Sprint car driver, team owner
Along with Doug Wolfgang and 2017 inductee Steve Kinser, Swindell is known as one of “The Big Three” of modern winged Sprint Car racing. A three-time World of Outlaws champion (1981, 1982, 1997) and four-time runner-up, only begin to speak to “Slammin’ Sammy’s” accomplishments. Over his career, Swindell won 294 A-Main events (2nd all-time) and captured the 1983 Knoxville Nationals. He’s also a five-time winner of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals (1989, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2009), the race some call the Super Bowl of Midget racing, a three-time winner of the Eldora Kings Royal (1992, 1999, 2012) and the 1981 Ascot Pacific Coast Nationals victor. Also he’s been a team owner and in 1997, became the first owner-driver to win the WoO Crown. Swindell also tried NASCAR and IndyCar. The technically astute Tennessee native comes from a racing family. His dad, Sam, was a successful driver, as are brother Jeff and son Kevin. Swindell was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2006.