Kevin Swindell of Germantown, Tennessee was a man on a mission and would not be denied the win Friday night at the 1^st Annual Mason/Dixon Dixieland Challenge.  Kevin drove an outstanding race, coming from the back of the 24 car field in only eleven laps to take the lead and win his first Auto Value Sprint Series feature race.

The event was held in the DeVos Place Arena and the track was a huge challenge to all the competitors.  The concrete floor was coated in Coke syrup and rubber was laid down during practice.  The biggest problem was that the cold temperatures were not allowing the tires to heat up and getting any kind of traction was nearly impossible.  After qualifying fifth quick, Kevin eased his way around to transfer through his heat race and earn a starting spot in the feature.

“We knew we had to try something different to help the car stick.  Finally we just decided to grind down the surface of the tires like we used to do in the karts to rough them up some.  Then we just grooved them like dirt tires.  I could not believe the difference when we started the feature," Swindell said.

"I got spun on the first start when the car beside me clipped the inside barrier and got into me.  I restarted at the rear, in a single file start.  The leader got the green flag and I was still in turn two!  I knew the only way I was going to get anywhere was to go where no one else was so I moved up to the top and the car just stuck.  I was passing them three at a time!  If they pushed up, I was able to turn under them and keep moving.  It was great!"

"Thanks to my Dad for working so hard to help me make the car better.  I just wanted to race as hard as we had worked all day to get the win.”

The next race for Kevin will be the Tulsa Shootout December 29-31, where he will compete in five classes of karts.  On January 11-14, he will team up with his father, Sammy, Tony Stewart and Jason Leffler under the Venture Racing banner for the running of the 20th Annual Chili Bowl also in Tulsa, Oklahoma.