INDIANAPOLIIS –There are moments when we realize that we are amid something special, but so often appreciation of a particular event or a discrete time only comes following a period of reflection.
This came to me when reading the brilliant new release “Sammy!” The combined work of Sammy Swindell, Bones Bourcier and Bob Mays, I was captivated by the narrative in part because I was lucky enough to witness some of the stories captured in this work.
As sprint car racing has spread across the nation and developed a fan base few would have thought possible, one of those who deserves our thanks is Sammy Swindell.
An entire generation of sprint car fans cannot imagine the sport devoid of the World of Outlaws. Given the interest and packed grandstands, it is easy to assume the World of Outlaws was destined to succeed from day one. Oldtimers can tell you that many racing organizations have come and gone after being beset with internal conflicts, poor marketing, a haphazard business plan and ineffective leadership.
It took time for the Outlaws to find its footing as well. It began as a loose confederation of racers operating on a motto printed on event T-shirts proclaiming that the one rule was “Run Whatcha Brung.”
That gave way to tighter specifications and organization. Today’s events are full-blown productions that emphasize entertainment and competition. Yet, in the early days there were questions about survival. Then came rival organizations, snafus and other fiscal challenges. Yet, here we are, and the interest is as high as it has ever been.
There are many who deserve credit for what transpired and Ted Johnson and his cast certainly are at the top. No matter how one felt about Ted and his heavy-handed style, the bottom line is that the organization survived and built a cult following. However, the true stars were the racers, and in this case, it meant assembling people from all parts of the land who were willing to try their luck with this new experiment. In the end it worked.
The early roster was populated with a host of future inductees into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. That said, there was the big three. Doug Wolfgang had cut his teeth in the upper Midwest and had really earned his chops at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway.
As he grew into his role Wolfgang was funny, candid and articulate. Steve Kinser followed his father who was an Indiana racing legend. Steve was a high school wrestling champion who used an economy of words and was never afraid to mash the pedal. Then, there was Sammy Swindell. He followed his dad to the rough-and-tumble racing scene anchored in West Memphis, Ark.
When your home track was known as “The Ditch,” you had to be comfortable with close- quarters combat. Sammy, like Steve Kinser, was not loquacious, but when he talked, he was not afraid to offer an opinion. These three men were from different regions of the country, had different temperaments and fought for the same prize night after night. Ted Johnson was handed a gift on a platter.
In those days, it was felt you had to choose sides. The debates often matched the intensity these three exhibited on the race track. Swindell may well have been the most polarizing figure of them all.
One of the greatest features of Sammy’s new book is that he does not shy from expressing himself one bit. He is a highly intelligent individual and has always taken an analytic approach to the sport. If you want salacious inside gossip, you really are not going to find it here. If you want Sammy to take an endless number of jabs at his regular rivals that is missing, too.
What you do get are his opinions and observations. You may agree or disagree at your leisure, but after all, this is his perspective. You get a glimpse of those early days of the World of Outlaws and for many that will be the highlight of the work. However, with each passing day fewer fans are aware that he ran a full season with the NASCAR Truck Series and dabbled in stock cars.
His days in Indy car racing are also recounted, where if one looks with a clear eye, you will realize that he was terrific. His attempt to put a stock-block Pontiac in the Indianapolis 500 even had the staunchest Steve Kinser fan cheering for him. It was truly a heroic effort. Yes, there was more to his life than sprint car racing.
Yet, there was one aspect of Sammy’s career that even his greatest detractors will grudgingly admit — few were as painstakingly meticulous in preparation and in presentation. Sammy said something a few years ago that has always stuck with me. In discussing his overall approach, he said, “People often say I am too serious about racing, but I think too many people aren’t serious enough.”
It is a point worth considering.
When Sammy Swindell pulls in at a race track his rig and his cars are immaculate. He even chromed his jack stands. Swindell did this at a time when some race cars looked like they came in second in a rock fight and the rigs looked like they had run a street stock C feature at the local fairgrounds. For a long time that was good enough. That was the level of professionalism of many sprint car operations.
Sammy’s approach mirrored that of movers and shakers like Roger Penske. It is simple. If you wanted support from the outside, you had better represent that company in a fashion that made them proud. Sammy raised the bar. Just do a mental inventory of many of Sammy’s most storied rides and you get the picture. Everything was first class and that alone changed the image of the sport among casual observers.
Sammy may be your favorite racer, or he may be the guy you cheered against the hardest. So be it. He will be the first one to say that the most important thing of all was that you were there. In a comparable way I do not care where your allegiance stands, if you want to recall a golden time or get an inside glimpse into the sport you will find “Sammy!” a great read.
Get your copy from Coastal181.com.
This story appeared in the April 26, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
