Swindell not slowing down at age 62, takes prelim race
Sammy Swindell showed Thursday night at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway that he has no plans of slowing down.
Swindell of Bartlett, Tenn., who turns 62 later this month, won the opening preliminary feature at the 30th annual Comp Cams Short Track Nationals sprint car event. The victory guaranteed him a starting spot at or near the front for tonight’s main event, which will pay $15,000 to win.
The defending champion of the event, Swindell will attempt to become its first fivetime winner. Thursday’s was Swindell’s sixth career STN prelim victory.
Bill Balog of Hartland, Wis., and two-time winner Tony Bruce Jr. of Liberal, Kan., finished second and third, respectively, to also lock in spots for tonight’s 40-lap feature. Three more drivers earned main event starting positions in Friday night’s prelim.
Swindell, who won STN titles in 2016, 2013, 2011 and 1990, started on the outside of the front row Thursday night and gunned past polesitter
Tim Crawley of Benton at the green flag. Swindell was able to lead all 25 laps despite two caution periods — an early red flag when Josh Baughman of Odessa, Texas, flipped in turns three and four, and a caution for a spin by Benton’s Cody Gardner on the eighth lap.
Balog, a native of Alaska who started third, passed Crawley for second on the seventh lap and held on to secure his first career feature start.
Bruce, who won the event in 2008 and 2009, started fourth. After dropping back early, he passed Crawley for the fourth position on the 21st lap and then nipped Aaron
Reutzel of Clute, Texas, at the checkered flag for third place.
Reutzel finished fourth and Sam Hafertepe Jr. of Sunnyvale, Texas, was fifth. Crawley, the 1998 winner, took sixth. Rounding out the top 10 were Ernie Ainsworth of Bartlett, Tenn.; Jonathan Cornell of Sedalia, Mo.; Seth Bergman of Snohomish, Wash.; and Memphis’ Howard Moore.
A total of 72 drivers competed Thursday night. Three other Arkansans reached Thursday’s preliminary feature. Marion’s Derek Hagar finished 11th, Marshall Skinner of West Memphis took 12th and Gardner was 17th.