There were 71 cars on hand on Thursday, while 75 took part in Friday's program. With 16 drivers
locked in heading into the final day (Saturday), another 60 competitors attempted to race their way
to the A-Main through time trials, heat races, and the alphabet mains.
A total of 59 entries signed in for 600cc competition.
Jason Swavely, Douglassville Pa., had the distinction of using provisionals to start both A-Mains in each one, he started way back in 30th position after suffering misfortune during Saturday
qualifying for the 270's and 600's.
Swavely avoided a couple of multi-car tangles in the early stages of the 600cc feature, then deftly
navigated his way into the top ten. He finished eighth and was easily the hard charger of the event.
In the 270cc headliner, Swavely was not as fortunate, finishing 21st as the first driver one lap
down.
On Friday night, Swavely did score an impressive triumph in the Race of Champions, driving a
second Ken Miller No. 23mx machine to the win over a field of point champions from various
tracks across Pennsylvania and surrounding states.
The 16 drivers who locked themselves into Saturday's 270cc A-Main (by virtue of finishing in the
top eight positions in Thursday and Friday's preliminary features) competed in a series of one-onone match races on the final night to determine their starting spots for the 50-lapper. Randy
West marched through the bracket to earn the pole, defeating Steve Dunmire in the final round.
West had to beat Jacob Hendershot, Sean McAndrew, Logan Diehl, then Dunmire to win the pole.
There were several close finishes along with some upsets in the match races, and the entire Front
Row Challenge was well received by the competitors and fans.
Drivers from North Carolina, Ohio, New York, and Connecticut took part in the 25th Anniversary
edition of the National Open.
November 2014 ~ 13