SWAN BREAKS POINT TIE AT LACROSSE

Topics:  James Swan

Matt Panure
Mid American Stock Car Series
June 2, 2012

West Salem, WI (June 2, 2012) While the leaves may have been a little greener than they usually are when the Mid-American Stock Car Series visits the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, Victory Lane looked very much the same as it did last fall. That’s because the focus of attention happened to be the same guy; five-time MASCS champion James Swan.

Swan emerged as a dominating force late in the Ronald McDonald House 35 Saturday night, pulling away to his second straight series feature win after taking top honors at Golden Sands last week. The victory was also his second straight on the 5/8s mile La Crosse oval, as he captured last season’s series finale at Octoberfest.

“This was awesome tonight,” he said. “This car is so good here. We kept it just for here and Madison.” That proved to be a “grand” decision in more ways than one, as Salon Professional Academy increased the winner’s share of the purse to a tidy $1,000.

The night started well for Swan as he edged hometown favorite Dan Gilster for top qualifying honors by a slim two/hundredths of a second. With an invert of 13 cars, it would mean that two of the pre-race contenders would be charging forward from the 6th and 7th rows.

Pole sitter Ryan Gutknecht let it be known at the drop of the green that he intended to be a contender as well. Gutknecht locked up with another local star, former La Crosse Late Model regular Tom McClintock, in a tight side by side duel early for the lead. The battle continued until the ninth lap when the event’s lone caution flag flew.

Jeremy Spoonmore was leading the charge forward from the 6th row, with Gilster and Swan behind him. He moved inside Bill Prietzel for a shot at a top five spot, but instead the two MASCS veterans ended up in a tandem-slide through the first turn. Eric Buchholz and Chris Storey were collected in the melee and knocked from the race. Spoonmore would eventually drop as well.

Mid-American uses the “pick-a-lane” procedure for restarts, which turned into a trump card for Swan. He chose the outside line, in the process gaining positions under caution; advancing up to the outside of the second row. Gilster also took the same approach, moving up to the outside of the third row.

With green in the air, Gutknecht and McClintock took up where they left off, with rookie sensation Ryan Farrell now in the mix. Swan began to roll out his game plan for the win; establish himself in the top four, move outside, and pass the three cars in front of him for the lead. There was only one problem – somebody else was following the same script Gilster was running his first race of 2012, but not entirely by choice. He was the Speedway’s 2011 Sportsman champ; and a track rule states that a champion in a lower division must either move up in class or sit out a season. That meant either a move to late models, or no regular Saturday night at La Crosse for an entire year. Gilster chose the latter.

His retooled Sportsman car had been fast all night; and it was fast enough to beat Swan to the outside groove. Just as Swan envisioned himself doing, Gilster began to pick off the top spots one at a time. But the car was “loose-out”, and more than a handful by the time he edged alongside of Gutknecht for the lead.

The advance stopped there, and he began to fall back, eventually behind Swan. With the door finally open, Swan swung to the outside. With a full dose of momentum through one and two, he powered past three cars in a single lap, with Gutknecht being the last domino to fall. Over the course of the final 15 laps, he raced away to a commanding lead.

With Swan checked out, focus shifted to the contest for second. Gutknecht held the spot until the final laps when Farrell would eventually prevail in a wild finish that included no less than seven cars vying for the spot.

Brad Keith proved to be one of the fastest cars in the final portion of the race as he picked up several spots late to finish third, ahead of Gilster and Gutknecht in the top five. Lyle Nowak, Jacob Finney, McClintock, and Adam Bendzick came next in line with Prietzel recovering from the early incident to round out the top ten.

Swan’s victory also garnered him sole possession of the MASCS point lead over his “friendly rival”, Farrell. Mid-Am followers are familiar with the story – former crew member dons driver’s suit and becomes instant challenger to the crown. But there is a little more to the story.

When Farrell left Swan to drive for Dan Church, most of the rest of the crew went with him. That means Swan’s race day crew stands at – one guy. Actually - make that - one girl.

Now Swan’s girlfriend Katie Kostka basically wears all the support hats, from crew chief to spotter. He credits her with helping to make the final set-up calls that allowed the car to work well from the outside, along with an accurate read from the spotters stand as he made his play for the lead.

“I had a hard time passing Ryan (Gutknecht)”, he said. “I thought I was by him, but she was telling me ‘still there, still there’. I made my middle arc a little different, and that helped me get by.”

For the time being, Swan holds the points edge on his former teammate, but decisions loom on the horizon. He is part of an ASA Midwest Truck Series team with scheduling conflicts a concern. “I had hoped to get a big lead on (Farrell), but he is so good; smooth and consistent,” Swan noted. “He’s patient, doesn’t stick his nose where it shouldn’t go. That’s what I like about this series in general – we don’t race AGAINST each other, we race WITH each other.”

As for Katie – will she be the next Ryan Farrell and use her boyfriends tutelage to make the move from pit crew to driver’s seat? “No, no, no,” she laughed. “I like it on this side!”

Once again, a short turn around will see the Mid-American Stock Car Series back in action on Saturday, June 9 for Dells Duel One at Dells Raceway Park.

Dells Raceway Park is located at N1070 Smith Road, five minutes north of downtown Wisconsin Dells, Wis., off highway 12-16. For more information, including the latest news, the 2012 schedule and more, visit www.dellsracewaypark.com.

For more information about the Mid-American Stock Car Series, including results, the 2012 schedule, standings and driver information visit www.midamericanracing.com.