Dylan Swinehart survived a huge 16 car pile-up on lap 14 and then tracked down the leader and raced side by side to take the lead on lap 24 and win in a photo finish with a margin of victory of .019 seconds over Jared LaBagh in 2nd place.
Polesitter Stephen Laubach led the field until the first caution of the day flew on lap 14. On the restart, the 2nd place car was turned by contact resulting in a 16-car tangle and a red flag. All cars involved returned to the track except for Nate Horn and Joey Vaccaro. On the 2nd and final restart and after a lengthy delay, Jared LaBagh swept the outside to move from 3rd to 1st with Dylan Swinehart following him through to 2nd. On lap 20 Dylan Swinehart would pull side by side with LaBagh taking the lead and win in a photo finish.
The heat races for the field of 37 cars were won by Steve Young, Nate Horn, Logan Watt and Parker Guldin.
The consolation races were won by Dylan Swinehart and TJ Mayberry.
T.P. TRUCK EQUIPMENT NASCAR SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH (25 laps):
1.DYLAN SWINEHART (21), 2. Jared LaBagh (16), 3. Kenny Bock (9), 4. Parker Guldin (8), 5. Brett Gilmore (18), 6. Stephen Laubach (2), 7. Stephen Smith III (1), 8. Adrianna Delliponti (17), 9. Kyle Hartzell (4), 10. Logan Watt (15), 11. Addison Meitzler (23) , 12. Zach Steffey (25), 13. Kaitlyn Bailey (7), 14. Jesse Landis (24), 15. Brett Grim (13), 16. TJ Mayberry (22), 17. Jesse Hirthler (19), 18. Ryan Graver (14), 19. Mark Mohr (10), 20. Logan Bauman (26), 21. BJ Joly III (3), 22. Ronnie Solomon (11), 23. Dakota Kohler (12), 24. Steve Young (5), 25. Nate Horn (6), 26. Joey Vaccaro (20)
DID NOT QUALIFY: Nathan Mohr, Zane Roth, Lawson Szerencits, Gavyn Krupp, Alex Bartorillo, Tom Miller Jr., Mikey Schneck Jr., Braydon Shelton, Bastian Miller, Teague Miller, Colton Perry
HARD CHARGER: Dylan Swinehart +20
7/27/24 Race # 13 – SPORTSMAN PIT NOTES
Dylan Swinehart took the win from his 21st starting position which he added to a 2nd place finish three weeks ago. Dylan was racing with his underpowered motor earlier in the season and was having difficulty qualifying, but once in the feature he would run back to front posting several top ten finishes from a starting position of 21st or further back. A heat incident rendered his car unable to continue about a month ago and brother Decker graciously offered up the car for Dylan to continue his magical front to back runs and in the meantime, Dylan has moved to 3rd in the season points standings.
In victory lane Dylan reflected “I really have no idea how we are here in victory lane tonight. We start from the back every week after running the consolation. We did start from 21st, so the wreck was a key part of our night. I was just riding things out in the back with a hard tire, when out of nowhere the 16-car wreck got me up to 4th. I was just rolling the bottom and then went to the top to stay with Jared. With 5 to go I went back to riding the bottom and really thought I made the wrong move and screwed up. I’m usually patient but on the final lap, I overreacted and blew the tires off in the corner. I’m very happy to be here in victory lane.”
Dylan commented “3 top five finishes in three weeks starting 14th to 4th, 18th to 2nd, 21st to 1st. It seems like the worse we start the better we finish. We also have 4 or 5 runs to a top ten from the back of the features earlier in the season.”
“Starting 9th in heat 1 was a big struggle with a freshly reworked track and when Bauman spun, I hit Adrianna and bent my RF axle back but still managed to ride to a 6th place finish. We started on the pole of the consolation and the car just took off and ran away from the field.”
“Started 21st in the feature and the track was good but just was hard to pass. My tires took forever to fire and just before the red flag my tire finally fired then came the big accident. I was fortunate to stay out of it and couldn’t believe when we lined up 4th on the restart. On the restart my tires fired right away, and I was able to roll the bottom, so we got to 2nd and then I went back to the top to chase down Jared LaBagh. He was better than me through 3 and 4 but I saw he was starting to get loose. I just kept following Jared and waiting for my moment. With 3 to go I saw him hang off of 4 and knew that I had to go for it. I rolled the bottom all the way around and was under him coming to the white flag and running side by side into 3 and 4. I probably should have just rolled the bottom but didn’t want to chance it. So, I decided to throw a slow slider, and he hit the cushion perfectly to cross me over, so it came down to a photo finish. We definitely had some people riding along with us tonight to have that kind of luck on a special night for us! As for the back to front runs, I’m just patient and both cars have been hooked up this year. I don’t force the issue when it’s not needed. To finish first you must first finish. I have a car where I can move around and that’s what you need to come from the back.”
Jared LaBagh finished 2nd from his 16th starting position. After an extended red flag period Jared took the lead on the second and final restart on lap 14. By lap 20 Dylan Swinehart was side by side with Jared and took the lead on lap 24 with Jared staying side by side for the final lap where Dylan took the checkered flag by a photo finish margin of .019 seconds.
Jared has posted a 3rd, 1st and 2nd in his last three races and has quickly taken to the high banks at Grandview after arriving on June 22.
Jared noted “We had a good heat going from 7th to 3rd and just patiently followed Logan Watt to the front.”
“In the feature we got up to 10th from 16th when the pileup happened. We got in the pileup but survived with minimal damage which put us up to 3rd on the restart and we rocketed right to the front on lap 15, but the crew said something looked off in the car after that. The car was just a little loose for the whole feature, so it was a gift to get right to the lead like we did, and I just tried to maintain. I didn’t think I had a good car on the bottom like Dylan, so I just stuck to the top and unfortunately for us he was just a little bit better on the bottom. But at the end of the day, it probably just came down to him having more experience at Grandview and being able to read the track better. When you’re in the lead it’s hard to want to change lanes when that’s what got you there. We have had 3 feature finishes here and 3 podium finishes and I would have never thought we’d come here and be this good.”
Kenny Bock finished 3rd from his 9th starting position. On the opening lap of the feature Kenny found moisture that was not run and he dropped from 9th to 24th. As the big wreck developed on lap 14 Kenny had a good view of the big 16 car wreck as he checked up and drove by and into 5th place when the racing restarted. Kenny was able to finish a solid 3rd after being the right place at the right time for a change.
Kenny noted “For about a month it’s been tough for us to qualify in our heat race when we are starting on the outside. By the time you can get down to the bottom you have usually lost several positions.”
“Started 4th in the heat and was able to get to the bottom quickly but then had to check up for a spin and got hit from behind. Still managed to finish in the invert for the feature which is what we are looking for from our heat.”
“In the feature started 9th and at the start our tires spun in some water in the middle of the track which dropped us from 9th to 24th on lap 1. I got the tires in some water and when I stomped the gas at the start the tires spun and car wouldn’t turn so got freight trained back to 24th on opening lap which in the end probably saved us from being one of the 16 involved in the tangle.”
“I was able to see the wreck and got around it with minimal contact. After the red flag and delay the car hooked up on the restart and in the final 10 laps I went from 5th to 3rd. We didn’t touch anyone in the feature, and I take pride in that as a driver and wish other drivers would have a similar outlook. We had a 50 on the RR and the track came to us late in the race and we had good tire wear.”
Parker Guldin finished 4th from his 8th starting position to post his best finish of the season.
Last night was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and we finally had a good night this season. At the start of the year, we were really good with pure consistency but then out of nowhere we had a motor goof which led to a suspension goof that I chased and wasted everyone’s time on for 6 or 7 weeks. The slightest change was a world of difference in a bad way. Luckily, we finally found it and were able to circle back and get some speed. “
“In the heat race, I was thankfully able to find that speed early and capitalize on it. Fun fact, that was the first time ever in my racing career that I was shown the “expanding lead” signal by Ray Kemp, the flag man. After the last few weeks of an ill handling car and struggling every night, it was a weight lifted off my shoulders to get a top five finish tonight. It’s one thing for me to struggle, but to bring my family and friends to the track to see me and then I do nothing but struggle it gives me a gut punching feeling.
“In the feature I believe I made a poor setup change, and I wasn’t as good as I could have been, but it wasn’t terrible. I was holding on but not advancing. The unfortunate pile up around halfway through the feature, did more costly damage than just cosmetic damage and crippled me for the rest of the race.”
“Once again, a slight shock issue totally changed the handling of my car for the worse, but all things considered we are more than happy with a 4th place finish on the night from an 8th place starting position. We’ll continue to work hard to keep up the pace and carry this speed into the weeks to come.”
Brett Gilmore finished 5th from his 18th starting position. Brett stated “Hot laps were the same as they have been – 3 laps foot on the floor and one hand. Our car always feels great in warmups. Started 8th in the heat race and was making moves on the top to pick off cars. Made it up to 5th but had too much stagger to run the bottom efficiently.”
“Started 18th in the feature and the car just worked right from the beginning. Went right through the middle and was picking up spots quick. Picked up a little right rear quarter damage from someone so that acted as a parachute for me so I’m sure that didn’t help me too much. Then I saw the wreck happening and I felt a bump from behind that almost put me into the wreck. I was able to turn left and went through the infield to safety. Where else am I supposed to go? Into the wreck? They lined me up at 4th and my first thought was oh I have a good chance of winning, but because I went through the infield, they put me back to 8th. I understand that you’re not supposed to go through the infield, but where else was I supposed to go? The car was decent up top just kept backing it into the cushion and then for the 7th time this year the track took rubber on the bottom. The small changes we’ve made in the past 6-7 weeks have made a difference and with what we are doing now in 2025 we should be really good. All in all, a great night and congratulations to Dylan on the win he was definitely hooked up.”
Stephen Laubach finished 6th from his 2nd starting position to post his career best Grandview finish.
Stephen reflected “well start of hot laps we just took it easy and tried to see how the car would drive and if everything would stay together. In the heat we started on the pole and was able to grab 4th and stay in the invert position.
In the feature we just missed the wreck while the 2nd place driver tried to get under me, and I was able to be in front of it all and come out of it without any damage. We have made 4 features this season and in 3 of them something has happened to the car from power steering issues, a broken shock which led to a broken rear and many late nights in the shop making repairs.”
“What changed for us this week from prior features is the car stayed together. We also had a lot of setup advice from Dave Hoffman and Russell Sharp. This week we spent lots of time in the shop adjusting on the scales and I also found we now have the car handling a lot better entering and exiting the corners and we are no longer loose in the corners. This week the car seemed to handle perfect for the first time this season.”
“Once I saw the big wreck, I looked at the lap counter tower and I remember thinking wow this could happen, we could actually win this race. Even though we finished 6th, I think it was a good night and a boost of our confidence for our low budget team. It was my best Grandview finish ever and I never thought we would even make it this far. Grandview has always been one of my favorite tracks to watch. Even though we are a low budget team I still think we can get a win at this track.”
Stephen Smith III finished 7th from his pole starting position and posted his career best finish in only his 5th outing at Grandview.
Stephan commented “I raced quarter midgets for 4 years then moved into a stage 1 modified for two years and that has led me to the 602 Crate Sportsman class at Grandview speedway. My first 4 weeks were difficult getting use to how the track changes almost every time you’re on it.”
“We were tight in hot laps which is what I hoped for so we would not have to make any changes for the heat race. Since we are now in the handicap, we knew a top 4 in our heat would put us on the pole for the feature and we finished 2nd in our heat.”
“In the feature we started on the pole and managed to get through the big tangle on the lap 14 restart without any damage. From there we were able to drive to a 7th place finish for my first top 10 finish in only 5 starts in the 602 Crate Sportsmen division at Grandview.”
“Without a doubt Grandview is one of the tricky tracks I have ever raced on. You don’t know how your car is going to handle until you’re on the track since it changes so much which makes it very difficult to consistently qualify from week to week. The racing here is competitive & close racing against a ton of experienced drivers, and a lot of fun with both a top and bottom lanes most of the time.”
Andrianna Delliponti finished 8th from her 17th starting position to break into the top ten for the first time in about 6 weeks due to continued motor issues.
Andrianna noted “This was the first time in six weeks we didn’t have to go to the consolation. We were in the first heat which is always a difficult track to race on, but we got a caution and were able to use it to our advantage and qualify in the heat and avoid the consolation.”
“We have been having motor issues for the last six weeks, so Friday night we tested at the Enduro race. Our motor was better tonight but still not really where it should be.”
“We started 17th in the feature but was not going anywhere until the accident so it worked out for us. I saw the wreck developing up ahead and put the car into neutral and went through the field. We restarted 9th and finished in 8th with a pure luck top ten finish. We still have a lot of work to do to get back where we were with the motor early in the season.”
Kyle Hartzell finished 9th from his 4th starting position to post his first career top ten finish at Grandview but it was not easy for Kyle to finally get into the top ten. In the past two races he has been running in the top five only to have mid race incidents take him out of the race. This week he was running in 2nd on the 2nd restart when he was turned in front of the entire field for what turned out to be the 16-car big tangle, but he was able to escape and finish the race in 9th for his career first top ten finish.
Kyle reflected “It took a lot of trial and error to get to where we are now with a solid baseline setup in the car and motor. This season we were able to find a set up that worked well and these last few weeks we’ve just been fine tuning here and there. Ron from Fast Four Shocks has been helping us with different set ups and I think we are starting to get the hang of things. I was closing in about to take the lead and then a caution happened. On the restart unfortunately I got turned. I just looked over my shoulder and saw the multitude of cars coming my way and closed by eyes hoping for the best. Somehow the car was totally fine, and everything stayed straight. I was able to come back with my best finish yet so I’m very happy for that! I’d like to thank my dad (Mike), and my godfather (Jeffy), for all the hours they put in the shop every week. Without them, the car wouldn’t even be on the track. I’d also like to thank Jeffy’s dad, my mom, and my girlfriend for all their support and lastly thank you to Darrin Schuler and Larry Kautz for all their knowledge and help.”
“The night started off with hot laps feeling the best it ever did, so we didn’t change anything going into the heat. Then in the heat I started second, got up to first, and finished second to get us in the handicap.”
In the feature I started 4th and slowly moved forward to 2nd while the leader had half a track on the entire field. I really wasn’t expecting to catch him but all of a sudden, I was next to him and then the first caution came out on lap 14 and everything changed. On the restart I was in 2nd and then unfortunately the big crash happened. On the second restarted I started 8th and was able to rally and come back with my career best finish in 9th. I also was able to run next to the point leaders Logan Watt lap after lap which was a great accomplishment for me.”
Logan Watt finished 10th from 10th starting position. Logan was collected in the 16 car tangle but able to finish the night out with a top ten finish in 10th place.
Zach Steffey finished 12th from his 25th starting position in his first outing since sliding down in front of the field without any breaks and receiving heavy damage that sidelined the 47z for a week. Zach was again involved in the big tangle, but this time was able to keep the car out and finish 12th.
Zach stated “We had a lot of front end damage from the 40 lap race so had to miss a week getting car fixed. This week I wasn’t going anywhere until the wreck. I dropped a few positions but kind of held my own to a 12th place finish.”
Next up on Saturday, August 3rd will be a two-division program of modified and sportsman racing. Modified and Sportsman will have qualifying races leading up to the 25-lap Sportsman and 30-lap Modified main events. Pit gates open at 4:00 and Spectator gates at 5:00 with hot laps at 6:00 and racing at 7:30.
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