SALINA, Kan. — official release — The Salina Speedway played host to the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by MAVTV American Real on Friday night with Jeff Swindell capturing his first Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour win of the season.

Racing under the white flag with a comfortable margin over Jason Johnson’s Stenhouse, Jr. Racing / Curb-Agajanian Performance Group No. 41, Swindell nearly lost the race trying to maneuver around a slower car.

“They were running the top the whole time getting to them. They’re fast cars; they just got hung up back there for some reason. (Blake) Hahn usually runs good with us all the time and they stayed on the top the whole time. I don’t know why he turned and dove to the bottom down there, I thought I was going to loop it in turn two,” sad Swindell. “I couldn’t find the cushion quick enough to get the right rear leaned into it and I knew someone had to be breathing down my neck.”

Finding Swindell nearly stalled in the center of turns one and two, Johnson made a quick bid for the lead, drag racing Swindell into the final turns.

Asked about the final lap, Johnson replied, “We needed lapped cars to do anything, and we only got to one lapped car. He tried to slide him, and I got a good run down the back straight-a-way and we were going to run out of real estate going into turn three if I’d pushed a little harder so; sometimes you just have to finish second.”

Having to fend off several drivers on restarts, Brad Loyet crossed third, “It was a heck of a race. Hats off to Jeff Swindell, I knew he was going to be tuff coming off the pole. It just shows why his crew is a championship contending team. We’re right there in points with Jason, so finishing right behind him, we’ll take it.”

Eighth-starting Johnny Herrera crossed fourth with Aaron Reutzel completing the top five after the pair exchanged slide jobs over the last five laps.