News Director 
Story By: SHAWN MILLER / SWINDELL SPEEDLAB – CONCORD, NC – The 2019 season was an enjoyable one for the Swindell SpeedLab winged sprint car team owned by Kevin and Jordan Swindell.
The team found success with four different drivers – NASCAR notable Christopher Bell, sprint car Hall of Famer Sammy Swindell, rising star Hunter Schurenburg and former primary pilot Spencer Bayston – behind the wheel.
Bell captured the team’s lone feature victory by winning a Pennsylvania Speedweek show at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa., on July 2.
“(My) dad had one of those big Grandview checks in the shop during my childhood,” Kevin Swindell said. “I wanted that big check. Me and Bell talked about it. If I won one race this year I wanted it to be the race with that check. That was a landmark thing. It’s not about the money at some of these races. It’s more about the trophy or prestige.”
The team was close to earning its first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series triumph as Bell led 25 laps of the 30-lap feature during the DIRTcar Nationals finale at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., in February before finishing second. He also led the first 27 laps of the 35-lap main event at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Ind., in May.
Additionally, Bell came close to an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions victory, charging from 10th to third before rubber came in during a $26,000-to-win show at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, in July.
“We had a lot of consistency, but a lot of bad luck as well,” Swindell said. “I feel like we should have won one of the nights at Volusia and then we got wrecked while leading at Lawrenceburg. We hated not to close out more wins. I think we could have had five or six more wins this year, but it just didn’t work out with things happening like the traffic at Volusia, the rubber at 34 Raceway and the incident at Lawrenceburg.”
Sammy Swindell highlighted his handful of starts with the team by earning a seventh-place result during the famed Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio, in July. He also guided the team to an eighth-place result during the Hard Knox Night at the Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, in August.
“It was a good year overall,” Kevin Swindell said. “We got in World of Outlaws dashes with three different drivers by the end of the year. That’s an accomplishment in itself.
“I enjoyed the year. We were good all the time. We could have had a few more wins, but it didn’t pan out. We had great support from sponsors and fans. In addition to the full-time partners we want to thank the sponsors that came on periodically. We’re grateful to everybody who helped out.”
