NSSN Correspondent

No one can deny the eye that Steve Lewis has for talent behind the wheel of a midget racing car. When you look at the roster of drivers who have taken their turn in the cockpit of the famed Nine Cars owned by Lewis — Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, J.J. Yeley, Jason Leffler, Kenny Irwin, Jr., Dave Darland and Mike Bliss, to name a few — one might wonder who Lewis would tap next to groom for the future of his team.
The answer came in the person of 19-year-old Kingsburg, Calif., native Kody Swanson, who has been making a name for himself since he climbed in to a micro midget at age 12.
Raised in central California halfway between the racing hotspots of Fresno and Bakersfield, Swanson came by the love of the sport naturally. He grew up watching his Dad, Mike Swanson, burn up the track in USAC supermodifieds as well as the local Grand American Modified Series and late model stock cars at Madera Speedway — just short of an hour north of the Swanson home.
“Racing has always been a normal part of our family,” said Swanson. “I grew up watching Dad race; that is what we did as a family. I was fortunate that once my brother Tanner and I got the bug to race, our family was ready to support us. Dad and Mom (Darla) have been there from day one and I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I have had without them believing in me and helping me get started.”
Moving to the more powerful 600 c.c. winged micro midgets, it became more and more clear that Swanson was a talent behind the wheel and a future star in the sport.
The 2004 season was his final year in micro midgets as the young driver hopped behind the wheel of the same Grand American Modified car that his dad drove, fielded by Top Shelf Racing and owned by his great grandfather, LeRoy Giannini. 

Kody Swanson in Steve Lewis's No. 19.

Seeing Swanson’s future in racing, his family decided to field a USAC Western sprint car for him. TK Motorsports (named for Kody and Tanner) was formed.
His debut appearance in the highly competitive, non-winged class came at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway in November 2004. In his first race, Swanson qualified sixth in a 39-car field. With the inversion, Swanson started first and finished seventh.
That performance put Swanson on the radar screen of virtually every team owner in USAC and his performance in 2005 continued to build the buzz around him as a driver and his future in the sport.
In his first full season in USAC Western Sprint Car competition, Swanson won the series championship, rookie of the year and the fast-qualifier award — all for the family based TK Motorsports. To date, Swanson has 26 career starts in the USAC Western Sprint Car Series, scoring three victories, 10 top-three finishes, 16 top-five finishes and 21 top-10 finishes.
“I am very fortunate to have been given the opportunity with my family team,” Swanson stated. “We had a great season in 2005 and I was honored to win the championship and able to share that success with my family.”
The 2006 season yielded more of the same, as Swanson kept racking up great finishes. He got his first opportunity behind the wheel of a USAC midget with Western Speed Racing.
He didn’t disappoint. His first USAC National Midget Series race was the 2006 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Irwindale. He sat on the pole for the 100-lap midget race (as well as the sprint car race), led the majority of the race and eventually finished second behind teammate Billy Wease. For his effort, Swanson was awarded the rookie of the race award.
Then, he got the call from Lewis. Swanson jumped in the Nine Racing No. 19 for the Mopar/PRI Sprint & Midget Classic in December 2006. He won the sprint-car feature and took the opportunity to start Lewis’s midget last in an attempt to win a $50,000 bonus for winning both races. He passed 13 cars and finished 13th in the midget event.
Swanson ran a limited schedule for Lewis in 2007 and earned a full-time ride alongside Darland for the 2008 campaign. Dave Steele will also run selected pavement races for the team.
“I am extremely lucky and fortunate for opportunity I have with Steve Lewis,” Swanson said. “I was very grateful for a couple race deal before I was offered a full-time ride. There isn’t a better scenario out there for a young driver with Dave Darland and Dave Steele as teammates.
“I am going to learn as much as I possibly can from my teammates. They are both incredibly successful, experienced drivers with so many wins and championships. They are great competitors and respected in our sport, which is something I would like to have in the future.”
The humble young driver seems content to focus on what is in front of him and to continue to deliver the results that have already become his trademark.
“I would like to race cars professionally,” Swanson said. “If it is always in USAC, that would be great. I am grateful for the chance to be there. If I get a chance in NASCAR, that would be awesome as well, but right now, making the best of this opportunity with Nine Racing is my immediate focus.”
From all indications, Lewis did it again.

Younger Swanson Following Older Brother’s Footsteps

It would appear that the successful racer gene runs family-wide in the Swanson clan. Following in the footsteps of his older brother Kody, Tanner Swanson is letting the racing world know he is on his way.

FAMILY MAN: Like his father and brother, Tanner Swanson has racing genes. (Dennis Mattish Photo)

Starting in micro midgets at the age of 9 in 2000 alongside his older brother, the “T” in TK Motorsports quickly gave the racing world another reason to stand up and take notice.
Following his stint in micro midgets, Tanner jumped to the Grand American Modified Division at Madera, in fact, driving the same car both his father, Mike, and brother had driven. All three Swansons have recorded at least one victory in that car.
The younger Swanson demonstrated his talent in a big way, winning the 2006 All-American Driver Challenge. The prize for his success was a full-time ride in the Carolina USAC Focus Series in Tracy Trotter’s Focus midget. Just to ensure he was busy enough, he split races in his dad’s sprint car with Kody.
He won the Carolina Focus championship in 2007, providing USAC team owners with another rising star.
When asked about Tanner’s success, Kody explained, “As brothers, we are competitive about everything. When we were younger and first in our micros, we were a little more competitive on the track. The older brother does not want to get beat by the younger sibling!
“But as we got older, we know we have to keep our competitiveness off the track and restricted to other activities. We both have responsibilities to our team owner and crews.”
As part of the family-based team, Darla Swanson, mom to both Kody and Tanner, plays a very important and supportive role for her boys. She films every race they run so they are able to critique each race and learn from every lap they make.
It may not be all that many years before the Swanson brothers are the headlines of racing success — pick your series and your track.