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the two finalists want to split, that’ s on them.”
No-time racing like this is what has thrust Swanstrom into a whole new spotlight after early success as a teenaged X275 racer a few years ago. Now, instead of trying to put up big numbers on the scoreboard between qualifying and eliminations, Swanstrom is making far fewer passes and far more money in the secretive notime / grudge racing scene.“ Some people get on me on the internet, asking‘ Why are you bashing class racing?’ It’ s not that I’ m bashing,” Swanstrom clarifies.“ I can’ t travel 12 hours out of state, run all those rounds, and put the beating on my motor for three or four grand. It just doesn’ t work out right. When I can go out there and make one pass for five, ten,
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fifteen, twenty thousand dollars, that’ s what works out.”
The increase in reward didn’ t come without a whole lot of risk, though, as big money can be lost just as easily as it can be won when there’ s no runner-up money or qualifying bonuses.“ There’ s quite a bit of money to lose too,” Swanstrom acknowledges.“ I’ ve ran for a lot of money. Knock on wood, I haven’ t lost a lot. I ran one race for $ 44,000 – one pass. You don’ t get no shakedowns, you don’ t get to go out there and qualify, see what the other guy runs, there’ s no scoreboards, nothing. Y’ all both line up at the beams and you let go of the button. Forty-four grand – it’ s going one way or the other.”
And as evidenced by the sea of spectators and bettors that
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Justin“ Lil Country” Swanstrom’ s name wasn’ t found on any qualifying sheets at Lights Out 9, but the starting line was filled with bystanders whenever he and his father Corey’ s“ Armageddon” Mustang pulled up for a grudge race or N / T Shootout pass.
appeared on the starting during the various grudge races that took place during the class-racing qualifying sessions, no-time racing is as popular with fans as it is with the racers who take part in the N / T shootouts.
While it’ s the action on track that makes for a cool picture or video, it’ s the crowd that forms around racers in the staging lanes
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that gets the full show. Drivers, crew members and other supporters will talk trash back and forth before they fire up, building anticipation and fueling rivalries.“ I love the trash talking and everything,” Swanstrom says.“ There’ s quite a bit of people who look at it and think that everybody is mad at each other or hates each other, but it’ s not like that. Everybody loves each other, just like all racing – I love all racing. Whenever we’ re arguing, we’ re not really arguing, we’ re just hyping up the sport. Just like Stevie( Jackson) going NHRA racing – he’ s hyping up the sport. It’ s just what we do. It makes it better for the fans. They like to come out and see trash talking and good racing going down.”
– NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
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