So close but yet so far!

Last Saturday night, Tanner Swanson piloted the Mott-Bolding Motorsports #15 at Roseville’s All-American Speedway, the same car his brother Kody drove to Victory Lane just two weeks prior at Stockton 99 Speedway.  In preliminary action, the younger Swanson brother proved to be just as potent behind the wheel of the Harvest Supply sprinter, qualifying 3rd in time trials and finishing 3rd in his heat race.  In the special event trophy dash, Tanner utilized his outside front row starting position to wage a 4-lap battle with pole-sitter Scott Pierovich.  The duo remained side-by-side for 3 ½ laps until Tanner used a big run off of the topside of turn two to take the lead for good down the backstretch, and earn his team a trophy dash win.  By virtue of his 3rd place qualifying effort and an invert of the 6 fastest qualifiers, Tanner would line his #15 up for the 50-lap feature outside of row two.  At the drop of the green, Tanner moved from 4th to 3rd, and began his pursuit of the leaders.  It wasn’t until the field approached the half-way mark before Tanner was able to take over the 2nd spot, and begin working on the leader.  Around lap 30, Tanner began battling with current leader Shauna Hogg, and was able secure the top spot with a mere 20 laps remaining.  Tanner pulled away from the field, and continued to widen the gap back to 2nd when a lengthy red flag came out on lap 43 for an incident on the back-straightaway of the tight ¼ mile.  When action resumed, the younger Swanson continued to pull away, and appeared headed for his first feature event win of 2010 when disaster struck.  On lap 47, the left rear wheel came loose on the #15, causing the leader to spin all down the front-straightaway, coming to a halt in turn one a mere 3 laps from a visit to Victory Lane.  The culprit was likely the long red flag period that may have allowed the hot metal wheels to cool and come loose.  Nevertheless, the younger Swanson put on a show and will return to racing action with vengeance this weekend at Iowa Speedway.  

USAC Western Midgets at Stockton 99 Speedway---May 1st, 2010

Last October, Tanner Swanson drove a USAC Midget to a New Track Record
and 2nd place finish at Stockton 99, and this year he only looked to improve upon his
previous results.

In preliminary events, Tanner poised his Paul Eskesen Racing #10 for a
strong feature event run. Starting with a 3rd place qualifying effort, Tanner drove his midget to
a heat race victory and a 2nd place finish in the trophy dash all preceding the 30-lap feature.

Lining up outside Row 2 for the main event would prove to be difficult, as it can be
nearly impossible to pass on the tight 1/4 mile paved oval. On the opening lap, Tanner shot to
the outside in turns 1 & 2, and took over the 3rd position heading down the backstretch. In
the next few laps, Tanner quickly got to work, setting up the 2nd place car and executing
an exciting pass through the bottom of turns 3 & 4 to take over the position.

From there, the chase was on as 6th place qualifier and pole sitter, Chad Nichols, was getting away with the lead. Tanner began his pursuit and was closing the distance when he lost braking
power on his #10 around the halfway point. Undaunted, Tanner continued after the leader,
and was still running 2nd when he finally spun to a stop on the final lap in turn 2.

The brake problem was difficult to manage, and entering turn 1 on the final lap the car finally got away from the talented young driver, relegating him to an 8th place finish. On this night, the end
results don't tell the whole story, as Tanner Swanson's strong brakeless run in the #10 was
exciting to watch.

Swanson Takes 2nd in Western Sprint Series Opener

Last weekend, Tanner Swanson returned to Roseville's All-American Speedway poised to take
a shot at victory on the 1/4 mile oval. In 2009, Tanner never finished worse than 2nd at the
Northern California racetrack, and came home with 4 feature wins in Sprint and Midget
competition.

In time trials, Tanner earned Quick Time honors with a lap of 12.85 seconds.
In his preliminary heat race, Tanner finished in the 4th position and locked himself into the
feature event. Based upon an invert of the 6 fastest qualifiers, Tanner would line up Outside
of Row 3 for the 50 lap feature.

In the opening laps, Tanner took over the 5th position,
moved up to 4th and quickly began working on the 3rd place car. A three-car battle ensued,
and by the time Tanner had cleared the pack, Lincoln, California's Tony Hunt had moved to
3rd with Tanner in tow.

The race was subject to a serious turn of events when the race
leaders brought out the caution, as 1st and 2nd spun to a stop while battling for the lead.
Tony Hunt inherited the lead, and put Tanner in the 2nd position, with just over 15 laps
remaining in the event.

In spite of serious challenges on the restart, the Two-Time
defending Champion was unable to put the move on Hunt, and was forced to settle for a 2nd
place finish in his TK Motorsports #17. Although it wasn't the results that they desired, 2nd
place was still a strong run for the TK Motorsports team in their first official event of 2010.

Race Preview: USAC Western States Sprints May 30th at All-American Speedway

Just over a month ago, Tanner Swanson visited victory lane at All-American Speedway. This Saturday night, he looks to repeat that effort, and become the first back-to-back Western Sprint winner in 2009. However, one driver who wants to keep that from happening is older brother Kody. In the April 18th event, Tanner and Kody Swanson drove from as deep as 5th and 6th in the running order to 2nd and 3rd by lap 20. A broken right front hub kept Kody from continuing, but younger Tanner drove to the lead for good with 8 laps remaining. This time around we’ll see for the battle that could have been as Kingsburg, California’s Swanson brothers look for their first 1-2 finish in USAC competition.

TK Motorsports visits the Stockton 99 Speedway Winner’s Circle

Last Saturday night, the Tanner Swanson continued his fantastic 2009 season by dominating the USAC Western States events at Stockton 99 Speedway. Speeds were fast as the USAC Western Sprint and Midget series made their first visit to the freshly repaved ¼ mile oval, and records were sure to fall. Tanner set fast time in USAC Western Midget qualifying, lapping the quarter-mile oval at 12.517 seconds and setting a new track record! In the USAC Western Sprint car division, Kody went out, and qualifying at 12.475 seconds, broke the existing track record! However, Tanner was yet to make his qualifying run, and turning in a 12.344 second lap, he became the new track record holder! At the conclusion of qualifying, TK Motorsports remained on top of the board, Tanner then Kody.

TK Motorsports: Kody Swanson drove the #75 to its
10th Top Two finish in 11 races (M&M Racing Photos)

The USAC Western Midget feature was up first on the night’s schedule of events and Tanner would line up in the sixth position after an invert of the fastest six qualifiers. After showcasing his speed with his record breaking qualifying run, Tanner looked to quickly work through traffic and battle for the win. Early in the race, Tanner did just that, moving to 5th in the first lap, 4th in the 3rd lap and 3rd in the 4th lap. Then, Tanner ran down teammate Levi Roberts, making the pass for 2nd on lap 13. From there Tanner challenged the race leader on numerous restarts during the remainder of the race, but never could materialize the pass for the lead. Tanner did manage to post the fastest lap of the feature, a 12.393, but came home 2nd in his first event driving the DMS Race Products #21d.

Feature Winner: Tanner Swanson drove to his 5th USAC
Western Sprint victory of 2009. (M&M Racing Photos)

In the following USAC Western States Sprint car feature, Tanner and Kody started together in the third-row, Kody inside Tanner outside. However, after qualifying as the fastest two, the Swanson brothers were not likely to stay in their starting positions for long. As the flagman brought the field to green, the front few cars battled for the bottom of the racetrack, leaving the outside lane open and Tanner shot from 6th to 4th in the first two laps! Tanner’s move pinned Kody in on the bottom, pushing him back to 6th. Not letting Tanner get away, Kody made his way back to the rear bumper of the #17, taking over the 5th spot on lap 3. The order remained the same, Tanner 4th and Kody 5th, until Tanner took over the 3rd spot on lap 8 and Kody moved to 4th a lap later. From there Tanner made quick work of the leaders, moving to 2nd on lap 11, and taking the lead on lap 16! It wasn’t until lap 17 that Kody took over 3rd, but he quickly made the pass for 2nd on lap 21. From there, the chase was on. In the next few laps, Kody quickly shortened the gap to the leader, taking the distance from nearly 8 car lengths to less than 5. But as the duo neared the lap 30 mark, Tanner got word of his shrinking lead, and began pulling away from his older brother. The two quickly worked through lapped traffic, but on this night, there would be no denying the defending champ and current points leader, as Tanner Swanson drove his #17 to a dominating 2.9 second victory.

This race marked the 7th-straight victory for TK Motorsports, and the Swanson Brothers 6th
consecutive One-Two feature finish! The race was also Tanner’s 10th-striaght Top Two finish in the USAC Western States Sprint division, helping him to extend his points lead to 133 in the 2009 Championship chase.

As the USAC Western States Sprint car series comes to a close with its final two races, TK
Motorsports looks to win their 4th Car Owner’s Championship in 5 seasons. When the series returns to Madera Speedway on October 24th, the Swanson Brothers will look for their 7th consecutive One-Two finish, and their third at the California racetrack. From there, the series will head to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, California, for their final event as part of the 69th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix. With just two races left to go, Tanner Swanson leads the driver’s championship, winning five times, with five 2nd place finishes and one fourth in eleven races. The TK Motorsports #75 has been driven by both Kody and Tanner, and leads the Owner’s category with six feature wins, and four 2nd place finishes in only eleven starts.


The Winner’s Circle: TK Motorsports in Stockton 99
Speedway victory lane after sweeping the USAC Western
Sprint Feature (M&M Racing Photo)

Call him the “King of California”

Last Saturday night, the Tanner Swanson continued his fantastic 2009 season by dominating the
USAC Western States events at All-American Speedway. Tanner set fast time in USAC Western Midget qualifying, lapping the quarter-mile oval at 12.694 seconds and setting a new track record! In the USAC Western Sprint car division, Tanner qualified 4th out of 18 cars. In the USAC Western Midget feature, Tanner would line up in the sixth position after an invert of the fastest six qualifiers. ran 12.653 in feature. Tanner was in 7th on lap 2, but quickly made his way forward, taking over 6th on lap 3, 5th on lap 6, 4th on lap 7, and 3rd on lap 9.

In the USAC Western Midget feature, Tanner would line up in the sixth position after an invert of the fastest six qualifiers. ran 12.653 in feature. Tanner was in 7th onlap 2, but quickly made his way forward, taking over 6th on lap 3, 5th on lap 6, 4th on lap 7, and 3rd on lap 9. After that Tanner took over 2nd from Indy 500 veteran Davey Hamilton on lap 12, and took the lead from 2006 Turkey Night Grand Prix Winner Billy Wease on lap 25. Tanner defended his lead on a lap 26 restart, and pulled away to a 1.66 second victory, running a For the Lead: Tanner Swanson drives past Billy 12.653-second lap on the final lap of the feature! Wease on his way to his 4th USAC WS Midget victory.

After Tanner represented his team so well in the Midget event, he set out to do the same in the USAC Western Sprint car feature. After qualifying 4th, Tanner wouldlineup third, inside row-two for the 50-lapevent. Tanner battled for the third spot on the opening lap, and settled in patiently, waiting to make his move. On lap 22, Tanner ran around the outside, making the pass for second, and set his sights on the leader. Tanner quickly got to the rear bumper of the race leader, but couldn’t make the pass. However, on lap 37, the time was right and Tanner shot to the outside, taking over the top spot. Tanner lead the rest of the 50-lap feature, taking the win by 2.95 seconds, John’s Racing Photo nearly a quarter-lap margin! Around the Outside: Tanner Swanson makes the pass for 2nd in the USAC WS Sprint event.

This race marked the 6th-straight victory for TK Motorsports, and Tanner’s 9th-striaght Top Two finish in the USAC Western States Sprint division. Tanner continues to increase his lead in the 2009 Championship points chase, extending the margin to 105 points.

Thus far in 2009, Kingsburg’s Tanner Swanson has dominated the USAC Western States events throughout the Golden State. The class of the field in the USAC Western Midget series, Tanner has competed on the pavement and has 4 wins, and 2 thirds in just seven races. In the only race Tanner did not finish on the podium, he suffered from mechanical failure while leading the feature! In the USAC Western Sprint series, Tanner has 4 wins, 5 seconds, and 1 fourth in ten series events, eight of which have been in California. Twice this season Tanner has swept a USAC Doubleheader, sweeping the August USAC event at Madera Speedway, winning the Western Sprint and Ford Focus Midget features. Most recently, Tanner won both the Western Sprint and Western Midget feature last Saturday night at All-American Speedway. As the season nears it’s end, Tanner will look for his next chance to sweep at the USAC Western Sprint/Midget Doubleheader at Stockton 99 Speedway on October 10 .

August 15th at Madera Speedway

USAC Western States Sprint Cars
Entering the USAC Western Sprint car event as the 2009 Championship points leader, Tanner Swanson was no doubt a favorite to compete for the victory. After qualifying in the 4th position, Tanner ran 3rd in his preliminary heat race event, before lining up 3rd on the starting grid for the night’s 50-lap feature event. At the drop of the green flag, Tanner fell to the 5th position before he could get to the fast groove, running the outside lane at the 1/3 mile paved oval. From there however, Tanner was on the move, passing brother Kody for the 4th spot on lap 9, passing for 3rd on lap 13 and for 2nd only four laps later. Once in second, Tanner quickly began reeling in the leader, preparing to make a bid for the top spot in lapped traffic. On lap 32, Tanner dove below leader JoJo Helberg in turn three, effectively pinning him in behind a slower car. As the two exited turn four, the leader drove down the racetrack, making contact with Tanner, spinning toward the infield and bringing out the race’s first caution. Inheriting the race lead, Tanner had 18 laps to-go, but had to withstand the pressure from behind, from brother Kody, now running in 2nd place. After the restart, the two battled side-by-side, with Kody taking the lead on lap 36, just by a nose at the line. However, on lap 37, Tanner battled back on the outside, retaking the lead that he never gave up again. The two ran nose-to-tail before Tanner pulled away in the final laps for his third USAC Western Sprint victory of 2009!

USAC California Ford Focus Midgets
Tanner Swanson started out the Madera Speedway USAC Doubleheader with a California Ford Focus feature victory. In his first start in the Christie Racing #00, Tanner Swanson jumped from his 4th place starting position to the lead in the opening lap! From then on, it was Tanner out front, with everyone else fighting for second. With only three laps to go- Tanner had nearly half-a lap lead on the nearest competitor when the caution came out. After the restart, Tanner had to survive his only serious challenge of the event, when contact from the 2nd place competitor on the last lap got the #00 sideways in turn 2. Tanner straightened the car up, and after surviving another bump from behind in turn 4, continued on to take the feature win. Congratulations to Tanner and the Christie Racing team on their first win in the USAC California Ford Focus Midget series!

USAC Western States Sprint Carsat All-American Speedway- August 1st

Coming off of a strong 2nd place finish at Rocky Mountain Raceway, Tanner Swanson continued his dominance of the USAC Western Sprint series by winning the August 1st event at Roseville’s All-American Speedway. Qualifying in the 6th position, and starting the feature event from the pole, Tanner trailed early leader Shauna Hogg for the first 6 laps. However, from lap 7 on, it was all Tanner in the 50-lap feature event, taking the victory by nearly 4 seconds! For this event, Tanner stepped into TK Motorsports’ Wysong Chassis, giving the #75 the point lead in the Owner’s points category!

USAC Western States Sprint Cars at Rocky Mountain Raceway- July 25th

Entering the July 25th Western Sprint Car event, Tanner Swanson was tied for the series point lead. In the first four races of the season, Tanner had one fourth, two seconds and one win, all strong performances from the defending series champ. Tanner looked to improve upon his season’s results with a strong run at Rocky Mountain Raceway, and started out doing just that, posting the 2nd fastest time in qualifying. In his preliminary heat race event, Tanner took it easy, feeling out the car for the night’s feature event and still came in with a 2nd place finish. The stage was set for a great race in the feature event, as virtue of a six-car invert, Tanner would start next to his brother Kody in the third row, after qualifying one-two earlier in the night. At the start of the
race, brothers Kody and Tanner made a mad dash to the front, Kody taking the lead on lap 5 with Tanner racing into the 2nd position by lap six. Tanner quickly closed the margin to his brother, catching him every lap until the lead was 2 car lengths, where it stayed to a caution on lap 22. After the restart, Tanner pressed hard, keeping close and looking for an opportunity to take the lead. A few laps later, the handling on Tanner’s #17 began to fade, letting Kody slip away. Tanner held on to run a solid second place, filling out his night full of 2nd’s and expanding his point lead to 30 over the nearest competitor!

USAC California Ford Focus Midgets at Rocky Mountain Raceway- July 25th

Tanner made his California and Utah Ford Focus Midget debut at Salt Lake City’s Rocky Mountain Raceway, driving for Fresno’s Western Speed Racing. Tanner qualified the Western Speed #40 in the 7th position, missing the feature event invert by just one position. Tanner won his preliminary heat race and made some changes to the car, attempting to improve the handling for the feature event. Starting from the 7th position, Tanner moved quickly through the field, running as high as second in the early laps. From there the chase was on, as Tanner set his sights on race leader Kipp Posey, running him down and pulling alongside for the lead when the
caution came out. Tanner made many challenges for the lead, but never could pull off the pass, finishing the event in the second position.

USAC Western States/BCRA Midgets at Madera Speedway- July 18th

As the USAC Western/BCRA Midgets returned to the one-third mile Madera Speedway, Tanner
Swanson was looking for his third midget win of the season at the California racetrack. The day started out positive, as Tanner set fast time in qualifying and ran well in his preliminary event heat race. However, based upon his strong qualifying run, Tanner would have to start at the tail of the field due to the invert of the ten-fastest qualifiers. In the early going, Tanner quickly moved through the field running up to second place. However, after a restart in the first half of the race, the brakes went out on the McKenney Racing #88, making it very difficult to continue on, let alone compete for the win. Tanner never gave up, constantly searching for a way around race leader Chad Nichols, but never completed the pass, ending the 40-lap event with a solid second place feature finish.

USAC Western States/BCRA Midgets at Shasta Raceway Park- July 3rd

On a special Friday night event July 3rd, at Shasta Raceway Park, Tanner Swanson made his second start in Nick Rescino & Paul Eskesen’s #10c. The night started out very similar to Tanner’s first start with the team, setting quick time, pacing the 3/8 mi. paved oval in 13.789 seconds, out qualifying his competition by nearly two-tenths of a second. As determined by the USAC/BCRA Midget procedures, Tanner would start the feature event in the tenth position after an invert of the 10 fastest qualifiers. At the start of the race, Tanner began his charge toward the front, however, an engine problem developed early in the 30-lap event, severly hindering his progress. However, Tanner soldiered on, earning his team a solid 6th place finish despite the engine problem.

USAC Western States Sprint Cars at All-American Speedway- June 27th

Tanner Swanson and the TK Motorsports team proved why they are the defending USAC Western States Sprint Car Champions on June 27th at All-American Speedway. After being caught up in a practice incident, Tanner and the TK team rolled out Kody’s car for the night. Tanner quickly adjusted to the different car, preparing for qualifying and posting a lap of 13.02 seconds, earning him the 5th position. Tanner started the 100-lap feature event on the outside front row, but fell back to the 4th position at the beginning of the race. As the race wore on, the Champio showed through, as Tanner climbed to the 2nd spot and set his sights on the leader. Running up to the back bumper of race leader Tony Hunt, Tanner searched for a way around but could not make the pass, settling for a 2nd place feature finish.

Madera Speedway - May 9th

USAC Western States/BCRA Midgets: Tanner Swanson and the McKenney Racing team again proved they are a top-team in the USAC/BCRA Midgets at Madera Speedway. Tanner qualified in the 4th position, but shot from his fifth place starting position in the heat race to win over his competition. In the 30-lap feature, Tanner used his fifth place starting spot to make a strong run at the leaders in the early laps. Tanner drove from fifth to second in the first eight laps, then set his sights on race leader, and two-time USAC Western Midget Champ Jerome Rodela. Tanner seemed to be closing the margin until older brother Kody took over the second spot with 12 laps to go. Tanner held on for a strong 3rd place finish in his 3rd career pavement midget start. Although their early season runs have been impressive, look for Tanner and the McKenney team to race back to the top of the heap when the USAC/BCRA Midgets return to Madera Speedway on June 13th.