INDIANAPOLIS — It was a thing of beauty. Two sprint cars racing for the lead, lap after lap. The lead car maintaining his line, the chaser trying high and low to make the pass. No contact, no rubbing and no games.
No, this was not 1950. Or 1970. Or 1990. It was here and now, July 10 at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway. Kody Swanson was leading, and Tyler Roahrig was in hot pursuit, fighting for the win at the 20th annual Glen Niebel Classic.
Contact has become so common throughout racing today that it seems normal.
“It’s too much work to pass the guy cleanly, and I don’t have time, so … I’ll just rough him up! After all, rubbin’ is racin’, and I did what I had to do.
“My slide job didn’t clear the guy and I sent him over the fence and tore up all his stuff? Oh well … that’s racin.’”
But when you see people race cleanly, professionally and intensely, it ought to be recognized.
Swanson and Roahrig have emerged as two of the top open-wheel pavement racers of the hour. Particularly at Anderson, where they have collectively won 12 of the last 16 races over the past four seasons. On this Saturday night, they were in a class of their own among a 19-car field.
Swanson was fast qualifier and started sixth after the invert, and Roahrig lined up one row ahead. Swanson got past Roahrig in heavy traffic during the early going of the 125-lap race, but Roahrig countered several laps later with a slick move on the outside — a move that was nothing short of outstanding.
But on a later restart, Swanson used his experience to slip back past Roahrig, and that proved to be a pivotal moment. Swanson took command on lap 63 when race leader Billy Wease fell out with right-front suspension problems, and the chess match between Swanson and Roahrig began in earnest.
Roahrig worked on the leader for 62 laps. He tried high, he tried low. He worked him on an open track, he worked him in traffic. On several occasions it looked like the lead would change hands, but Swanson never faltered, never flinched.
Swanson gave Roahrig room; Roahrig gave Swanson respect.
They battled to the white flag and to the checkered. Swanson crossed first with Roahrig all over him in second.
The win left Swanson elated and relieved. He spoke of the respect he has for Roahrig and his confidence that Roahrig would race him clean.
Roahrig was left contemplating several different scenarios. He spoke of his own mistakes; you can’t make any mistakes if you expect to beat Kody Swanson, he insisted.
It was just one race — and one track — on a night where the rain stayed away just long enough. But it was truly a thing of beauty, when two talented racers showed that it is still possible to thrill and excite and entertain without running over each other.
A lot of winners today look like amateurs with the way they race. But not Kody Swanson and Tyler Roahrig. Professionals, all the way. Boy, is that fun to watch.