Silver Dollar report 96-09-21

Swindell Overcomes Obstacles to Win Gold Cup By Richard Day CHICO, CA (September 21) - Jeff Swindell earned every penny of the $20,000 Silver Dollar Speedway Promoter John Padjen awarded him for winning the Skoal Outlaw Series' 43rd Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions Saturday. Standing in victory lane with pit announcer Bobby Gerould following the most prestigious victory of his career, Jeff wasn't bashful as he told everyone in the standing-room-only crowd the obstacles he overcame. "I got food poisoning on Wednesday, and I'm just starting to get over that," Swindell admitted. "When we blew a brake line on lap 28, I was scared to death. Before that happened, we were running with the pedal hung out. Without brakes, we weren't able to blast by them in traffic; we just ran with the throttle." Swindell's fourth victory of the year moved him to within 27 points of 14-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser in their battle for fourth place in the point standings. Jeff, a preliminary feature winner at the Gold Cup and 1989 and 1992, started Saturday's championship feature outside the second row. Steering the #7TW Gold Eagle Maxim into the high groove, he passed preliminary feature winners Brent Kaeding and Sammy Swindell before reaching the back straightaway as two-time defending Gold Cup champion Andy Hillenburg took the lead early in the opening lap. The race lost its 1993 champion with less than five laps completed when Stevie Smith stopped the #71M EcoWater Systems Maxim in turn three with a broken gear box. As the green flag replaced the yellow, Skoal Outlaw Series points leader Mark Kinser took the high line through turn three to pass Sammy for third place. Hillenburg had the #2 STP J&J three car-lengths ahead of Swindell by lap seven, and entered lapped traffic three laps later. Jeff caught Andy in the second corner the next time around, and Kinser made it a three-car battle for the lead by the 13th lap. Making quick work of a pack of backmarkers, Andy opened a half-straightaway advantage two laps later. At the same time, Sammy challenged Kinser for third place. Hillenburg was six car-lengths ahead of Swindell midway through the race when the steering mechanism broke in nine-time Gold Cup champion Steve Kinser's #11 Quaker State Maxim. "The King of the Outlaws" stopped in turn four, bringing out the final caution flag of the night. With a lapped car restarting between him and Jeff, Hillenburg quickly opened a six-car-length advantage after the race resumed. Steering through the turns approximately one car-length inside Andy's line allowed Swindell to reel in the leader, however. Jeff closed to within four car-lengths of Hillenburg when the leaders caught the backmarkers again during the 25th lap. But a quick move around a pair of lapped cars in turn two the next time around allowed Andy to open an eight-car-length advantage. Although his brakes failed the lap before, Swindell was within four car-lengths of the leader by lap 29. Jeff caught Hillenburg four laps later, and took the lead with a low move through the fourth corner as Andy moved into the high groove to pass a backmarker. Jeff opened a comfortable advantage within two laps and was six car-lengths ahead of Hillenburg when the checkered flag fell. "I just made a mistake," Hillenburg admitted. "I got on top of that lapped car and couldn't get around him, and Jeff went by. I guarantee you one thing, we'll be back." Mark Kinser increased his margin over Dave Blaney in the World of Outlaws point standings to 376 points by finishing in third place. Sammy finished fourth, while Joe Gaerte, Paul McMahan, Jac Haudenschild, Johnny Herrera, 15th-starting Greg Hodnett and Steve Kent completed the top 10. Blaney, who drove the #10 Vivarin J&J past seven sprinters to finish 11th, was the last driver on the lead lap. Joey Saldana's 15th-place run pushed him to within 43 points of Lance Blevins in the Skoal Outlaw Series Rookie of the Year standings. Blevins finished 10th in the "B" Feature. WoO 1996 World of Outlaws/Skoal Outlaw Series 43rd Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, CA Saturday, September 21, Feature Program #58 F Feature (10 laps): 1. Steve Fehrman, 2. Gary Willey, 3. Shauna Hogg, 4. Mark Tabor, 5. Rick Frock ($75); 6. David Sims ($50); 7. Ty Hawkins ($50); 8. Jamie Hood ($50); 9. Greg Sherman ($50). (first four qualified for the "E" Feature) E Feature (12 laps): 1. Jason Meyers, 2. Jerry Bonema, 3. Tony Bettencourt, 4. Gary Willey, 5. Steve Fehrman, 6. Mike Mossi, 7. Duane Bonini ($100); 8. Mike McCreary ($75); 9. Mark Tabor ($100); 10. Shauna Hogg ($100); 11. Don Johnson ($50); 12. Dan Paiva ($50); 13. Jeff Peterson ($50); 14. Gary Matranga ($50); 15. Levi Schell ($50); 16. Jason York ($50). (first six qualified for the "D" Feature) D Feature (12 laps): 1. David Robinson, Jr., 2. Graydon Cross, 3. Toni Lutar, 4. Greg DeCaires, 5. Alan Bradway ($100); 6. Greg Blevins ($75); 7. Brian Hodges ($75); 8. Mark MacKay ($50); 9. Gary Willey ($150); 10. Steve Fehrman ($150); 11. Jason Meyers ($100); 12. Tony Bettencourt ($100); 13. Mike Mossi ($100); 14. Jerry Bonema ($100); 15. Jon McClain ($50); 16. Dave Clarke ($50). (first four qualified for the "C" Feature) C Feature (15 laps): 1. Stephen Allard, 2. Jason Statler, 3. Jimmy Trulli ($300); 4. Todd Bammer ($250); 5. Dale Cross ($200); 6. Ryan Riley ($175); 7. John Golobic ($150); 8. Bob Scott ($125); 9. Brad Furr ($100); 10. Greg DeCaires ($150); 11. Colby Weisz ($100); 12. Toni Lutar ($150); 13. Tony Souza ($100); 14. David Robinson, Jr. ($150); 15. Graydon Cross ($150); 16. Tim Kaeding ($100). (first two qualified for the "B" Feature) B Feature (20 laps): 1. Bobby McMahan, 2. Shane Scott, 3. Mark Zieske, 4. Randy Hannagan, 5. Johnny Rodriguez ($500); 6. Mark Monico ($450); 7. Greg Brown ($400); 8. Kyle Schild ($350); 9. Stephen Allard ($325); 10. Lance Blevins ($250); 11. Jason Statler ($250); 12. Jonathan Allard ($200); 13. Billy Nutter ($175); 14. Jason Lund ($150); 15. Chad Riolo ($150); 16. Brian Paulus ($150); 17. Korey Lovell ($150). (first four qualified for the "B" Feature) A Feature (40 laps): 1. Jeff Swindell ($20,000); 2. Andy Hillenburg ($10,000); 3. Mark Kinser ($5,000); 4. Sammy Swindell ($4,000); 5. Joe Gaerte ($3,000); 6. Paul McMahan ($2,500); 7. Jac Haudenschild ($2,000); 8. Johnny Herrera ($1,900); 9. Greg Hodnett ($1,800); 10. Steve Kent ($1,750); 11. Dave Blaney ($1,600); 12. Tyler Walker ($1,500); 13. Jim Carr ($1,300); 14. Joey Saldana ($1,200); 15. Randy Hannagan ($1,125); 16. Brent Kaeding ($1,000); 17. Bobby McMahan ($825); 18. Kevin Pylant ($600); 19. Ray Rust ($500); 20. Marc Zieske ($525); 21. Shane Scott ($525); 22. Jamie Cobbe ($500); 23. Steve Kinser ($500); 24. Stevie Smith ($500). Lap leaders: Andy Hillenburg 1-32, Jeff Swindell 33-40 WoO