ANDERSON, Ind. — California teenager Tanner Swanson inherited the lead with 49 laps remaining and held off Brad Sweet to win the Banjo 100 USAC National Sprint Car Series race May 21 at Anderson Speedway.
Levi Jones jumped into the early lead, with Swanson shadowing him from the start on the quarter-mile asphalt oval.
Jones led until making contact with the lapped car of Robert Ballou on lap 51 and hitting the second-turn wall.
Swanson took the lead and, despite a challenge from Sweet during the final 10 laps, rode to his first USAC national series triumph, only four days after winning the USAC Western Sprint Car Series event at Tracy, Calif.
“I was trying to take the lead in lapped traffic, but couldn’t find a way to make the pass,” Swanson said. “At the finish as the fuel load burned off, the car was getting looser and looser in the corners, but we were able to hold on.”
Sweet finished second, while Bobby Santos rode home third. Cole Whitt and Chris Windom rounded out the top five.
The red flag waved on lap 78 when Brady Short flipped during a six-car accident. No drivers were injured.
Bobby East set a track record during qualifying, turning an 11.104-second lap. However, East’s night ended with mechanical trouble before the start of the main event, which kicked off Little 500 week at Anderson.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Bobby East, Klatt 5, 11.104; 2. Tracy Hines, Stewart 21, 11.133; 3. Tanner Swanson, Ram 50m, 11.265; 4. Brad Sweet, Kahne 9, 11.280; 5. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 11.340; 6. Chad Boat, Boat 30, 11.362; 7. Cole Whitt, Kunz 67k,11.377; 8. Bobby Santos III, Santos 98s, 11.389; 9. Jesse Hockett, VKCC 75, 11.443; 10. Jerry Coons, Jr., Dynamics 69, 11.444; 11. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 11.451; 12. Chris Windom, Windom 17, 11.451; 13. Damion Gardner, Leffler 71, 11.501; 14. Dave Darland, Pace 44, 11.517; 15. Dakoda Armstrong, C & A 7a, 11.532; 16. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 11.583; 17. Eric Gordon, Bowman 51,11.592; 18. Shane Cottle, Contos 4, 11.645; 19. Jacob Wilson, Wilson 07, 11.658; 20. Marc Jessup, Jessup 14j, 11.672; 21. Brady Short, Short 36, 11.673; 22. Kenny Biro, Biro 22, 11.735; 23. Johnny Rodriguez, Pierson 14, 11.758; 24. Robert Ballou, MPHG 81, 11.796; 25. Brian Gerster, Davis/Gerster 27, 11.846; 26. Aaron Pierce, Blake 81x, 12.394; 27. Brad Kuhn, Triple Crown 1h, no time; 28. Rex Norris III, Norris 63, no time; 29. Dave Steele, Puglio 91, no time.
First Non Qualifiers Race (15 laps): Whitt, Hockett, Gardner, Hagen, Gordon, Armstrong, Wilson, Short, Gerster, Rodriguez.
Second Non Qualifiers Race (15 laps): Santos, Coons, Windom, Bacon, Jessup, Ballou, Biro, Darland, Armstrong, Cottle.
Last Chance Race (10 laps): Wilson, Biro, Short, Cottle, Gerster, Armstrong.
Feature (100 laps): Swanson, Sweet, Santos, Whitt, Windom, Boat, Bacon, Wilson, Cottle, Short, Gardner, Biro, Coons, Hagen, Ballou, Jones, Hockett, Jessup, Hines, Gordon, Armstrong, East.