Kingsburg’s Kody Swanson stamps his name in national racing history

Kingsburg’s Kody Swanson made national racing history Saturday night with his 24th career U.S. Auto Club Silver Crown series victory.

The win came at Salem Speedway in Indiana.

Swanson broke a tie with Ohio’s Jack Hewitt for most career wins in the series that traces its roots to the Indy cars. The list of winners includes Mario Andretti, Al Unser and A.J. Foyt.

Swanson led all 75 laps on the .555-mile, high-banked speedway that’s been hosting races since 1947. It was Swanson’s third straight win at Salem, of which Foyt famously once said that “if a driver can go fast on the high banks, he can go fast anywhere.”

Swanson also set a record with his fifth straight series win. Hewitt had four straight in 1986 and Pancho Carter won four straight in the 1970s.

After just seven of 10 races, Swanson is well on his way to wrapping up an unprecedented fourth series championship. Past champions include Foyt, Unser, Andretti, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.

Swanson races for an Ohio-based team that also fielded Hewitt’s cars. The series competes on big dirt and pavement tracks primarily in the Midwest but starts its season at the one-mile ISM Raceway in Phoenix.