Perfect ADRL Debut For Swindoll At Hometown Track

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Lamar Swindoll Jr. nearly lives close enough to Royal Purple Raceway to see it from his window.It also appears the home-track advantage has served him well.In a remarkable debuted for an American Drag Racing League (ADRL) driver, Swindoll, who lives just two miles from the track, was the surprise winner in Extreme 10.5 at CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports, as his 4.03 gave him a victory at his first ADRL race against class veteran Billy Glidden.Swindoll, who drove teammate Todd Moyer’s Cavalier to victory in front of a huge following of family and friends, was a model of consistency during eliminations and that made the win that much sweeter. He went 4.00 at 203 mph in a semifinal win against fellow Houston-area native Frankie Taylor, going 201.37 mph with the help of a new set of Mickey Thompson Tires to outlast Glidden in the finals.“This is just awesome,” Swindoll said. “I told myself I was going to win the race and I just kept telling myself that all day. How many people get to do this in their first race?“If I was going to win any race, this is the one.” Swindoll impressed from the outset at his hometown track, going 3.95 at 202.33 miles per hour during qualifying on Friday.It qualified him No. 3 for Saturday’s eliminations and also made him the first driver in ADRL history to go 200 mph in a turbo car.Again, not bad for an ADRL first-timer. “I’m still getting used to it, but living two miles from here, it was a relief to have a run like that,” Swindoll said. “It was an awesome pass.“This has been a lot of fun.”After two unimpressive runs on Friday, Swindoll used the same tune-up to get a pass that drew a double-take from the hometown crowd.Swindoll said he simply did a better job of driving the powerful Cavalier.“I should have made that run earlier,” Swindoll said. “I struggled in those first two runs, but when I made that I hit, I knew it was fast.“It’s a handful of a car down at the far end of the track. When that car comes in, it’s definitely a handful to drive.”Swindoll has definitely proven himself capable, but this team wasn’t about to hold back when it came to potential.He has less than 10 passes in the Cavalier and he already sees big things ahead, including competing with XTF World Champion Dan Millen.But Swindoll doesn’t think his car is that far off.“After looking at the data, I think there are 3.80s in it. I know if we don’t go low .80s before the end of the year we’ll be disappointed,” Swindoll said.Swindoll said the only pressure on him is driving the car, leaving the rest to Moyer’s talented group.Moyer formed the two-car team in the off-season as a way of competing with Millen and the other top cars in the class.He has long been high on Swindoll’s ability and the two-car approach should pay dividends throughout the 2011.Moyer was one of many who had a smile on his face after Swindoll’s weekend in Baytown.“Honestly, it was just incredible,” Moyer said. “We just stuck a new converter in the car and to think it ran that, it’s real nice. It just took off.“It was really exciting and the car has been consistent.”Moyer, meanwhile, is still working things out in his new Corvette.He hopes to have his main motor put in by the end of April, but Moyer is ready to get after it with his current two-car set-up. Moyer didn’t have the weekend he had hoped for, losing in the first round to Glidden, but he knows the future is bright.“We both live for this,” Moyer said. “We live for racing.”(Photos by ADRL/Richards)

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