INDIANAPOLIS — Kody Swanson’s résumé entering the 2024 season was already decorated. With seven USAC Silver Crown titles, three Little 500 victories and countless other accolades already in hand, one could argue Swanson has nothing left to prove in open wheel racing.
However, a comeback from injury, while not planned, was the next chapter in Swanson’s storied career.
A broken left foot, countless surgeries and painful rehab led to Swanson’s road back aboard the familiar No. 77 Doran Binks Racing Silver Crown car just in time for the season.
“It certainly had its challenges,” Swanson began. “Then there was a timeline on it of trying to only recover as completely as I needed to, but to do it in time to make the season opener.
“I was really fortunate to have great people behind me and all the great medical team of surgeons and doctors to to help get me patched back together, but then help me push the limit physically to try to have it heal as quick as it could, but still get the range of motion I needed back and get strong enough to do it.”
Swanson credited his wife, Jordan, along with other family members and people around the racing community that helped him power through what could have derailed his season.
“Felt like God had my best interest in so many ways to connect me with the right people to give me a chance to be there by the opener,” Swanson said.
Sure enough, Swanson’s Silver Crown campaign was lights out despite enduring the longest schedule in his career with the open wheel series.
Five victories, including a triumph in the season finale at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, was enough to hold off Justin Grant by 21 markers.
His eighth championship lifted the Kingsbury, Calif., native into a category of his own.
Swanson became the only driver in USAC history to score that many titles in a single national division.
After beginning his journey on the Silver Crown trail in 2008, did Swanson believe eight titles was possible?
“Absolutely not,” he said. “I got into racing and never imagined I’d be able to make a career out of it. Didn’t know that I’d get a chance to do it, let alone to move on past my first track doing it.
“To have had what ended up being a career and had it led me from California here to the Midwest to be able to race for a living is really special.”
While Swanson has dipped his toes in countless other divisions , Silver Crown racing has been his happy place.
“The Silver Crown Series is something that’s been my favorite since I first got a chance to do it,” Swanson said. “I wanted that first one so bad just to prove that I could, that I thought I could compete at a championship-level in a division like that.
“Everything since has been a matter of wanting to win another one for the team you’re with and trying to accomplish that season’s goal. To get to eight is really surreal. It wasn’t something you plan on or even knew to set a goal like that.”
Swanson’s assualt on the record books became more impressive when he snagged his seventh title in 2022.
“As it got closer, some good friends and historians in the sport recognized that A.J. Foyt and Mel Kenyon were the only two that had seven in USAC history,” Swanson said. “To be able to tie them was a really special moment.
“Levi Jones has seven between the sprint cars and the Silver Crown. To be able to join all three of them was really special.
“It was really neat this year to be able to get one more to have a total of eight.”
Heading into this year, Swanson, who owns the record for most titles, wins (45) and pole positions (54) in Silver Crown, will be vying to continue perhaps racing’s most underrated run of success.
