![]() Sammy Swindell Snaps Mark Kinser's Streak at I-80![]() GREENWOOD, NE (September 27) - Sammy Swindell has made a habit of stopping Kinser streaks over the years. Steve Kinser won the first three Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series championships before Swindell captured the 1981 and 1982 titles. "The King of the Outlaws" had won 12 straight "A" Features in 1987 when Swindell beat him at Placerville Speedway. Mark Kinser was racing for his sixth straight feature victory at I-80 Speedway Saturday when Swindell pulled off a third-to- first move to pass both Kinser cousins and take the lead. Sammy kept his #1 Channellock Gambler ahead of the Kinsers to win his 17th main event of the year. "I think Mark and Steve had good tires for the start of the race, but we had the tires for the end," Swindell said. "On a track like this, you have to drive it as if it's asphalt and you really have to be patient in lapped traffic. The Channellock car was working good tonight, and I knew with the choice we made in tires that we would be around at the end." Swindell earned the front row outside starting position by following Preliminary Feature winner Mark Kinser across the finish line in the Vivarin Dash. He was unable to keep pace with Mark on all three attempts to start the World of Outlaws' 62nd "A" Feature of the year. Kinser burst into the lead twice, only to have crashes force him to take the green flag again. Skip Jackson bounced off the outside retaining wall on the front straightaway on the original start. Although he kept going, Dion Hindi, Larry Pinegar and Joe Gaerte collided behind him and flipped. Travis Whitney and Jeff Mitrisin were also involved, and Dave Blaney suffered two flat tires as he dodged the wreckage. Rear end problems put second-row starter Lance Blevins in the pits and Gaerte's crew was working on his #3G Stealth when the race resumed. Hindi and Craig Dollansky crashed in turn four during the second attempt to start the race. The #1W Conn West Freight Maxim was damaged beyond repair, putting Dollansky out of the race. The red period gave Blevins' and Gaerte's crews time to repair their cars and rejoin the main event at the rear of the field. The third start was clean, and Mark drove the #5M Wirtgen Maxim ahead of the 24-car field. World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year candidate Donny Schatz used a high move through the first and second corners to pass six sprinters and take over 13th place early in the opening lap. Steve Kinser steered his #11 Quaker State Maxim into the inside groove on the front straightaway to pass Swindell for second early in lap two. Two laps later, Greg Hodnett used a similar move to pass Channellock Fast-Time Award winner Jac Haudenschild for fifth place. Debris in turns one and two temporarily slowed the pace in the fifth lap. Pinegar dropped out during the caution period. After Mark controlled the ensuing restart, Schatz was on the move again, passing Stevie Smith for ninth place with a low move into the second corner early in lap seven. Kinser enjoyed a 14-car-length advantage when he entered lapped traffic nine laps into the race. Problems caused by the earlier crash forced Gaerte into the pits during the ninth lap. Steve caught cousin Mark in lapped traffic late in lap 11. Swindell joined the battle for the lead the next time around and took the low line through turns three and four to pass both Kinsers. Mark drifted out of the low groove in the fourth corner, allowing three more cars to pass him. "I caught up to Mark and Steve when they were having trouble holding the bottom," Swindell said of the winning pass. "That was my chance to get by. Fortunately for us, the move paid off." Andy Hillenburg's problems negotiating the inside line between turns one and two early in the 16th lap allowed Mark and Hodnett to race past. "The King of the Outlaws" was gaining on Swindell in dense lapped traffic with six laps remaining when Mark slid out of the low groove in turn two, allowing Hodnett to pass him for third. The caution flag was flying again the next time around when Hindi stopped in the first corner after colliding with Paul McMahan. Don Droud, Jr., replaced his right rear tire and engine problems forced Jeff Swindell to join Hindi in the pit area. McMahan, who is battling Schatz for Rookie of the Year honors, raced back into 13th place from the back of the pack. Swindell raced away from his closest pursuers as the green flag replaced the yellow and took the checkered flag with 10 car- lengths to spare. "We've had a first- or second-place car practically every race this year," Swindell said. "The only thing that has hurt is something happening to us and us dropping out. "We try to go out and win every night, and we can usually get first or second. If that happens, I don't think anybody can catch us (in the race for the 1997 World of Outlaws championship)." Steve Kinser held off Hodnett for second place. Mark Kinser finished fourth, ahead of Hillenburg, Haudenschild, Jackson, Blaney, Smith and Schatz. The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' next event is the prestigious Williams Grove National Open, scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Mechanicsburg, PA.
1997 Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series I-80 Speedway, Greenwood, NE Saturday, September 27, Feature Program #62 First Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Jac Haudenschild, 2. Paul McMahan, 3. Jeff Swindell, 4. Donny Schatz, 5. Skip Jackson, 6. Larry Pinegar, 7. Travis Whitney, 8. Jaymie Moyle, 9. Jerry Vandenhul, 10. Randy Hibbs. (first five qualified for the "A" Feature) Second Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Johnny Herrera, 2. Dave Blaney, 3. Craig Dollansky, 4. Scott Whitworth, 5. Bill Robertson, 6. Marlon Jones, 7. Matt Moro, 8. Nick LoSasso, 9. Dan Oswalt, 10. Terry LoSasso. (first five qualified for the "A" Feature) Third Heat Race (eight laps): 1. Stevie Smith, 2. Andy Hillenburg, 3. Don Droud, Jr., 4. Greg Hodnett, 5. Dion Hindi, 6. Joe Gaerte, 7. Jeff Mitrisin, 8. Pat Bourke, 9. Mitchell Moore, 10. Rich Bubak. (first five qualified for the "A" Feature) Finishing 1-4 in Friday's Preliminary Feature automatically qualified Mark Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Steve Kinser and Lance Blevins for the first four starting positions in the Vivarin Dash. Vivarin Dash (five laps): 1. Mark Kinser, 2. Sammy Swindell, 3. Lance Blevins, 4. Dave Blaney, 5. Steve Kinser, 6. Jac Haudenschild. (finish determined the first six starting positions in the "A" Feature) B Feature (12 laps): 1. Joe Gaerte, 2. Travis Whitney, 3. Marlon Jones, 4. Larry Pinegar, 5. Jeff Mitrisin, 6. Pat Bourke ($200); 7. Matt Moro ($175); 8. Nick LoSasso ($150); 9. Jaymie Moyle ($100); 10. Mitchell Moore ($90); 11. Dan Oswalt ($80); 12. Jerry Vandenhul ($80); 13. Terry LoSasso ($50); 14. Randy Hibbs ($70); 15. Rich Bubak ($50). (first five qualified for the "A" Feature) A Feature (30 laps): 1. Sammy Swindell ($10,000); 2. Steve Kinser ($6,000); 3. Greg Hodnett ($3,500); 4. Mark Kinser ($3,200); 5. Andy Hillenburg ($3,000); 6. Jac Haudenschild ($2,500); 7. Skip Jackson ($2,300); 8. Dave Blaney ($2,200); 9. Stevie Smith ($2,100); 10. Donny Schatz ($2,000); 11. Scott Whitworth ($1,500); 12. Johnny Herrera ($1,400); 13. Paul McMahan ($1,300); 14. Don Droud, Jr. ($1,200); 15. Lance Blevins ($1,000); 16. Bill Robertson ($1,000); 17. Jeff Mitrisin ($820); 18. Jeff Swindell ($600); 19. Dion Hindi ($600); 20. Travis Whitney ($620); 21. Joe Gaerte ($620); 22. Marlon Jones ($620); 23. Larry Pinegar ($620); 24. Craig Dollansky ($600). Lap leaders: Mark Kinser 1-11, Sammy Swindell 12-30 Channellock Fast-Time Award winner: Jac Haudenschild
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