Issue 10 - September 5, 2009 (Part 1)

Official News from TK Motorsports
3-time USAC Western States Sprint Car Champions
TK Motorsports goes One-Two for 3rd time in 2009!
For the fifth time in only seven races this season, TK Motorsports was in Victory Lane with the USAC
Western States Sprint Car series. Tanner Swanson got the victory August 15th at Madera Speedway, with
brother Kody running second, giving TK Motorsports their third One-Two finish in a row! Starting the trend
at Roseville in May, the Swanson brothers swept the July event at Rocky Mountain Raceways and
continued their streak through the August race at Madera. Due to scheduling conflicts, Kody has not been
able to make all of the races, but Tanner has raced as the sole representation for the TK team. He has done a
fantastic job, winning once and finishing 2nd in the other event. So far this season, Tanner’s performances
have been outstanding. In the first event of the season he finished fourth, but hasn’t finished worse than 2nd
since, picking up three second place finishes to go with three season victories. Despite his limited
appearances, Kody has competed well also, finishing second twice to go with his two series victories in only
5 attempts.
This Saturday night, when the USAC Western States Sprint car series travels to Salt Lake City, Utah’s
Rocky Mountain Raceways, they will be led by series point leader Tanner Swanson. Currently enjoying a
43 point lead over the nearest competitor, the defending series Champion will look to improve upon his
second place finish in the July event at RMR. The last time that the USAC Western Sprint series traveled to
the Salt Lake City oval, the results were all TK Motorsports. The team swept qualifying One-Two, with
Kody setting a New Track Record, pacing the 3/8-mile oval in 13.582 seconds. The brothers later swept the
feature event from
their
third
row
starting
positions,
Kody taking the
victory with Tanner
in tow. The battle
between the brothers
will continue, as
Kody looking to
defend his July race
win from RMR,
while Tanner brings
the momentum of
two straight August
victories in the
series at Roseville
and Madera
Speedways.
The TK Motorsports team in Victory Lane
after sweeping the Western Sprint Event One-Two at Madera Speedway.
USAC California Ford Focus Midgets
August 15th at Madera Speedway
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 Cars
August 15th at Madera Speedway
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!
Tanner Swanson on the track at Roseville’s All American Speedway.
Tom Parker Photo
California Grand Slam Sprint Bandits
August 22nd at Chowchilla Speedway
Making his first career dirt sprint car start, Tanner and the Stansberry racing team traveled to the
Chowchilla Speedway to compete with the California Grand Slam Bandits series. The 360ci non-wing sprint
cars roared to life around the 1/3-mile clay oval, and Tanner qualified in the 13th position. Starting near the tail
of his heat race, Tanner made his first laps around other
cars, and quickly adjusted to the handling of the car in
traffic, finishing up the heat race in the 8th spot. Starting the
feature event in the 13th position, Tanner gained a lot of
experience in the 30-lap race. Battling around the 8-10th
position for most of the race, and falling back as low as 13th,
Tanner drove back up to a solid Top Ten, bringing home a
10th place finish in his dirt sprint debut!
USAC National Midgets
August 30th at Angell Park Speedway
Set to make his first USAC National Midget start of 2009, Tanner headed to Angell Park Speedway in
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin for the first time in his career. The tight 1/3-mile dirt bullring has proven tough for
newcomers in the past, but Tanner looked to prove he is an exception to the rule. In a field of 35 of the nations
best dirt midgets, Tanner qualified the TK/Team 6R #19 in the 19th position. Lining up 4th in his preliminary
heat race, Tanner made a quick move to get to the 2nd spot, before eventually finishing 5th in the event, failing to
transfer to the night’s feature through the heat. Starting 6th in the semi-feature, that transferred the Top 6 to the
feature event, Tanner ran a solid race, coming home in the
5th position and earning himself a spot in the USAC
National Midget Hall of Fame Classic. Starting in the 18th
position, Tanner ran the cushion, right up next to the fence
for the first few laps, driving up toward the Top 12.
Battling there for much of the event, with the likes of Tracy
Hines and other veterans, Tanner gained a lot of experience.
Late in the race, a spin in turn four put Tanner to the tail of
the field, and eventually a 20th place finish. Although it was
a great accomplishment to make the feature event, Tanner
ran much better than his final results showed, and looks to
become a force on the dirt midget scene in the near future!
Tanner on the gas at “The Prairie” in the #19
Jeff Arns Photo
Upcoming Events:
Tanner: USAC Western Sprint CarsUSAC Western Midgets-
September 5th at Rocky Mountain Raceways in Salt Lake City, UT.
September 12th at Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, CA.
For more information on Tanner, visit…tannerswansonracing.com