Drag Illustrated Issue 132, May 2018 | Page 81

PHOTOS : RICK BELDEN , RANDY MCCUDDY
and win it . I told everybody we was going to win it and we ended up actually taking the win .
There ’ s no reason for us to go out there and put all those runs and damage on the equipment for that little bit of money when I can go out there and just make one shakedown and make a pass for the same pot . Hell , we ’ re racing a race this
weekend where the pot is already at $ 15,000 . I ’ m making one hit . One pass for $ 15,000 . There ’ s more money in the grudge racing than there is in class racing unless you are running that Radial vs . the World class and you ’ re running up against the best . One day I hope our pockets will allow us to do that . If I was able to get a sponsor or something , I have the equipment and everything to go run up front with those guys . I just don ’ t have
the pockets to keep running up front with them .
Whether it ’ s racing at major events like Lights Out and Wooostock or getting exposure on TV shows like Street Outlaws and Grudge Race , no-time racing seems to be at an all-time high . Do you see that being reflected in the fan attendance and car counts at these races ?
While a great deal of pressure falls on Swanstrom ’ s shoulders on race day , he ’ s quick to share the glory and rewards of a win with his team , led by his father , Corey “ Big Country ” Swanstrom , and rounded out by Bryan Geisler , Dennis Rogers , Sean Burton , Joey Willard , Roderick Gregg and Tyler Swanstrom .
There ’ s a lot of people coming to the no-time races . It ’ s getting bigger and bigger . The promoters are getting better with the races . They ’ re having more classes so everybody has a place to race . The one thing that ’ s tricky is you have the main promoters like Donald Long , Jake Harper ,
Lance ( Stanford ) and Travis ( Harvey ). Then you have a lot of these other guys that like to run their deal . Payso runs his events up north . You have your main promoters like that who always throw good races , but then you also have other guys who are trying to become promoters or are promoters trying to get bigger . The problem is now everybody is trying to be a promoter . You ’ ll have four or five races within a 200-mile radius . All it does is just split everybody up , but that ’ s what it is and you have to deal with it .
Grudge racing is growing . Tyler Crossnoe is putting on his Outlaw Street Car Reunion race in Bowling Green , Kentucky , and he ’ s adding a no-time deal . Donald Long has been doing it . Lance Stanford and Travis Harvey , they run the Carolina No-Time series . I run that sticker on the side of the car . I help those guys , they help me . The more people work together , the bigger this deal can get .
Speaking of the Outlaw Street Car Reunion , that will be the last big race for Armageddon , right ?
It ’ s a great-working car . I love it . I ’ ve won a lot of races with it , lost some . But my plan is to run a couple more races with it : this weekend , then I ’ m going to put the car on 28s and go run it in Bowling Green and that ’ s my last race . Me and Dad have already decided we ’ re not going to take on any more races . We ’ re not scheduling more events . I ’ m going to break the car down , service the engine , put a new crank in it and get everything ready . I have a 903 Pat Musi motor back at the house . I ’ m going to put that back in “ Armageddon ” and I ’ m going to start getting ready to put this new car together . My big motor will go up in there . I have to do some things to it – change some chassis stuff and get the car rewired , things like that . So it ’ ll be a little while before that car comes out , but I ’ ll have it all ready and tested before Donald ’ s race in October .
Grudge racing doesn ’ t really have any major milestones like class racing – big event wins , elapsed time or speed records or season championships . How do you set your next goal ? What ’ s the next step for you ?
Man , I really want to go run Radial vs . the World and Pro Nitrous . I ’ m going to stay in the grudge game , but like I said , our pockets can ’ t keep up with the RVW guys , but if I had a sponsor – and I ’ m actually talking to somebody right now – my dream is to go run against the Radial vs . the World and Pro Nitrous guys . DI
May 2018
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