Swanson Wins Second 500 Sprint Car Tour Championship

Swanson Wins Second 500 Sprint Car Tour Championship

For the second time in three years, the 500 Sprint Car Tour has named Kody Swanson as its Series Champion. Swanson won the inaugural championship at the conclusion of the 2022 season. In a year that saw Swanson compete in four different race cars for three different teams, consistency was key as he pieced together a solid championship run.

“I hate it that we weren’t able to win one (for Nick Bohanon), but we never finished off the podium in the No.33.  There were a lot of people who were a part of this and a part of the season.  We started off the season with the Doran Binks team like we had planned on doing through the Little 500, plus we got to run the Nolen No.4 in memory of Gene.  It’s really special to have all the people who stepped into my corner on the track and give us a chance to race for a title.”

Kody Swanson began his 2024 campaign with a win in the opening race of the season while driving in his familiar #77 Mission Foods machine for Doran Enterprises. Following the Little 500, Swanson began competing in the #33 Salem Speedway car owned by Nick Bohanon, who also owns Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana. When the series returned to Anderson Speedway for the Gene Nolen Classic, Swanson hopped into a familiar seat as he drove the #4 Nolen Racing car that he had piloted to two Little 500 victories. Swanson finished the season with Nick Bohanon but had switched to a different car midway through the season.

2024 was a season of adversity for Kody Swanson as he routinely proclaimed that he was “Thankful for the chance” and “Appreciative of the opportunity”. In the winter of 2023, Swanson suffered an injury to his foot and ankle area following a non-racing accident. With a long road of recovery and rehab ahead, there was uncertainty as to when Swanson would be seen in a race car to start the 2024 season. Just like other great competitors before him, Swanson beat the odds and was ready to race when the series opened their season at Anderson Speedway on April 14th. He continued to beat the odds as he went on to have one solid finish after another en route to his second 500 Sprint Car Tour Championship.

Consistency was the name of the game for Swanson during the 2024 season. Despite having only one victory, his ability to finish races night in and night out helped him gain maximum points. Swanson finished the season with seven top ten finishes, seven top 3 finishes, and a season leading three runner up finishes. Swanson led a total of 47 laps during the 2024 season and had control of the lead in two races. Not included in these statistics due to the event being a non points earning event, Swanson finished third in this year’s Little 500 where he led a total of 110 laps.

Kody Swanson races with Tyler Roahrig at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park - Rick Kimball Photo

Swanson had a strong day at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. He was the only championship contender to capture qualifying points after qualifying in second position. This extended his points lead to 38 points over Billy Wease and 39 points over. After the redraw he started 4th next to Tyler Roahrig. A methodical start saw Kody make a charge at the lead. He settled into second place behind Dakoda Armstrong before the halfway race charge from Tyler Roahrig. Roahrig would make the pass for the lead with 10 laps to go. Swanson was able to continue his podium streak with Nick Bohanon to six consecutive races. 

The 2024 500 Sprint Car Tour season saw eight point earning events across a nine race schedule from early April to mid October. The 76th Annual Little 500 was, once again, a non-points earning event for the series, filling out the nine race schedule in its traditional Memorial Day Weekend slot. All races, including the 76th Annual Little 500, were streamed LIVE on DIRTVision. For more information on the 500 Sprint Car Tour 2024 season, and for updates on the 2025 season, visit 500sprintcartour.com and be sure to follow on social media (Facebook: 500 Sprint Car Tour | Twitter (X): @500SprintTour | Instagram: @500sprintcartour).