KODY SWANSON TEAMS WITH DORAN BINKS IN PURSUIT OF 8TH USAC SILVER CROWN TITLE IN 2023
Lebanon, Ohio (March 29, 2023)………Seven-time and reigning USAC Silver Crown driving champion Kody Swanson will attempt to extend his all-time record of series titles to eight in 2023 in a combined team effort between Kevin Doran and Dan Binks.
Swanson’s route to the 2021-22 Silver Crown championships came via a split effort between Doran Racing on pavement and Dyson Racing on dirt. This year’s combo will put the Kingsburg, Calif. driver under the same roof with a single team for the full season on both dirt and pavement, a scenario Swanson hasn’t been in since competing full-time for Nolen Racing in 2020.
Doran-Binks Racing will be based at Doran Racing’s headquarters in Lebanon, Ohio, and will sport primary sponsorship from Mission Foods, the leading producer of tortillas in the United States and the manufacturer of a variety of authentic Mexican products. Glenn Farms will be the team’s associate sponsor and the cars will return to the 77, which Swanson utilized with the team during his 2021 championship season.
Doran Binks Racing plans to compete in all 14 USAC Silver Crown races in 2023. As a seven-time champion, Swanson’s 37 victories make him the winningest driver in the history of this series.
Swanson, a native of Kingsburg, Calif., who now lives in Indianapolis, won three races on the way to the 2022 USAC Silver Crown title. In August, he beat his own world speed record for a traditional USAC Silver Crown car with a speed of 146.699 miles per hour during qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.
“I'm excited about this year and the season ahead,” Swanson exclaimed. “This is a tremendous opportunity to work together with some great friends and talented racers and do it all out of the same building. I'm thankful for the chance to partner with the Mission brand and hope to represent an iconic company well while competing for wins and championships.”
While Swanson has already cemented himself among the USAC greats throughout his career, Doran and Binks are both legends in endurance sports car racing.
Doran has won the Rolex 24 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway as a crew chief, a team member, a team manager, a car owner and even as a car manufacturer. Prior to fielding cars under Doran Racing, he had many victories with the late Al Holbert, a five-time IMSA Camel GT champion; the MOMO Ferrari team, and Doran Lista Racing.
Binks, of Brighton, Mich., was the crew chief for Corvette Racing’s factory sports car team for nearly 20 years. Under his direction, the team won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times and numerous IMSA championships.
Prior to becoming one of the most recognizable faces of Corvette Racing, Binks won IMSA GTU races with a Mazda RX-7 with various drivers, enjoying great success in Trans Am and even was a crew chief for Roush Fenway Racing in NASCAR.
The USAC Silver Crown series opens with the 20th running of the Sumar Classic on Sunday, April 16, at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track.
