Winner Kody Swanson (middle) is joined in victory lane by 2nd place finisher Bobby Santos (right) and 3rd place finisher Justin Grant (left) following Friday night's Bytec "Dairyland 100" at Wisconsin's Madison International Speedway. (Gene Crucean Photo)
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Oregon, Wisconsin.........History has been a major part of his story for quite a while, but now the record books will forever reflect the fact that Kody Swanson made good on two pieces of USAC Silver Crown history in Friday night's debut at Madison International Speedway.
Swanson won his 23rd career race to tie Jack Hewitt atop the all-time series' victory list.
Meanwhile, it was also the Kingsburg, California's fourth-straight Silver Crown victory of the season, becoming the third driver to accomplish the feat and the first since Hewitt in 1986.
These are stats that the humble Swanson doesn't take for granted and is quick to spread the credit around to the teams who've helped him along the way from the first one to number 23: Six-R Racing, the team whose car he piloted to his first back in 2010 and the ride in which Kody has become synonymous with - the DePalma Motorsports/Radio Hospital - Hampshire Racing Engines/Beast/Hampshire Chevy - that he raced to victory lane at the Bytec "Dairyland 100" for the 23rd win of his career.
"I'm just extremely grateful," Swanson said. "There's 23, but I've done zero of them alone. That's how I feel about it. It takes a team, it takes a family and it takes support from people no one will ever see. I've been fortunate that 23 times those great people have carried me to victory lane. Racing's as big of a team sport as any. It's like a relay race and I get the baton last. This team puts in the work and deserves to win races. I take pride in being a part of that."
Though USAC's National Sprint and Midget divisions had made a smattering of visits over the years to the track, this was the first visit for the Silver Crown cars, putting everyone on mostly equal footing entering the gates of the half-mile paved oval.
"I put more into coming to Madison because it's such an opportunity to have a clean slate," Swanson explained. "No one's got any more laps than me. No one's got any more notes than me. You get a chance to go out and be the first one to get it done. But I was not getting it done early on. I didn't have the car handling very good. That's on me. These guys never quit on me. They jumped through hoops for me. We changed four springs during practice and changed another one before qualifying. We changed the left rear tire because I didn't think we were going to be good enough."
Despite the slight pessimism early on, Swanson sped to the lead from his outside front row starting spot, securing the lead from pole sitter Justin Grant by the time the two hit turn three on the opening lap.
Grant wasn't content to play it conservatively and let Kody ride into the Badger State sunset. Grant remained within arm's reach of Swanson, and on lap six, used an inside move to snare the lead away from Swanson at the stripe where he would remain for the ensuing 41 circuits.
Winner Kody Swanson (middle) is joined in victory lane by 2nd place finisher Bobby Santos (right) and 3rd place finisher Justin Grant (left) following Friday night's Bytec "Dairyland 100" at Wisconsin's Madison International Speedway. (Gene Crucean Photo)