Last Saturday Dylan Swinehart (83) drove into victory lane in his brother Decker’s sportsman modified. He won in dramatic fashion, passing Jared LaBagh (38) in turn four and crossing the line just .02 seconds ahead.
(For more on LaBagh, read “Jared LaBagh: Quest for New Regular Track Results in Win.”)
The victory marked Dylan’s first this year in the sportsman modified at Grandview Speedway, as well as Decker’s first as car owner.
An excited crowd of family and friends rushed into victory lane to celebrate with Dylan. It was the birthday of the brothers’ late great uncle Randy Bailey and also the same weekend great uncle Mike Bailey passed six years ago. The Baileys were part of he famed Bailey Bunch that dominated Pennsylvania dirt ovals decades ago.
“Emotions were so high in victory lane,” Dylan Swinehart said. “For my mom, Charlene, and her sister, my aunt Claudine, the night had a very special meaning. For my brother, Decker, it was his car’s first win this season and my first win.”
Dylan typically races his own car, but Decker put his brother into his ride after being sidelined for medical reasons.
“I did not notice how tired my engine was until I got into my brother’s car,” Dylan, of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, said. “I’m not sure what is going on in my car’s engine. It lacks power compared to my brother’s.”
Decker expects to return to the seat of his sportsman modified later this year. Until then, Dylan would like to continue teaming up with his brother.
“I’m not sure if I want to go back to my car or use his motor in my car,” said Dylan. “He’s a great little brother, for sure. A couple of years ago, I owned the car he drove for a full season. Now, he is offering to return the favor, just to help me out.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
Photographers
The Outside Groove contributor from Macungie, Pennsylvania, has covered the sport since 2012. Sabo serves as the official track photographer of Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania. Photography is a family ordeal for Sabo. He shoots with his daughter, Abby, at Shellhammer Dirt Track in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania. At Grandview and other venues Sabo travels to, he and his father, Stephen “Poppa Pepper” Sabo Sr., capture the night’s action with their cameras.
