MOBILE, AL (March 19) -- Kevin Swindell, son of 3-time (1981, 1982, 1997) World
of Outlaws Series champion Sammy Swindell, won the 25-lap USCS race at Mobile
International Speedway on Saturday. Amazingly, it was just his second race ever
on pavement. Despite the lack of seat time on the surface, the 16-year-old hot
shoe looked right at home claiming fast time of the night with a lap of 14.674
seconds (122.666 mph). The time also set a new track record at the freshly
paved 1/2-mile track. In the 25-lap feature, Swindell started on the pole and
led flag-to-flag for the win earning $2,000 for the top finish.
The fresh pavement usually results in extremely
high tire temperatures which have to be controlled through proper tire management.
Saturday's race was no exception. But with a former World of Outlaws champion
working as crew chief and mentor, the younger Swindell was well prepared to tackle
the challenges of the fresh pavement.
Kevin, and father Sammy, knew that heat cycling
their tires would be necessary to keep tire temperature at manageable levels to
avoid blistering. They cycled Kevin's right rear Hoosier 17.0/28.0-15 2048 tire
which would prove valuable in keeping the tire "live" for the feature
race. They also elected to run a wider right front tire. The #1 car used a
12.0/25.0-15 2045 tire instead of the narrower 11.0/24.0-15 2045 tire. The
decision to use the wider right front tightened up the car and helped save the
tires by allowing the car to drive straighter.
Quote from Kevin Swindell: "Mobile was
a fast track. But my dad (Sammy) and I did what Irish (Saunders) told us to do
with the tires and they worked awesome!"
Quote from Hoosier Open Wheel Asphalt Product
Manager Irish Saunders: "Based on what I have seen with Kevin running
good on dirt and now winning on pavement, he looks like he could be the next
"real deal" in racing."
For more information about the the United Sprint
Car Series, visit their website at www.uscsracing.com.
The USCS is unique in that they are one of only a handful of series to compete
on both dirt and asphalt surfaces. Hoosier is the exclusive tire brand used in
all USCS events.
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