Dirt
Swansons Add New Title Sponsor
Husband-wife team to chase NHRA
Top Dragster championship
A
rnold Motor Supply, a Midwest
automotive parts store chain, has
signed on as the primary sponsor of
Afton Swanson and her NHRA Top
Dragster for the 2019 season. Swanson will be
running a full season to contend for the NHRA
Top Dragster national championship, thanks to
the support from Arnold Motor Supply.
“We’ve had several great seasons, but some-
thing always came up that prevented us from
making it to all the races needed to contend for
a championship,” said Swanson, 27. “With this
support from Arnold Motor Supply, we are now
in a position to be able to run a full schedule. I
am so thankful to have this opportunity and hope
we can do well for them.”
Arnold Motor Supply, based out of Spencer,
Iowa, has more than 50 parts stores throughout
Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, and Illinois.
Arnold Motor Supply has been in business for
over 90 years and is one of the most recognized
brands in Iowa.
“Growing up, my dad would take me into town
and we would buy parts at the local Arnold’s,”
Swanson said. “Twenty years later, my husband
Joe and I purchase many of our supplies for our
business (Swanson Hydro Graphics) through
Arnold Motor Supply. It is awesome to be part-
nered with a company that has always been a
part of my life.”
Arnold Motor Supply has been involved in the
dirt track world for several years and wanted to
grow their brand awareness in drag racing. “I
feel incredibly honored to have this opportunity
to bring an Iowa company into the drag racing
industry,” Swanson said.
Afton and Joe Swanson are a husband and wife
team from Denver, Iowa. Afton (27) and Joe (29)
are first-generation racers forging their own path
in the world of drag racing. Although they are
one of the youngest teams in drag racing, they
have already made a name for themselves in the
Top Dragster class.
Afton finished in the Top 25 in the NHRA
national points standings the past two seasons,
despite not attending all the races needed to maxi-
mize her points total. She also won the NHRA
Heartland Nationals in Topeka in 2017, and was
runner-up at the NHRA Midwest Nationals in
St. Louis in 2018.
Joe has also built a reputation as an exception-
al crew chief at only 29 years old. The Swanson’s
Top Dragster is a 2015 Spitzer dragster powered
by a 540ci big-block Chevy with a 14-71 roots
blower. Joe has tuned their Top Dragster to mul-
tiple world records, including the fastest BTE
Transmission and Torque Converter-equipped
car and the fastest Ron’s Fuel Injected Car in
drag racing.
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24 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 145