by Jana Wimmer
Sep 26, 2014 – Armed with a new chassis as part of his 2013 ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment Rookie of the Year package, James Swan’s sophomore season didn’t pan out exactly as he hoped. “We built the new car courtesy of Pathfinder Chassis and just have not been able to get a handle to our liking,“ said James Swan, ”We have struggled through some dumb luck, not only at the Tour races, but also at the few outside races we attempted this year. We haven’t had the time or funding to properly test between races and I believe that has been our demise.”
Despite feeling this year fell short, Swan currently sits sixth in ARCA Midwest Tour points with one top-five finish and five top-ten finishes. His best finish was fifth at Hawkeye Downs Speedway, while two tracks where he found success last year led to disappointment this year. As the final race of 2014 approaches, Swan keeps things in perspective and never gives up. “The two tracks we finished best at last year, we finished last at this year, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort by my crew, car owner or sponsors,” said Swan, “I’m glad and fortunate to have been able to fulfill my childhood dream of racing in the ARCA Midwest Tour.”
And that positive attitude will carry over to La Crosse if another hurdle sits in Swan’s way. “We are looking forward to Oktoberfest still, because no matter how bad we do, we can still drink beer and have a good time,” Swan said with a smile.
No matter how the chips fall next week, Swan’s positive attitude is contagious and he still appreciates being able to compete at such a high level. “We had higher expectations for this year than we accomplished, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Swan, “I’ve always said…’you’re only as good as your competition’, and they are the best!.”
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
For complete event details log on to arcamidwesttour.com.
Upcoming Event Information
What: 45th Annual Oktoberfest
Where: West Salem, WI
When: October 4th-5th, 2014
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of America Midwest Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. For questions, call Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or e-mail tim@arcamidwesttour.com
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
