Swindell Adds His Name To List Of Golden Driller Winners
TULSA, Okla. — Kevin Swindell added another Golden Driller Trophy to the Swindell family trophy case Saturday night, winning the 24th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.
The 50-lap feature capped off five nights of racing featuring 265 drivers in 92 racing events at the QuikTrip Center’s Tulsa Expo Raceway.
After fading at the start from the front row, the 20-year-old driver rebounded to lead the second half of the event. The victory was his third major career midget victory, having previously captured the 2007 Night Before the 500 and Knoxville Midget Nationals last year.
“I wish I would of have been too tight at the beginning, but I was way too free and that really worried me and I kinda felt that I wasn’t gonna be good enough at the end,” Swindell explained.
Polesitter Darren Hagen took the lead at the start, followed by Cory Kruseman, while Swindell faded outside the top five. On lap five, defending winner Sammy Swindell, who started last after using the defending race winner’s provisional, had advanced seven positions to 18th.
Kruseman took the lead from Hagen on lap nine and began lapping slower cars three laps later. S. Swindell, who was up to 16th, tangled with Brent Beauchamp five laps later and restarted from the tail of the field.
Cole Whitt charged past Jerry Coons, Jr. and Hagen in a five-lap sequence to take second behind Kruseman. The event changed dramatically starting on lap 21 when a seven-car accident saw Brad Loyet flip. On the restart, K. Swindell restarted in fourth, but quickly moved to second before Hagen spun on the next lap.
One lap after the restart, K. Swindell passed Kruseman for the lead. Brad Mosen spun on lap 28 with S. Swindell up to 10th. Cole Whitt regained second from Kruseman and began challenging K. Swindell for the lead.
S. Swindell used two caution flags between laps 36-40 to move into the top five. A caution flag with two laps remaining bunched up the field. On the restart, K. Swindell held off Whitt, while his father passed Jerry Coons, Jr. for third.
Commenting on his father’s late charge, K. Swindell said, “With 10 to go under the caution I could see he was sixth. Then on the last caution I saw him in third. I thought, ‘Oh, no, he might get me at the end.’”
K. Swindell drove the Swindell Racing-owned Esslinger-Spike No. 39 and finished two car lengths ahead of Whitt and S. Swindell.
“I was trying everything I could and I couldn’t really keep up with Kevin,” Whitt explained. “We were close. If Kevin made a few mistakes, I could kinda get close to him, but he made only a few.”
Coons and Chris Windom rounded out the top five.
A five-time winner of the event, S. Swindell was proud of his son’s effort.
“This year he (Kevin) had a race that didn’t tear up anything. This year I tore up a lot,” he explained. “But we salvaged a first and a third, so we’ll have to come back next year and try to make it a one-two like it probably could have been last year.”
The summary:
K Main: Ronnie Gardner, Murray Erickson, Brian Harvey, Scott Fennell, Riley Adair, Brock Lemley, Andy Huston, Ted Kirkpatrick.
First J Main: Floyd Alvis, Tim Pyle, Matt Johnson, R. Gardner, Terry Goodwin, Eric Johnson, Victor Davis, Nick O’Neal, Huston, Donovan Peterson, Rafe Essary, Harvey, Riley Adair.
Second J Main: Billy Balog, Clint Todd, Cole Peard, Jeff Wimmenauer, Ricky Williams, Johnny Murdock, Donnie Trent, Kurt Blackaby, Erickson, Brock Lemley, Zach Cougill, Dusty Hiestand, Forrest Slater, Fennell, Jay Mounce.
First I Main: Derrick Myers, Austin Mero, Ryan Cole, Klint Angelette, Matt Johnson, Pyle, Pat Schudy, Chris Zrinski, Todd McVay, Tony Rossi, Channing Zierolf, Ron Bach, Greg Edenholm, Alvis.
Second I Main: Eric Sandage, Patrick Stasa, Justin Mallo, Austin Smith, Dennis Rodriguez, Pete Davis, Balog, Frank Flud, Cap Henry, Toni Lutar, George White, Bruce Douglass, Jeff Wimmenauer, Peard, Todd.
First H Main: Myers, Jason Leffler, Sean -Mikael Dodenhoff, Joey Saldana, Billy Lawhead, Mero, J.C. Bland, Danny Burke, Brian Carter, Klint Angelette, Ryan Cole, Joey Fabozzi, Steve Newman, Michelle Decker, Rusty Dukes, Tadd Holliman.
Second H Main: Austen Wheatley, Kevin Ramey, Andrew Elson, Jake Rosario, Bud Kaeding, Sandage, Cody Darrah, J.D. Black, A. Smith, Jackie Burke, Evan Sewell, Mallo, Chad Frewaldt, Aaron Ott, Stasa.
First G Main: Tanner Mullens, Myers, Saldana, Josh Most, Leffler, Rick Hendrix, Dodenhoff, Kyle Steffans, David Budres, Alissa Geving, Wink Schweitzer, Harris Brooks, Jody Rosenboom, Steve Knepper.
Second G Main: Matt Sherrell, Dex Eaton, Jason Grady, Scott Pierovich, Elson, Nathan High, Ramey, Wheatley, Jon Stanbrough, Rosario, Kevin Olson, Andrew Hannula, Lex Burritt, Julee Jamison, Justin Melton.
First F Main: Ronnie Burke, Jr., Hunter Schuerenberg, David Prickett, Saldana, Josh Grady, Mullens, Most, Troy Rutherford, Johnny Heydenreich, Myers, Jimmy Winkler, Patrick Bruns, Chris Coker, Cole Smith, Cruz Pedregon, Chris Sheil.
Second F Main: Matt Mitchell, Aaron Fiscus, Tanner Berryhill, Jeff Stasa, Tony Elliott, Sherrell, Shannon McQueen, Brian Camarillo, Ja. Grady, Henry Clarke, Will Pierce, Pierovich, Eaton.
First E Main: Randy Hannagan, Mike Spencer, Nick Knepper, Schuerenberg, Sikeston, Brent Camarillo, Danny Sheridan, Nic Faas, Glenn Styres, Paul White, Scotty Weir, Nick Wean, Saldana, Ray Allen Kulhanek, R. Burke, Prickett.
Second E Main: Gary Taylor, Stuart Snyder, Daniel Robinson, Russ Harper, Austin Brown, Wes Gutierrez, Daryn Pittman, Chett Gehrke, Tanner Swanson, J. Stasa, Mitchell, Evan Pardo, Ta. Berryhill, Andy Shouse, Fiscus.
First D Main: Johnny Rodriguez, Brett Anderson, Garrett Hansen, Matt Westfall, Donnie Ray Crawford, Joey Moughan, Colby Copeland, Billy Wease, Schuerenberg, Tyler Edwards, Caleb Armstrong, Brad Cox, Hannagan, Dylan Peterson, Greg Bragg, Spencer, Knepper, Cole Carter.
Second D Main: Josh Wise, J.J. Yeley, Dustin Morgan, Kevin Bayer, P.J. Jones, Terry McCarl, Robinson, Dusty Zomer, Kellen Conover, Taylor, Joe Boyles, Cale Conley, Kody Swanson, Travis Berryhill, Snyder, Davey Ray, Wayne Johnson.
First C Main: Shane Hollingsworth, Tim Crawley, Tyler Robbins, Brad Loyet, Josh Ford, Jason Meyers, Alex Bowman, Tyler Walker, Randi Pankratz, Hansen, Dave Darland, Westfall, Moughan, David Gough, Wayne Johnson, Crawford, Anderson, Shuman, Rodriguez.
Second C Main: Josh Pelkey, Jay Drake, Casey Riggs, Shane Hmiel, Yeley, McCarl, Billy Pauch, Jr., Rick Eckert, Bayer, Shane Cockrum, Keith Bloom, Jimmy Light, P.J. Jones, Scott Hatton, Johnathon Henry, Wise, Justin Grant, Morgan, Colton Heath, R.J. Johnson.
First B Main: Kasey Kahne, Shane Cottle, Brad Sweet, Chad Boat, Loyet, Brent Beauchamp, Levi Jones, Bryan Clauson, Don Droud, Jr., Hollingsworth, Robbins, Ford, Damion Gardner, Crawley, Streeter, Felker, Meyers, Buckwalter, Hines, Fike.
Second B Main: Kyle Larson, Thomas Meseraull, Daniel Adler, Chris Windom, Mike Hess, Bobby East, Tim McCreadie, Brady Bacon, McCarl, David Camfield Jr., Yeley, Hmiel, Drake, Brandon Waelti, Riggs, Trevor Kobylarz, Jonathan Beason, Jesse Hockett, Pelkey, Bobby Michnowicz.
Feature: Kevin Swindell, Cole Whitt, Sammy Swindell, Jerry Coons, Jr., Windom, Cottle, Hess, Cory Kruseman, Sweet, Larson, Michael Pickens, Brad Kuhn, Beauchamp, Tony Roney, Adler, Darren Hagen, East, Kahne, Loyet, Brad Mosen, Meseraull, Shane Golobic, Zach Daum, Danny Stratton, Chad Boat.