Lernerville Speedway, 2000-07-25

Swindell Snatches Silver Cup from Kinser
By Richard Day

SARVER, PA (July 25) -- The intense battle for second place in the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series point standings between Sammy Swindell and Mark Kinser took on added meaning Tuesday in the Ninth Annual Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway. Swindell snapped Kinser's four-year reign over the event, passing Jeff Shepard late in the 30th lap and leading the final 5 1/4 to claim the $33,000 first prize. It was the sixth "A" Feature victory of the year for Sammy, who won his first at Lernerville Speedway May 16th, and gave him a 47-point advantage over the defending series champion. Swindell, who started inside the fourth row, passed only three cars in the first 22 laps. He threaded his #1 CHANNELLOCK Stealth through dense lapped traffic during the final 13, however, to win the 14th "A" Feature of his career at Lernerville Speedway. Sammy, the fifth-fastest qualifier in the 41-car field, finished second in the First NAPA AUTO PARTS Heat Race and seventh in the CHANNELLOCK Dash. Shepard and Kenny Jacobs raced wheel-to-wheel down the front straightaway as the green flag fell in the Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' 40th event of the season. Shepard surged ahead in turn two and opened a half-straightaway advantage within five laps. Shepard was eight car-lengths ahead of Jacobs when Fred Rahmer brought out the caution flag with a first-corner spin early in lap seven. Kinser took the #5M Mopar Maxim for a spin in turn two three laps later. First NAPA AUTO PARTS Heat Race winner Stevie Smith passed Jacobs for second place deep in turn three on the ensuing restart. Vivarin Fast-Time Award winner Danny Lasoski took over third place with a fourth-corner pass of Jacobs two laps later. Shepard was 12 car-lengths ahead of Smith when he caught the backmarkers during the 15th lap. Kinser spun again the next time around and dropped out of the race. Shepard raced away from the field as the green flag replaced the yellow, and opened a 12 car-length advantage within four laps. Sammy continued making his way toward the front during the 22nd lap, beating Jacobs down the back stretch for fourth place. Smith caught Shepard in dense lapped traffic one lap later. Stevie tried to take the lead with an inside move through turns three and four late in lap 24, but was unable to complete the pass. Swindell used a similar maneuver to pass Lasoski for third place late in lap 26 as Smith continued to pressure Shepard. Sammy passed Smith for second place deep in turn three two laps later. Swindell duplicated the move to pass Shepard for the lead late in the 30th lap. The Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series' three-time champion was racing away from the field when a mechanical malfunction forced Andy Hillenburg to stop his #2 Luxaire J&J in turn three with two laps remaining. Shepard was unable to keep pace with Swindell when the race resumed, and was a half-straightaway behind when Sammy took the checkered flag. "We tried to set the car up for the end of the race," Swindell explained. "We wanted to be tight enough to get around once the track slicked off a little bit. I was having trouble just keeping up there at the beginning -- it was pretty hard to turn -- but then the track kind of came to us. This place usually changes quite a bit. Early on it stayed the same, and I thought we were in trouble." Smith held off "The Dude" for third place. Tim Shaffer passed 10 cars to finish fifth. Completing the top 10 were Dale Blaney, Pennzoil World of Outlaws Series points leader Steve Kinser, Joey Saldana, Jacobs and Greg Hodnett. Lasoski received his second Vivarin Fast-Time Award of the season for pacing the qualifying session with a 140.526-m.p.h. lap around the semi-banked, 1/2-mile oval. WoO