#1 - Sammy Swindell (Germantown, TN)

18th Chili Bowl Appearance

Chili Bowl Main Event Starts: 15

Chili Bowl Main Event Finishes:  6th (1987), 14th (1988), 1st (1989), 3rd (1990), 2nd (1991), 1st (1992), 10th (1993), 1st (1996), 7th (1997), 1st (1998), 3rd (1999), 13th (2000), 3rd (2001), 20th (2003), 18th (2006)

2007 Chili Bowl Results:

Wednesday: 1st in Heat 1; 7th in Qualifier 4; 1st in B Main 1; 20th in A Main

Saturday: 14th in C Main 2

A competitor in the inaugural Chili Bowl in 1987, Sammy has watched the Chili Bowl Nationals evolve from its humble beginnings to the mind-boggling, blockbuster event that it has become.  Sammy has done more than watch though, as he has authored more than his fair share of pages in the Chili Bowl history books, ranking as the only driver to win the Chili Bowl on four occasions with triumphs coming in 1989, 1992, 1996 and 1998.

Sammy has been close to a fifth win on a number of other occasions as well, perhaps most notably in 2003 when he charged from a Saturday "E" Main all the way up to second midway through the main event when driveline problems finally derailed his heroics.

Sammy's Chili Bowl success is merely a reflection of the success encountered over the course of his unrivaled career that includes World of Outlaws titles, stints in the upper ranks of both Indy Car and NASCAR racing, approximately 600 career feature wins and victories in virtually anything worth winning.

In pursuit of a fifth Golden Driller, Sammy teams with Cruz Pedregon Racing, with whom he scored a USAC Western States win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 27.

Car Owner:  Cruz Pedregon Racing

Chassis:  Spike

Engine:  Toyota

Sponsors:  Advance Auto Parts, Agromin, Toyota/TRD, Snap-On, Impact

Photo: Sammy Swindell. (Photo courtesy of Daniel Beard)