SAMMY SETS A TORRID PACE IN TIME TRIALS WITH THE QUICK TIME AND A NEW TRACK RECORD WHILE FINISHING 12TH IN THE INAUGURAL RACE FOR THE OUTLAWS AT GRANITE CITY SPEEDWAY

SAUK RAPIDS, MINNESOTA (June 17, 2015) – When you are a professional racing team, especially a World of Outlaw sprint car team, your journey takes you all across the United States into some of the nicest areas this country has to offer. After the event at Huset’s Speedway on Sunday evening, the beautifully presented JJR/Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT) transporter headed 215 miles up the highway to Minnesota to race at Granite City Speedway for the first time, which is just outside of St. Cloud. The 3/8 mile, semi-banked oval provides some exciting racing action on a regular basis, which has built a strong and loyal fan base. After racing was postponed one night due to Mother Nature, all of the fans were on hand to welcome the #41 team and the rest of the WoO competitors on Wednesday night as they visited town to race against the local competition. There were 27 cars ready to race in the pit area.

Sammy Swindell was co-piloting the Priority Aviation Services/Fischer Body Shop #41 Maxim. He was the eighteenth car to push of for his two time trial laps and his first one was a really good one. He set a blistering pace around the speedway and in the process set a new track record at 10.720 seconds. His second lap was a little slower, but still faster than the whole field, at 10.832 seconds. The quick time was a first for Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) and Sammy this season as the team continues to improve.

Being the quick timer placed the Bartlett, Tennessee native in the first heat race where he would start on the outside of row two beside Shane Stewart. Front row starters, Brad Sweet and Paul McMahan, brought the field up to speed with Sweet setting the pace at the front of the pack. An early red was displayed when Davey Heskin got upside down in turns one and two. When racing resumed, Swindell slipped back into the fifth and final qualifying spot when the checkered flag flew, which when combined with being quick timer of the night put him in the Dash aboard the KSE Racing Products/Wilwood Disc Brakes equipped Maxim.

Pre-draw, the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT) #41 and Swindell were sitting on the pole. But, a six pill was pulled, which meant he would be starting the Dash from the outside of row three with Donny Schatz to his inside. Danny Lasoski and Logan Schuchart made up row one with Shane Stewart and Joey Saldana in row two. When the green flag dropped the racing was fast and furious. At these speeds and a quality field of drivers the six laps go by really quick. There was not a lot of passing and Swindell brought the forty one home in the sixth position.

The 30 lap feature was up next. Slammin’ Sammy buckled in and rolled into his sixth starting position. After the four-wide salute to the awesome fans in this area was completed, the racers rolled back into their two-by-two starting order and the green flag was displayed. Lasoski took the lead with Stewart in tow. Swindell lost a few positions and was doing his best to wheel and deal his way throughout the race to earn the best finish possible in the Jonestown KOA/Brown & Miller Racing Solutions (BMRS) entry. This co-pilot from Tennessee may be quiet, but he is a tenacious competitor. He continued to work hard inside the cockpit to find the fastest way around Granite City Speedway. When the checkers flew over Donny Schatz, Swindell brought the JJR #41 home in the twelfth position.