Big Game Night: Swindell, Dollansky finish 1-2 in All Star’s DIRTcar Nationals

BARBERVILLE, FL (2-9-11) By Brian Liskai   Sammy Swindell continues to to amaze sprint car fans. The Germantown, Tenn. driver came from ninth to victory Wednesday, Feb. 9 in the O Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champions event to open the 40th Annual DIRTcar Nationals by the University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park.

Since teaming up with the Big Game Tree Stands team last year, Swindell has been one of the hottest sprint car drivers in the nation. He drove into the lead on lap 7 of the 30-lap event Wednesday, and held off challenges on a late race caution to score his 22nd career All Star victory.

All of the guys did a great job tonight,  said Swindell.  I was able to put the car anywhere and was able to go.

Swindell, who qualified 13th of 40 cars, worked past leader Kraig Kinser in the Casey s General Stores car and blistered the field.

Craig Dollansky started 17th in the other Big Game Tree Stands car and proved the Tod Quiring owned team will be a force to deal with all season as he came home second. All Star regular David Gravel finished a third followed by Pennsylvania Posse member Daryn Pittman and two time All Star champion Greg Wilson.

Driving from 17th to second isn t easily done,  said an exhausted Dollansky.  Everyone on this Big Game Hunter team worked very hard and we wound up with a great finish tonight.

Sammy s just a great teammate to have. There s such a tremendous amount of knowledge there and we can always benefit and get better because of it.

Early leader Kraig Kinser looked strong in his new #6 Casey s General Stores ride, but a cut tire knocked him out of the running.

For Pittman, it was another top five run with the All Stars, vaulting him into the series  Eastern Region point lead.

Volusia Speedway Park, Feb. 9, 2011

A-main (30 laps) – Starting Position [#]

1) 1-Sammy Swindell [9]; 2) 7-Craig Dollansky [17]; 3) 89G-David Gravel [4]; 4) 27-Daryn Pittman [7]; [5) W20-Greg Wilson [6]; 6) 1Z-Stevie Smith [5]; [7) 14-Jason Meyers [10]; 8) 83X-Tim Shaffer [13]; [9) 51-Fred Rahmer [11]; [ 10) 2-Dale Blaney [3]; 11) 15-Donny Schatz [15]; 12) 30C-Lance Dewease [21]; 13) 9-Joey Saldana [19]; 14) 14Z-Jessica Zemken [8]; 15) 11-Steve Kinser [24]; 16) 17-Tyler Walker [20]; 17) 22-Brian Ellenberger [22]; 18) 2B-Ben Gregg [23]; 19) 5W-Lucas Wolfe [14]; 20) 7S-Jason Sides [16]; 21) 6-Kraig Kinser [2]; [22) 63-Chad Kemenah [12]; 23) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [1]; 24) 83-Paul McMahan [18].

Qualifying

1) 1Z-Stevie Smith 13.525 2) 51-Fred Rahmer 13.607 3) 63-Chad Kemenah 13.609 4) 6-Kraig Kinser 13.639 5) 83X-Tim Shaffer 13.677 6) 89G-David Gravel 13.727 7) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 13.746 8) 4-Danny Smith 13.772 9) W20-Greg Wilson 13.777 10) 2-Dale Blaney 13.777 11) 27-Daryn Pittman 13.859 12) 14Z-Jessica Zemken 13.868 13) 1-Sammy Swindell 13.885 14) 14-Jason Meyers 13.932 15) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 13.940 16) 15-Donny Schatz 13.940 17) 7S-Jason Sides 13.964 18) 24-Terry McCarl 14.005 19) 7-Craig Dollansky 14.011 20) 83-Paul McMahan 14.017 21) 9-Joey Saldana 14.020 22) 17-Tyler Walker 14.021 23) 30C-Lance Dewease 14.034 24) 22-Brian Ellenberger 14.042 25) 2B-Ben Gregg 14.107 26) 11-Steve Kinser 14.127 27) O4-Cap Henry 14.137 28) 1J-Bronson Maeschen 14.148 29) 91-Cody Darrah 14.191 30) 25-Aaron Ott 14.237 31) 55-Chad Layton 14.279 32) 39-Greg Hodnett 14.313 33) 49-Brad Sweet 14.329 34) 33-Danny Lasoski 14.356 35) 7M-Mark Smith 14.492 36) 80-Spud Gustin 14.514 37) 3-Pete Miller 15.033 38) P51-Jeff Carlson 15.328 39) 6N-Brad Wickam 15.404

Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 7S-Jason Sides [2]; 2) 1-Sammy Swindell [3]; 3) 9-Joey Saldana [1]; 4) 1Z-Stevie Smith [6]; 5) W20-Greg Wilson [4]; 6) 83X-Tim Shaffer [5]; 7) 91-Cody Darrah [8]; 8) 2B-Ben Gregg [7]; 9) 3-Pete Miller [10]; 10) 49-Brad Sweet [9].

Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 17-Tyler Walker [1]; 2) 2-Dale Blaney [4]; 3) 14-Jason Meyers [3]; 4) 11-Steve Kinser [7]; 5) 89G-David Gravel [5]; 6) 24-Terrt McCarl [2]; 7) 51-Fred Rahmer [6]; 8) 25-Aaron Ott [8]; 9) 33-Danny Lasoski [9]; 10) P51-Jeff Carlson [10].

Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 7-Craig Dollansky [2]; 2) 30C-Lance Dewease [1]; 3) 27-Daryn Pittman [4]; 4) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [5]; 5) 5W-Lucas Wolfe [3]; 6) 7M-Mark Smith [9]; 7) 55-Chad Layton [8]; 8) 63-Chad Kemenah [6]; 9) O4-Cap Henry [7]; 10) 6N-Brad Wickam [10].

Heat 4 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 83-Paul McMahan [2]; 2) 22-Brian Ellenberger [1]; 3) 14Z-Jessica Zemken [4]; 4) 6-Kraig Kinser [6]; 5) 15-Donny Schatz [3]; 6) 4-Danny Smith [5]; 7) 39-Greg Hodnett [8]; 8) 1J-Bronson Maeschen [7]; 9) 80-Spud Gustin [9].

Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature)

1) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [1]; 2) 6-Kraig Kinser [2]; 3) 2-Dale Blaney [6]; 4) 89G-David Gravel [3]; 5) 1Z-Stevie Smith [5]; 6) W20-Greg Wilson [4].

B-main (12 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to A-feature)

1) 51-Fred Rahmer [1]; 2) 63-Chad Kemenah [2]; 3) 83X-Tim Shaffer [3]; 4) 2B-Ben Gregg [6]; 5) 25-Aaron Ott [10];  6) 4-Danny Smith [4];  7) O4-Cap Henry [7];  8) 55-Chad Layton [11];  [9) 33-Danny Lasoski [14];  10) 91-Cody Darrah [9]; 11) 7M-Mark Smith [15];  12) 1J-Bronson Maeschen [8];  13) 39-Greg Hodnett [12];  14) 49-Brad Sweet [13]; 15) 3-Pete Miller [17];  16) 6N-Brad Wickam [19];  17) 80-Spud Gustin [16];  18) 24-Terry McCarl [5].