Curtice Wins Season Ending Thriller

#8c Anissa Curtice, winner of the 500cc/open kart feature

Via Humboldt Outlaw Karts Media

Eureka, CA (October 13, 2018) – Schmidbauer Lumber presented the 2018 conclusion of the Humboldt Outlaw Karts this past Saturday. All six divisions were in action with a spectacular combined purse of over $1,700 on the line thanks to Ward Concrete & Equipment and Fredy Champagne. The action on the track proved to be some of the best in all of 2018.

Jack Myer has been dominant all year long in the Champagne Attorney Service beginner box stocks and he continued that with a victory in the heat race. Danica Kinsey led the feature event for the majority of its duration. An early spin by Corbin Green took him out of contention. Myer made his move to the front in the closing stages as he was able to get to the lead. Myer was able to hold on and take the victory. Aaliyah Uselton got by Kinsey to take second while Green was credited with fourth.

The Williamson Financial Group box stocks had a nice turnout with the division having two heat races. Heat one was won by Derrek Kessler, Jr. while Dylan Combest took heat race two. The main event started off with an incident between Colton Kinsey and Janice Walters who got hooked together on the first lap in the second turn. Brady Osborne took the lead on the restart but Grant Williamson was able to get by for the spot. Williamson led for several laps before spinning and bringing out the caution giving the lead to Austin Bartholomew. The restart saw Bartholomew jump to a huge lead until the yellow flew again when Kinsey lost power on the back stretch. The next restart proved to be the last as Bartholomew was able to pull away to take the victory. Combest took second over Walters, Lily Williamson and Grant Williamson.

Daniel Combest took the win in the Fortuna Wheel & Brake old fart kart heat. Amanda Harp led the first two circuits of the feature before Nick Ford took over the top spot. The main was slowed only once when Combest spun in the fourth turn. Ford pulled away on the restart and was able to cruise the rest of the way. At the finish it was Ford winning over Harp, Combest and Eddy Robinson.

The Wes Green Landscaping 125/250cc kart heat was taken by Landen Green. The main event started off with a multi-kart incident in turns one and two involving MKinzy Uselton, Sonya Osborne and Malessa Miles. Uselton suffered a minor injury that prevented her from completing the race. Green moved to the lead until a spin by Nick Ford brought out the caution. Miles got the jump on Green on the restart but the two got together bringing out another yellow. Green jumped back into the lead on the restart and led all the way to the finish. He was followed by Osborne, Miles and Uselton.

The heat race for the Miclette Family Racing pure stocks was won by Chris Lawrence. Pete Miclette held the lead on lap one of the main but Leonard Ward took over on lap two. Ward’s time at the front also lasted a single lap as Lawrence moved to the lead. Lawrence was able to go the rest of the way without challenge, crossing the line first. Miclette placed second with Ward taking third.

The NorCal Automotive 500cc/open karts had a fantastic turnout with Anissa Curtice and Darin Spencer taking the two heat race wins. The main event proved to be one of the best races of the season but started off with an incident involving Jordan Miclette and Cliff Myer. Dax Williamson inherited the lead on the restart but Curtice was able to quickly take over. After another yellow, the race got heated up front as Curtice led over Spencer and Brandon Lachance. Spencer got high off turn two allowing Lachance to take second. The race progressed with Lachance slowly catching Curtice as the two maneuvered through traffic. On the white flag lap, Lachance made a move inside Curtice going into turn one. The two came into contact but both drivers held on. Curtice was able to regain the lead and fend off Lachance to take the thrilling victory. Spencer took third with Angela Rohlfs placing fourth and Williamson fifth.

Humboldt Outlaw Karts would like to thank all of our sponsors for the 2018 season; 30’s Hay & Grain, Automotive Workshop, Bay Area Music Connection, Central Office, Champagne Attourney Service, Eureka-Humboldt Fire Extinguisher, Eureka Payments, Fastenal, Fortuna Wheel & Brake, John’s Used Cars And Wreckers, Lost Coast Hay, Miclette Family Racing, The Mill Yard, NorCal Automotive, Schmidbauer Lumber, Steve’s Septic Service, Ward Concrete & Equipment, Wes Green Landscaping and Williamson Financial Group. Thank you to all of our volunteer track workers and officials for all of their hard work. Finally, thank you to all the drivers and teams who have made the first year of the Humboldt Outlaw Karts so successful.

Information for the 2019 season will be available in the coming weeks and months. To keep up with the latest news for the Humboldt Outlaw Karts, please visit us at www.HumboldtOutlawKarts.com or visit www.facebook.com/HumboldtOutlawKarts/

Price Brothers On Top At All American Speedway

Eric Price II was the big winner in the North State Modified Series 2018 finale at All American Speedway Saturday night. (Photo Courtesy Chris Anderson)

By Nadine Strauss/NSMS Media

October 13, 2018... Roseville, CA.... The North State Modified Series, presented by Protect the Harvest, ended its 2018 racing season at All American Speedway in Roseville, California Saturday night with Eric Price II of Rio Linda taking home top honors in the Hoosier NSMS October Classic. His brother, Kris Price of Sacramento, clinched the 2018 North State Modified Series championship with his second place finish in the time-shortened event. Keith Bloom of Redding drove the Bob Lehman/Steve Thomas #27B to his season best third place finish. Guy Young, also from Redding placed fourth, and Lakeport's Ian Elliot also had a season best fifth place run.

Twenty-five modifieds were on hand for the season finale which ran in conjunction with the NASCAR K & N Pro Series and the championship race for the Pacific Challenge Series late models. The Ward Land Management and Development Time Trials saw Michael Mitchell clock in quickest in his Sinister Diesel modified with a 14.196 second lap. Kris Price was next at 14.255. Cameron Austin turned a 14.302 and Eric Price was 14.317. Travis McCullough ran a 14.367 second lap, and defending champion Darrin Knight was sixth at 14.372.

Mitchell pulled the six pill for the invert placing Knight and McCullough in the front row for the start of the feature. Row two belonged to Eric Price and Austin. Kris Price and Mitchell shared row three.

Knight powered out in front of McCullough at the drop of the green flag with Eric Price riding his bumper into second. With only two laps down McCullough lost control in turn four. With no where to go Sal Lopez was collected and smacked the track's newly-placed interior barrier.

The following round Lopez stalled on the track to bring out the second yellow flag. When racing finally got under way Knight led the way with Eric Price second, Cameron Austin third, Dustin DeRosier fourth and Mitchell fifth. Austin slid by Eric Price for second on lap five.

At the same time Knight's engine started to smoke, and when he entered turn one Knight dropped oil the entire width of the track in front of the charging pack. Knight slid side-ways but regained control, but the rest of the front-runners were not so lucky. Austin was the first to spin in the oil causing a nine-car pile up that involved Mitchell, Dustin DeRosier, Darrin Sullivan, Eric Johnson, Hunter Corbitt, McCullough, Rick Avila and Terry Shannon. In spite of the “big one”, all drivers were able to continue except Knight and Mitchell.

The lengthy cleanup put a damper on the the 45 minute time period that was allotted for this event, but when the track was race-ready again Eric Price found himself in the lead followed by Kris Price, Terry Deal, Bloom, Jason Philpot and Guy Young.

The next 12 laps ran smoothly until lap 19 when Deal hit the temporary interior barrier, knocking it off-course and into the infield. Once again it took precious time to remove Deal's car from the track and replace the chicane. Speedway official's called for a green-white-checkered finish, but that also ended in turmoil when Austin hit McCullough, causing McCullough to spin coming down for the final lap.

Eric Price was declared the winner followed by 2018 champion Kris Price, Bloom, Young, Elliott, DeRosier, Philpot, David Campbell, Sullivan, Corbitt, Shannon, Didoha, Mike Neilson, Johnson, McCullough, Austin, Deal, John Baker, Avila, Mitchell, Knight, Lopez and William Camara. Don Shalla and Bud Anderson developed mechanical problems and were unable to start the race.

Eric Price earned the Ward Land Management first place bonus of $250 to add to his $1000 top prize. He also received a tool chest from Napa Auto Parts.

Bloom captured his second straight Lucas Oil Dash for Cash worth $100. McCullough earned $50 for his second place finish in the dash. The Naake shocks certificate went to Guy Young. The Frank's Radio gifts were given to David Campbell, Terry Shannon and Dale Didoha.

The next event for the North State Modified Series will be the 2018 Champions Awards Banquet celebration on January 26 at Granzella's in Williams. For more information on the series visit www.NorthStateModifieds.com.

The North State Modified Series is presented by: Protect the Harvest, Lucas Oil, Ward Land Management & Development, Hoosier Tire West, Sunoco Race Fuels, Naake Suspension, Five Star Bodies, Racer Bling, Scribner Plastics and Frank's Radios. #####

WLM&D TIME TRIALS: Michael Mitchell (14.196), Kris Price (14.255), Cameron Austin (14.302), Eric Price II (14.317), Travis McCullough (14.367), Darrin Knight (14.372), Jason Philpot (14.376), Darrin Sullivan (14.429), Dustin DeRosier (14.456), Terry Deal (14.540), Hunter Corbitt (14.580), Guy Young (14.602), Eric Johnson (14.702), Keith Bloom (14.712), William Camara (14.808), Mike Neilson (14.815), Rick Avila (14.828), Terry Shannon (14.851), Ian Elliott (14.893), Don Shalla (14.943), Dale Didoha (14.974), Sal Lopez (15.015), Dave Campbell (15.132), John Baker (15.635), Bud Anderson (DNQ).

LUCAS OIL DASH FOR CASH: Keith Bloom, Travis McCullough, Hunter Corbitt, Guy Young, William Camara, Mike Neilson

SUNOCO / WLM&D FEATURE EVENT: Eric Price II, Kris Price, Keith Bloom, Guy Young, Ian Elliott, Dustin DeRosier, Jason Philpot, David Campbell, Darrin Sullivan, Hunter Corbitt, Terry Shannon, Dale Didoha, Mike Neilson, Eric Johnson, Travis McCullough, Cameron Austin, Terry Deal, John Baker, Rick Avila, Michael Mitchell, Darrin Knight, Sal Lopez, William Camara.

Cole Moore Wins PCS Finale While Jason Romero Takes The Title

Jason Romero clinched the 2018 Pacific Challenge Series championship at All American Speedway Saturday night (Photo Courtesy Patriot Media)

Via PCS Media

ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA (October 14, 2018) – Cole Moore of Granite Bay won his third Pacific Challenge Series presented by Penneylawyers.com race of 2018 on Saturday night, dominating the October Classic 100 at All American Speedway in Roseville, CA. The win was ahead of Jason Romero, who used his fourth runner-up finish along with two victories to close out the 2018 championship.

Romero won the Sunoco Fuels fast time as well but drew the seventh position to start alongside championship rival John Moore on the starting grid. The 100 lap feature was the nightcap for a huge evening of racing that included a 200 lap NASCAR K&N Pro Series, West race and a 60 lap North State Modified Series event before over 3000 fans at the one-third mile oval.

The first caution flew on lap five when Dave Byrd spun in turn four and both Mike Hite and Austin Gant were involved. The restart saw Hite spin into turn one and collect Byrd, who spun hard into Hite’s driver’s side door. Byrd was out of the race but Hite made numerous pit stops and was able to continue on.

Matt Wendt of Galt spun trying to get underneath Adam Lemke for a caution on lap eight. On the restart, Lemke battled with Matt Scott for third while Jack Wood looked outside Moore for the lead. Scott and Lemke touched, with Scott suffering a left front flat tire and stopping the car to draw a caution on lap 11.

Wood ended up getting the lead on lap 12 on the restart, but Moore fought back to lead lap 13. Romero chipped away at the pack to advance to third past Lemke by lap 16.

Romero then challenged Wood for second before they made contact in turn one that sent Wood spinning and relegated Romero to the rear. On the restart, Lemke put up a nice challenge to Moore but Moore won the battle for the lead. Scott returned onto the race track and slowed in front of Lemke as the leaders attempted to lap him. He was black flagged by PCS officials as his car went up in sparks after the contact that ensued with Lemke.

The race went green for 49 consecutive laps which allowed Moore to build up a straightaway advantage over Lemke while Romero and Wood raced hard from the back of the field. The duo closed down on Matt Wendt and contact forced Wendt back behind them both on lap 54. Wendt went up in sparks and came to a stop in turn two for the next caution on lap 72. Romero knifed inside John Moore to take third on the following restart. Wood then made a daring three-wide maneuver a few laps later to get fourth from Moore and Mike Beeler.

Romero worked through lapped traffic and got around Lemke on lap 90 for second place but ran out of time to reel in Cole Moore. Cole Moore darted to a 1.377 second victory while Romero ran second to finisxh 24 points ahead of John Moore in the championship. Lemke’s debut yielded a strong third place followed by Wood and Beeler. John Moore was sixth. Romero’s move from seventh to second also grabbed the Penney Racing Supply Hard Charger award.

Cole Moore, Mike Beeler, and Dave Byrd rounded out the top-five in the final championship points.

For more information on the Pacific Challenge Series presented by PenneyLawyers.com, visit www.PacificChallengeSeries.com or follow them on Facebook or YouTube

The Pacific Challenge Series is presented by: Penney Racing Supply, Penney & Associates, American Racer Tires, Radio Law Talk, Compact-It, Northwest Compactors, Naake Suspension, Sunoco Fuels, Five Star Bodies, BrakeOMeter, Lefthander Chassis, ARP Bodies, Joes Racing Products, Competition Carburetion, Bassett Wheels, Frank's Radio, WrapStar Pro, and Blakesley Sports Media. All PCS Super Late Models race ABC Bodies or Muscle Car bodies on American Racer Tires with Sunoco Racing Fuel.

2018 Pacific Challenge Series presented by PenneyLawyers.com Schedule
Subject to Change
March 31 Madera Speedway (Madera, CA) *Thunder & Lightning w/ USAC & BCRA*
April 21 Shasta Speedway (Anderson, CA) *Kool April Nights*
May 19 Ukiah Speedway (Ukiah, CA) *North State Challenge*
June 23 Shasta Speedway (Anderson, CA) *Shasta Fair*
July 21 Stockton 99 Speedway (Stockton, CA) *Summer Classic*
August 11 Madera Speedway (Madera, CA) *Thunder & Lightning II w/ USAC & 360 Supers*
October 13 All American Speedway (Roseville, CA) *October Classic 100*

Pacific Challenge Series Round 7: All American Speedway results
Finish Car Driver Hometown Sponsors
1 20 Cole Moore Granite Bay, CA JM Environmental / Berco
2 8 Jason Romero Cameron Park, CA Folsom Lake Asphalt
3 98 Adam Lemke Hollister, CA ADL Construction / Off Axis Paint
4 18 Jack Wood Loomis, CA Cooks Collision
5 6 Mike Beeler Modesto, CA Beeler Industries
6 27 John Moore Granite Bay, CA JM Environmental / Thryv
7 70 Mike Hite Elk Grove, CA Pimental Freight Lines
8 7 Michael Sandoval Ripon, CA Sandoval Farms
9 1 Matt Wendt Galt, CA Wendt Construction
10 34 Austin Gant Grass Valley, CA
11 35 Matt Scott Pine Grove, CA Kamps Propane
12 88 Lance Halm Roseville, CA Halm Metal Fab
13 6x Cameron Legue Lincoln, CA All Valley Tow
14` 3 Dave Byrd French Camp, CA Cherokee Muffler
15 99 Mike Bristow Manteca, CA Bristow Motorsports

Sunoco Fuels Fast Time: #8 Jason Romero
American Racer Dash: not held
Penney Racing Supply Hard Charger: #8 Jason Romero
Lap Leaders: 20 Cole Moore 1-11, 18 Jack Wood 12, Moore 13-100

Cole Rouse Gets His Redemption at All American

ROSEVILLE, Calif — All season long Cole Rouse has been close.

Last time out, Rouse took the white flag and was leading before losing the race to teammate Hailie Deegan. It is more than safe to say Rouse wanted this win bad.

Rouse finally got his elusive first career NASCAR K&N Pro Series West win Saturday by winning the NAPA AutoCare/Roseville Toyota 200 presented by TriCo Welding Supplies & the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame at All American Speedway.

Rouse’s No.99 NAPA Filters Toyota won the pole earlier in the day and battled hard at the front of the field with the likes of Ryan Partridge and Chris Eggleston. Taking the lead on an aggressive pass during the Lap 189 restart it almost seemed like smooth sailing until a late race caution set up a four-lap dash to the finish.

This time Rouse got his redemption.

The 21-year-old driver from Fort Smith, Arkansas held off a pair of Bob Bruncati Racing entries and came home .506 seconds ahead of the Partridge to claim his first win in his 27th series start. Rouse entered the event with 10 career top fives, including runner-up finishes in three of his previous four races.

Partridge’s No. 9 Sunrise Ford/Eibach/Lucas Oil/Braille Ford seemed to be the car to beat before being passed by Rouse in the penultimate restart. Partridge, the 2016 winner at All American, would settle for his 11th top five of 2018.

Championship leader Derek Thorn lost a lap early after contact from Derek Kraus lead to a spin. He fought hard to get his lap back, and battled back to finish third for his 12th top five of the season.

Nick Joanides came home fourth, scoring his best career finish and first top five of his career. Travis Milburn fought has way back after multiple spins to complete the top five.

Matt Levin, Hailie Deegan, Taylor Canfield, Rich Delong III and Takuma Koga completing the top 10.

Thorn leads Rouse by 26 and Partridge by 29 heading into the season finale at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, California, on Saturday, Oct. 27, for the NAPA Auto Parts 175 presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.

NAPA AutoCare/Roseville Toyota 200 presented by TriCo Welding Supplies & the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame will on NBCSN Thursday, October 18, 6 p.m. ET.

Contact:
Jason Christley
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications
(386) 310-6094
jchristley@nascar.com

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST-NAPA Autocare/Roseville Toyota 200 Results
Saturday
At All American Speedway
Roseville, CA
Lap length: 0.333 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (1) Cole Rouse, Fort Smith, Ark., Toyota, 200 laps, 57.732 mph.
2. (3) Ryan Partridge, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Ford, 200.
3. (5) Derek Thorn, Lakeport, Calif., Ford, 200.
4. (9) Nick Joanides, Woodland Hills, Calif., Toyota, 200.
5. (10) Travis Milburn, Eagle, Id., Chevrolet, 200.
6. (8) Matt Levin, Tucson, Ariz., Chevrolet, 200.
7. (2) Hailie Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Toyota, 200.
8. (15) Taylor Canfield, San Diego, Calif., Toyota, 198.
9. (14) Rich DeLong III, Santa Clarita, Calif., Chevrolet, 196.
10. (12) Takuma Koga, Nagoya, Japan, Chevrolet, 194.
11. (11) Trevor Huddleston, Agoura Hills, Calif., Ford, 178, accident.
12. (4) Chris Eggleston, Erie, Colo., Toyota, 149, accident.
13. (6) Kody Vanderwal, LaSalle, Colo, Ford, 117, drive line.
14. (13) Rudy Vanderwal, LaSalle, Colo, Ford, 102, brakes.
15. (7) Derek Kraus, Stratford, Wis., Toyota, 92.
16. (16) David Hibbard, Medford, Ore., Chevrolet, 0, mechanical.

Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 9 minutes 13 seconds
Margin of Victory: .506 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: C.Rouse (86.388 mph, 13.877 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 47 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Rouse 1-31; R. Partridge 32-123; C. Eggleston 124-140; R. Partridge 141-148; C. Eggleston 149; R. Partridge 150-173; C. Rouse 174-200.
Standings: 1. D. Thorn, 546; 2. C. Rouse, 520; 3. R. Partridge, 517; 4. D. Kraus, 495; 5. H. Deegan, 475; 6. T. Huddleston, 463; 7. K. Vanderwal, 443; 8. M. Levin, 392; 9. T. Koga, 367; 10. T. Souza, 237.

Swanson Signs With Nolen Racing For 2019 Silver Crown Run

Kody Swanson, the winningest driver in USAC Silver Crown history, will race for Nolen Racing during the 2019 season. (Photo Courtesy Dave Olson)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Whiteland, Indiana.........Four-time USAC Silver Crown champion Kody Swanson has signed with Nolen Racing to run the full 2019 USAC Silver Crown schedule.

Kingsburg, California's Swanson, who set the all-time Silver Crown wins record with his 24th victory last August at Salem (Ind.) Speedway, became a free agent following the closure of DePalma Motorsports earlier this week, whom he had raced for since the 2013 season and had accumulated 21 career wins with.

The Whiteland, Indiana-based Nolen Racing team has won 11 career Silver Crown races since the 1991 season with drivers Johnny Parsons, Jim Keeker, Tony Elliott, Shane Hollingsworth and Chris Windom. However, the team has yet to claim its first Silver Crown title. This past year, Nolen ran two cars full-time, finishing third and fifth in the series' standings with drivers Windom and Jerry Coons, Jr., respectively.

For 2019, the team will run one car on the Silver Crown trail for Swanson, who in 2018, raced a Gene Nolen-owned car to victory at the Payless Little 500, a grueling, 500-lap sprint car race at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway. The win was Swanson's second in the race and Nolen's first.

Swanson scored five wins in a row this past summer, setting a new mark for consecutive triumphs. Interestingly enough, Swanson's run was stopped by a Nolen Racing car, which was driven by Windom to two-straight wins on the Illinois miles in Springfield and Du Quoin.

DePalma Motorsports Leaves On Top After 5 Straight Silver Crown Titles

DePalma Motorsports set a record in 2018 with their fifth-straight USAC Silver Crown owner's title with Kody Swanson as the driver. (Photo Courtesy Gene Crucean)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Lima, Ohio (October 9, 2018).........DePalma Motorsports, one of the most iconic and successful teams in the history of the USAC Silver Crown series, is riding into the sunset on top of their game, announcing that their 2018 championship season was the last for the Lima, Ohio-based team.

It concludes a magical five-year run with Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif. DePalma Motorsports itself won the Silver Crown owner title each year they had Swanson as their full-time driver between 2014 and 2018. Swanson himself won Silver Crown driving titles in the DePalma No. 63 in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

The accomplishment of five consecutive series titles set by the team had never been seen before in the series, snapping the series record for streaking (four) set by Bob East/Tony Stewart Racing between 2002 and 2005 as well as Curb-Agajanian Motorsports, which grabbed four in a row from 2010 to 2013.

Along the way, Swanson and the DePalmas rewrote the record book, one of which Silver Crown participants will be chasing for years and years. Regardless of dirt or pavement, the combo was always up front.

This past year, Swanson and the DePalmas won five-straight races, breaking Jack Hewitt's long-standing, 32-year-old record of four-straight Silver Crown wins set in 1986. The last of Swanson's five wins, at Indiana's Salem Speedway, was the ultimate. Kody drove to his 24th career victory in the Silver Crown Champ Car Series, overtaking the top spot on the all-time win list.

With all that said, the accolades and the broken records have put the DePalmas at the pinnacle of the sport, but it's the people of racing that car owner Tony DePalma is going to miss the most.

"I've met a lot of good people in this sport and built a lot of great relationships," DePalma said. "It's been a pleasure to know a lot of people in this sport and it's really one of the most rewarding things besides, obviously, winning races. It's been really neat to get to know Kody's family and friends over the last several years. It's also fun to get to know our competitors. Yeah, they're the people we competed against, but most of them I view as friends. That's the most rewarding thing."

DePalma returned to Silver Crown racing in 2002, inheriting his uncle Ralph's stable of race cars after his passing. DePalma owned cars had notable runs with driver Mike Brecht in the "4-Crown Nationals" at Eldora Speedway, turning in a 3rd in 2004 and a 2nd in 2006.

Following his father Jim's passing, the cars were mothballed so to speak before the family team returned in 2010, then hit the circuit full steam when they put Swanson full-time in the seat for the 2014 season and quickly found the magic touch that Tony's father and uncle used to claim the 1984 Silver Crown owner title with driver Dave Blaney.

The familiar sight of the No. 63 up front has been commonplace, and it will certainly be a change to see for those in the stands and those on the track, but also to the DePalma team.

"No doubt about it, we're going to miss it," DePalma admitted. "'We're going to miss the camaraderie, the anticipation and the anxiety of competing. We were always pretty stoked and focused, and it was a standing joke of 'hey, pass the bottle of antacid.' We were really uptight about each and every race, but that's part of the reason we did well is because we put so much into it."

The team put all they had into it and then some as they raised their game to exemplary heights. However, DePalma felt now was the right time to make the exit for a myriad of reasons.

"I saw my kids starting to miss things with their kids; that was one piece of it," DePalma began. "There are other things I want to pursue and have started to put into motion a little bit. I'm missing some of the things I shouldn't be missing. Long story short, what took me over the edge was, what a better exit point than this? We were going to have to exit at some point in time anyway. Maybe it's premature, but I've always believed, when I've looked at athletes in various sports, I've always scratched my head thinking 'why didn't you get out when you were on top?'"

As crazy as it seems now, Kody was still seen as primarily a "pavement specialist" at the time and was tabbed as the driver for the blacktop while he searched for rides on the dirt to prove himself as a capable shoe. He recorded a 2nd, 5th and another 2nd in the first three pavement outings for DePalma during that initial season together in 2013. For 2014, Kody was handed the keys to both the pavement and dirt rides and he hasn't missed a beat since, reeling off 21 wins together with the DePalmas, more than any other driver/team combination in the history of the series.

"These last five years and the relationships that my family and I have had with the DePalma family and this team have been career and life changing," Swanson said. "When we met, I may have been more at a breaking point than a crossroads in my career, and along with a few other key people, this family and race team gave me a chance to continue and an incredible opportunity to be part of something special. Over the years we were blessed to gel as a team, but developed further than that, and into a family of our own. Everyone that has been involved has gotten along together so well. We have developed relationships personally that treat each other like family, maybe even better in some cases, and has become a team that almost any and every other would pale in comparison to."

"I am extremely grateful to have raced and become friends with each and every member of this team, and for the sacrifices that each of them, and their families, have made as part of this team," Swanson continued. "It has been such a unique situation, and something not easily found in an entire team across any sport. Everyone involved gave it their all, without hesitation, and wanted to compete together for all the right reasons. We all wanted to do our best, and everyone put in all the effort they could to try to win races together. You simply can't ask for anything more than that in a team, and what we've been able to accomplish together has been incredible and something I am so thankful for my family and I to have been a part of."