PHOTOS: RICK BELDEN, RANDY MCCUDDY |
and win it. I told everybody we was going to win it and we ended up actually taking the win.
There’ s no reason for us to go out there and put all those runs and damage on the equipment for that little bit of money when I can go out there and just make one shakedown and make a pass for the same pot. Hell, we’ re racing a race this
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weekend where the pot is already at $ 15,000. I’ m making one hit. One pass for $ 15,000. There’ s more money in the grudge racing than there is in class racing unless you are running that Radial vs. the World class and you’ re running up against the best. One day I hope our pockets will allow us to do that. If I was able to get a sponsor or something, I have the equipment and everything to go run up front with those guys. I just don’ t have |
the pockets to keep running up front with them.
Whether it’ s racing at major events like Lights Out and Wooostock or getting exposure on TV shows like Street Outlaws and Grudge Race, no-time racing seems to be at an all-time high. Do you see that being reflected in the fan attendance and car counts at these races?
While a great deal of pressure falls on Swanstrom’ s shoulders on race day, he’ s quick to share the glory and rewards of a win with his team, led by his father, Corey“ Big Country” Swanstrom, and rounded out by Bryan Geisler, Dennis Rogers, Sean Burton, Joey Willard, Roderick Gregg and Tyler Swanstrom.
There’ s a lot of people coming to the no-time races. It’ s getting bigger and bigger. The promoters are getting better with the races. They’ re having more classes so everybody has a place to race. The one thing that’ s tricky is you have the main promoters like Donald Long, Jake Harper,
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Lance( Stanford) and Travis( Harvey). Then you have a lot of these other guys that like to run their deal. Payso runs his events up north. You have your main promoters like that who always throw good races, but then you also have other guys who are trying to become promoters or are promoters trying to get bigger. The problem is now everybody is trying to be a promoter. You’ ll have four or five races within a 200-mile radius. All it does is just split everybody up, but that’ s what it is and you have to deal with it.
Grudge racing is growing. Tyler Crossnoe is putting on his Outlaw Street Car Reunion race in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and he’ s adding a no-time deal. Donald Long has been doing it. Lance Stanford and Travis Harvey, they run the Carolina No-Time series. I run that sticker on the side of the car. I help those guys, they help me. The more people work together, the bigger this deal can get.
Speaking of the Outlaw Street Car Reunion, that will be the last big race for Armageddon, right?
It’ s a great-working car. I love it. I’ ve won a lot of races with it, lost some. But my plan is to run a couple more races with it: this weekend, then I’ m going to put the car on 28s and go run it in Bowling Green and that’ s my last race. Me and Dad have already decided we’ re not going to take on any more races. We’ re not scheduling more events. I’ m going to break the car down, service the engine, put a new crank in it and get everything ready. I have a 903 Pat Musi motor back at the house. I’ m going to put that back in“ Armageddon” and I’ m going to start getting ready to put this new car together. My big motor will go up in there. I have to do some things to it – change some chassis stuff and get the car rewired, things like that. So it’ ll be a little while before that car comes out, but I’ ll have it all ready and tested before Donald’ s race in October.
Grudge racing doesn’ t really have any major milestones like class racing – big event wins, elapsed time or speed records or season championships. How do you set your next goal? What’ s the next step for you?
Man, I really want to go run Radial vs. the World and Pro Nitrous. I’ m going to stay in the grudge game, but like I said, our pockets can’ t keep up with the RVW guys, but if I had a sponsor – and I’ m actually talking to somebody right now – my dream is to go run against the Radial vs. the World and Pro Nitrous guys. DI
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May 2018 |
DragIllustrated. com | Drag Illustrated | 81 |