Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

I was a year old when Sammy won the Knoxville Nationals in 1983. Throughout the next 31 years, it wasn’t that hard to imagine how much he wanted to win it again.

He was an undisputed contender every year. He was always there, lurking, but it seemed like when he was the one to beat there was always just that one thing that went wrong. We saw him run in the top five many times. We saw his car destroyed after the caution came out in his silver anniversary car and saw the raw emotion pour out of a man who was known for his silence. Many years later, we saw the end of an era as he missed the main event for the first time in 30 years.

We saw him lead 49 laps of a normally (until that year) 40 lap long race and take a bow on top of his destroyed race car after the tire gave out. Admit it now or not, most of the people that night were hoping he could have held on. The standing ovation proved it.

I don’t think I’m the only one that hoped he could have gotten another one. Oh well, it wasn’t for lack of effort.

You can’t rhyme “Swindell” with much, but it sure sounds a lot like the words “Chili Bowl” to most people. He and Kevin seem to have a lock every year and being one of the few events left without too many rules to follow prove the knowledge inside those two heads can rival an entire field of the best of the best. Describing it as astounding still falls short.

People say they want excitement, but they complain when a Kinser, Swindell, or Schatz stays on top of any hill for too long. Not me.  I find it exciting to watch the target on their backs grow bigger and bigger. You don’t really know how good you are until everybody on the track is trying to beat you. That’s the kind of stuff that makes legends.

Sammy dominated the winters at Manzanita in the early 90’s. He dominated Bristol when they put dirt on it, a place some drivers said made Eldora feel slow. He won all the big races. He won championships. He won at almost every track.

For me personally, Sammy was destined to be one of my racing heroes. Sammy and Amy are part of my family. It’s a great big racing family, full of bumps and bruises, but we won’t get into any of that. The Grays, the Gillentines, the Swindells… along with all of the other extended families, used to get together every Christmas. One year, Sammy and Amy got me a kid’s racing suit for Christmas. I’m pretty sure my mother had to peel it off of my skin to finally get it off of me. There were times when I went to their home and played with their beautiful old husky, Nikki. Sammy never said much, but for me as a kid who cut out the black and white photos of his and other cars from the Speed Sport News newspapers, he didn’t have to. I usually mustered a timid, “Hi” and he was always cordial to the distant relative kid that stared at him a lot. After Kevin was born, even though he was several years younger, we would play together every Tuesday night when our mothers had their bowling league together.  It was always obvious that he was the most important thing to his mother and father. That undoubtedly has never changed.  

As the years past, I began to realize that there were people who didn’t like Sammy as a driver or as a person. It was hard for me as a kid to figure out why, because I always saw Sammy as the hero. Sure, he was my cousin, so as a massive sprint car fan, he was my idol by default.  But Steve Kinser always won, and people seemed so sick of that, so wouldn’t people cheer for one of the few who could beat him? He was always focused and quiet; something I saw as a virtue, but was almost always mistaken for snobbery or elitism. His combined knowledge on and off the track was unmatched, and he was never scared to try new things, some of which very likely stunted the growth of his already very impressive statistics sheet. He was the only one at the dirt track who kept his equipment meticulously clean (a feat that is still tough to comprehend). The black TMC car looked brand new before every race. The trailer was spotless.

But the older I got, the more I was able to shed the childhood hero image and learn some of the reasons people thought that way. He was an aggressive driver. He didn’t mind blocking or taking racing lanes to the detriment of others.  “They’ll learn” he would say, proving that he didn’t pretend he was anything different. He was too quiet, they said. Then he would give interviews and he would talk too much, they said. Some of his antics on the track I have seen and heard of have made me wonder, “What in the hell was he thinking?” so I can definitely say that I don't agree with everything he's done over the years, but I'm struggling to think of anybody that I agree with 100% of the time.

And then, I remember. He is, and always will be, a passionate race car driver. He’s not a spokesperson or a “smile and wink at the camera” kind of guy. He’s ballsy and he’s got skill. He’s not perfect but he’s not evil either. He’s Sammy.  If you like him or don’t, it simply does not matter.

Sprint car racing simply won’t be the same without him.

And it’s only fitting that the sports two biggest rivals go out on the same year. The 2015 season will be missing a cumulative 1000+ wins of experience on the track.

Let that one sink in for a moment. 

So, from the distant relative that doesn’t know a race season without a Sammy in it, congratulations on an amazing career.

And thanks.

I remember Sammy when there was no World Of Outlaws, no wings, just plain good drivers and good race tracks and Sammy came and took them on and could compete at a young age. Maybe it was 1974, he was the talk around the "barns" at the Nationals.

First I remember him having a stand out race was at the Iowa State Fairgrounds must have been 1974 or 1975, Driving the Black #71. Can't remember who won but he was in the mix.  He always seemed good at quarter mile tracks as well as the big half miles.

Actually one of the best races I can remember was a C feature at the Nationals about 1977, Sammy racing Eddie Leavitt in a super fast Seibert car. Leavitt won the C, but Sammy went on to qualify by winning the B, and worked his way up in the A.

Congratulations to Sammy, he raced Sprint cars and did it was well as it could be done. Will be remembered as one of the greats.  Best of luck in the future and have fun.

This is a great post, Thank you!  I typed in a large amount for a post about Sammy last evening...but this site clocked me out and when I went to post it, I lost the whole thing.....ARRGH

I was 12 years old and at my first Knoxville Nationals in 77 when I saw Sammy race for the first time. Wow. And I was there when Sammy won his only Knoxville Nationals in 83. I also was in attendance for the Knoxville Nationals in 2010 when Sammy's tire popped.....And yes, as the A-main unfolded, Sammy schooling Schatz all the way, you could tell that everyone there wanted Sammy to win it. 

Rervousneck,

Excellent, Excellent post!

Its appreciated that you took the time to post this and I hope somehow what you wrote gets to Sammy and he can see what your thoughts are, cause I think they mean alot. 

http://gph.is/XMLGff

As a fan, I'm sad as the era that got me "hooked" on sprint car racing is officially over.  Wolfgang has been gone from the track for 10+ years, Steve is retiring from "full time" at the end of the season and Sammy is now done effective immediately (did anyone think that Sammy would ever run a "farewell tour"?  I know I certainly didn't, I kinda figured he'd announce his retirement at Charlotte in November (which is how I think someone like Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart will go out in NASCAR).

Thanks for the all the memories Sammy!  I'll proudly wear my Big Game Sammy shirt and my Old Milwaukee Sammy shirt for years to come (gotta be more selective on when I wear it so they don't become tattered and worn).  It now goes in the closet with my Doug Wolfgang shirts that only get worn on special occasions.

I think what I am happiest about Sammy is that he had one last run of it from 2010-12 where he was as fast as anyone. He should have won the 3 biggest races in that span (won 2) and was good just about everywhere. Even the past 2 years, where he wasn't as competitive, he still won races, and ran well.

You just put a lot of things into words about how I feel as a Steve Kinser fan! I used to just hate Sammy for many years!!! Just because I was a Kinser fan! But as I got older, I couldnt help but give Sammy more and more respect for what he was and what he had done for all those years. It's going to be very different without Steve andd Sammy around!! Been a Huge fan since my first WoO race back in 1981. WOW 1981!! I've seen a lot of good drivers and owners come and go over that time, but none as good as these two!! Thank you gentalman for all that you've done for the sport and all your fans over the years. These are sad days for me, but wish both of you a long happy and healthy retirement!!