the night as the engine let go under the bonnet of the No. 21. That nearly wadded up Lasoski who barely got the Mark Burch No. 1m turned down the track.
Setting up a three lap dash to the finish, Lasoski got close but was never close enough as Swindell finished 1.078 seconds ahead of “The Dude”.
Challenged by Dusty Zomer on the final restart, Clint Garner rebounded to hold onto third with Terry McCarl coming from eighth to fourth. Ian Madsen from 14th came up to complete the top-five in the last corner.
Challenging for the third spot on the restart, Dusty Zomer faded to sixth with Jack Dover advancing twelve spots as the night’s Hard Charger. Friday’s preliminary A-Feature winner, Jamie Veal crossed eighth, with Brooke Tatnell and Tony Shilling making up the top ten.
Saturday night began with E-Feature competition. Colby Copeland grabbing that win. The night’s D-Feature was topped by Billy Butler after race winner, Tim Shaffer, was disqualified for the Wickerbill being too tall on the No. 49x. Sam Hafertepe, Jr. was the winner in the C-Feature. In the first three feature events, Colby Copeland and Logan Forler were able to advance from the E to the C. Forler was a DNF in the C, with Copeland finishing 15th. Jack Dover was able to grab the B-Feature.
Devin Kline Cops $800 with Ninth Career 305 Win!
Devin Kline put his name on top of the career 305 sprint car winners’ list at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night. The Knoxville, Iowa driver wrestled the lead away from Christian Bowman on lap two, and was never seriously challenged in the 15-lap event. The win aboard the White Lightning Motorsports #5J was worth $800, thanks to $400 in bonuses from Pace Performance Parts.
The event was plagued by several cautions. Christopher Scank spun while running fifth on lap six, then suffered a left rear tire flat and got sideways two laps later. Cody Ambers could not avoid contacting him. Brandon Worthington spun to bring a yellow on lap eleven and a circuit later, Mike Mayberry spun, collecting Mitchell Alexander. No one was injured.
Bowman maintained second behind Kline at the line, while McKenna Haase worked her way up from row four to finish third, followed by Corey Kautz and Chris Walraven. Chase Wanner, hard-charger Tyler Thompson, Matthew Stelzer, Jeff Wilke and Brad Comegys rounded out the top ten. Kline set quick time, while Mayberry and Wilke notched heat wins.
“We were really good on the long runs, but on that last restart, I tried to give it away and missed the bottom,” said Kline in Victory Lane. “Nonetheless, we came away with a win, and I have to thank Pace Performance for the bonus money. That’s going to go a long way. Don Blackshear and those guys make a great engine package, and we utilized it tonight. (Starting on the pole) feels like the whole world is on your shoulders. You’ve got nowhere to go but back. Fortunately, we just looked ahead and got the win.”
Join us tomorrow night for the Fifth Annual Kustom Concrete Pumping “Capitani Classic” presented by Great Southern Bank! The 410 sprint cars will have their last laps on the track before the 56th Annual 5-hour ENERGY Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores. The action will be intense! Visit www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com for more information!
Results from the 26th Annual Arnold Motor Supply 360 Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank
E main (started), 8 Laps, 2:16.3: 1. 18w, Colby Copeland, Roseville, CA (4); 2. 2L, Logan Forler, Boise, ID (1); 3. 77x, Alex Hill, Six Nations, ONT, Can. (3); 4. 33, Alan Zoutte, Knoxville, IA (2); 5. 1A, John Anderson, Des Moines, IA (5); 6. 7J, Joe Swanson, Etna Green, IN (6) / DNS – 5, Phil Walter, McClure, PA, 4m, Evan Martin, California, MO, 2K, Kevin Ingle, Huron, SD, 99, John Schulz, West Burlington, IA, 55, McKenna Haase, Des Moines, IA, 11N, Ed Neumeister, Upper Sandusky, OH, 88N, DJ Netto, Hanford, CA
D main (started), 10 Laps, 2:56.7: 1. 1T, Billy Butler, Sacramento, CA (4); 2. 31B, Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, OH (3); 3. 71c, Stacey Alexander, Lacona, IA (2); 4. Colby Copeland (11); 5. 14K, Kyle Bellm, Nixa, MO (12); 6. 85, Forrest Sutherland, Cherryvale, KS (6); 7. 03, Joe Wood Jr., Newcastle, OK (5); 8. 98, Chris Masters, Napa, CA (7); 9. Logan Forler (14) / 10. Alan Zoutte (16); 11. 9z, Jared Goerges, Brainerd, MN (8); 12. 22B, Jesse Baker, Grants, NM (9); 13. Alex Hill (13); 14. John Anderson (15); 15. Joe Swanson (17); 16. 4s, Adam Speckman, Rapid City, SD (10); DQ (Wickerbill) – 49x, Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa, PA (1) DNS – 50z, Zach Chappell, Talala, OK, 26, Willie Croft, Roseville, CA, 14J, Josh Riggins, Lincoln, NE, 4J, Lee Grosz, Harwood, ND, 07, Michael Bookout, Tulsa, OK, 81A, Chris Morgan, Topeka, KS
C main (started), 12 Laps, NT: 1. 15H, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Sunnyvale, TX (4); 2. 12H, Daniel Harding, Perth, WA, Aust. (8); 3. 17w, Harli White, Lindsay, OK (1); 4. 10H, Chad Kemenah, Alvada, OH (13); 5. 21T, Ray Allen Kulhanek, Conroe, TX (9); 6. 94, Jeff Swindell, Bartlett, TN (10); 7. 44, Chris Martin, Ankeny, IA (3); 8. 9m, Ricky Montgomery, Lakewood, CO (6) / 9. 75x, JT Imperial, Mesa, AZ (2); 10. 12, James Mosher, Albuquerque, NM (14); 11. 9JR, Derek Hagar, Marion, AR (7); 12. 53, Joe Beaver, Knoxville, IA (11); 13. 4, Jon Agan, Knoxville, IA (12); 14. Sheldon Haudenschild (17); 15. Colby Copeland (19); 16. 35L, Cody Ledger, Omaha, NE (5); 17. 52, Blake Hahn, Sapulpa, OK (15); 18. Stacey Alexander (18); 19. Billy Butler (16); 20. Kyle Bellm (20); 21. Forrest Sutherland (21); 22. Chris Masters (23); 23. Joe Wood Jr. (22); 24. Logan Forler (24) DNS – 24H, Kade Higday, Des Moines, IA, 3, Nate Van Haaften, Otley, IA, 17, Tyler Groenendyk, Oskaloosa, IA, 22H, Randy Hannagan, Pittsboro, IN, 86, Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal, KS
B main (started), 15 Laps, NT: 1. 53D, Jack Dover, Springfield, NE (1); 2. 5H, Cory Eliason, Selma, CA (2); 3. 23, Seth Bergman, Snohomish, WA (5); 4. 2m, Matt Moro, Polk City, IA (3); 5. 11x, John Carney II, El Paso, TX (4) / 6. 10, Calvin Landis, Knoxville, IA (11); 7. 29, Russ Hall, Pleasant Hill, IA (13); 8. 45x, Johnny Herrera, Albuquerque, NM (9); 9. 2c, Wayne Johnson, Knoxville, IA (15); 10. Chad Kemenah (20); 11. 95, Matt Covington, Glenpool, OK (8); 12. Jeff Swindell (22); 13. 1x, Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE (12); 14. 3P, Sawyer Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (10); 15. 18s, Justin Sanders, Watsonville, CA (14); 16. Chris Martin (23); 17. Daniel Harding (18); 18. Harli White (19); 19. Ray Allen Kulhanek (21); 20. 23D, Devon Dobie, Wapakoneta, OH (16); 21. 13v, Seth Brahmer, Wisner, NE (7); 22. Ricky Montgomery (24); 23. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (17); 24. 87, Aaron Reutzel, Clute, TX (6) DNS – 9P, Rager Phillips, Pleasantville, IA, 84, Brandon Hanks, Burlison, TN, 3A, Billy Alley, Bennet, NE, 34DD, Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH
A main (started), 25 Laps, NT: 1. 3s, Sammy Swindell, Germantown, TN (2); 2. 1m, Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO (5); 3. 40, Clint Garner, Sioux Falls, SD (1); 4. 24, Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA (8); 5. 18, Ian Madsen, St. Mary’s, NSW, Aust. (14); 6. 82, Dusty Zomer, Sioux Falls, SD (9); 7. Jack Dover (19); 8. 71, Jamie Veal, Warrnambool, VIC, Aust. (7); 9. 25, Brooke Tatnell, Sans Souci, NSW, Aust. (15); 10. 22, Tony Shilling, Knoxville, IA (3); 11. 1H, Dale Blaney, Hartford, OH (12); 12. 7w, Tasker Phillips, Pleasantville, IA (13); 13. 5J, Jamie Ball, Knoxville, IA (11); 14. 56N, Davey Heskin, St. Michael, MN (16); 15. Matt Moro (22); 16. Cory Eliason (20); 17. Seth Bergman (21); 18. 6, Carson McCarl, Altoona, IA (10); 19. John Carney II (23); 20. 9, Ryan Giles, Grimes, IA (17); 21. 18R, Ryan Roberts, Aurora, NE (18); 22. 17wx, Shane Golobic*, Fremont, CA (24); 23. 21, Brian Brown, Grain Valley, MO (6); 24. 17x, Josh Baughman, Odessa, TX (4) DNS – 1, Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD, * – subbed for Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN. Lap Leaders: S. Swindell 1, Garner 2-8, S. Swindell 9-25. Hard-charger: Dover.
305 Results
Time Trials (Group Qualifying): 1. 5J, Devin Kline, Knoxville, IA (5), 17.581; 2. 15, Christian Bowman, Altoona, IA (15), 17.633; 3. 56W, Chris Walraven, Knoxville, IA (7), 17.769; 4. 76, Brad Comegys, Bondurant, IA (2), 17.77; 5. 85, Chase Wanner, Agency, IA (9), 17.815; 6. 36, Christopher Scank, Cedar Rapids, IA (6), 17.853; 7. 55, McKenna Haase, Des Moines, IA (10), 17.954; 8. 6, Mitchell Alexander, Knoxville, IA (14), 18.136; 9. 51, Corey Kautz, Urbandale, IA (8), 18.168; 10. 99, Matthew Stelzer, Omaha, NE (17), 18.194; 11. 0, Mike Mayberry, Fremont, IA (11), 18.318; 12. 41, Jeff Wilke, Genoa, IL (19), 18.338; 13. 38, Mike Dapra, Gillette, WY (13), 18.386; 14. 56, Joe Simbro, Pleasantville, IA (12), 18.449; 15. 41D, Dan Henning, Columbia, IA (21), 18.540; 16. 02S, Josh Jones, Knoxville, IA (18), 18.546; 17. 71G, Cody Ambers, Knoxville, IA (4), 18.763; 18. 71, Brandon Worthington, Indianola, IA (16), 18.779; 19. 48, Tyler Thompson, Des Moines, IA (20), 18.878; 20. 26, Chase Young, Des Moines, IA (1), 20.015; 21. 82, Lee Patterson, Des Moines, IA (3), 20.555.
Heat one (started), 6 Laps, 1:50.7: 1. Mike Mayberry (1); 2. McKenna Haase (3); 3. Chris Walraven (5); 4. Devin Kline (6); 5. Corey Kautz (2); 6. Chase Wanner (4); 7. Tyler Thompson (10); 8. Mike Dapra (7); 9. Cody Ambers (9); 10. Dan Henning (8); 11. Lee Patterson (11)
Heat two (started), 6 Laps, NT: 1. Jeff Wilke (1); 2. Brad Comegys (5); 3. Christopher Scank (4); 4. Christian Bowman (6); 5. Mitchell Alexander (3); 6. Joe Simbro (7); 7. Matthew Stelzer (2); 8. Brandon Worthington (9); 9. Josh Jones (8); 10. Chase Young (10);
A main, 15 Laps, NT: 1. Devin Kline (1); 2. Christian Bowman (2); 3. McKenna Haase (7); 4. Corey Kautz (9); 5. Chris Walraven (3); 6. Chase Wanner (5); 7. Tyler Thompson (19); 8. Matthew Stelzer (13); 9. Jeff Wilke (11); 10. Brad Comegys (4); 11. Joe Simbro (12); 12. Dan Henning (15); 13. Brandon Worthington (18); 14. Chase Young (20); 15. Lee Patterson (21); 16. Mike Mayberry (10); 17. Mitchell Alexander (8); 18. Christopher Scank (6); 19. Cody Ambers (17) DNS – Mike Dapra, Josh Jones. Lap Leaders: Bowman 1, Kline 2-15. Hard-charger: Thompson.
Sources: Bryan Hulbert and Bill Wright/Knoxville Raceway PR
Photo: Sammy Swindell celebrates his win at the 360 Nationals (Joanne Cram Photo)