During the off-season Travis Swaim and Travis Jarrett teamed up for the 2016 season to chase the Caraway Speedway track championship. On Sunday afternoon the duo and their team dominated the day at Caraway Speedway’s 51st Season Opener event qualifying on the pole and leading the most laps before a broken rod sidelined Swaim late in the race.
Swaim and Jarrett are not strangers to one another. On the contrary they’re best friends or as they both described their relationship, they are “brothers”. Jarrett and Swaim are both Project Leaders for Management Resources, a company that Swaim’s father Mike, Sr. owns. Swaim has worked there most of his life while Jarrett has spent the last 13 years there.
Swaim and Jarrett have also been working together at the race track together for many years. Jarrett has served as Swaim’s eyes in the sky as he’s been spotting for him for years while Swaim has been winning races all over the region including three Late Model Stock Car championships at Caraway Speedway and a UARA-STARS Series championship in 2012.
So this off-season when the chance came about for them to work together on a team of their own, the two jumped at it.
“We’re like brothers,” said Travis Jarrett. “Our wives get along great, we go on vacations together, work together and race together. He’s buying a piece of property that is up against mine, so we’re about to be neighbors. I had a new Marlowe car I was getting ready and Travis came and seen the car and he liked it. He asked me how much I’d charge him to drive it and I said we’d work something out.”
“He brought his engine from Charlie Long and I’m supplying the car and we’re doing this deal together,” continued Jarrett. “Travis’ crew chief for years has been Ronald Fox and while we’re not running out of his shop he’s still a big part of this deal. He helps us a couple of nights a week in the shop.”
“Travis had this car and was slowly putting it together,” said Swaim. “I’m running for Travis but with my engine. We put our own setup on their that we came up with and it was good right from the test. Of course I like this rules package with the bump stops and stuff. I just like the feel and this car was almost perfect right off the trailer.”
This past weekend at Caraway Speedway the two broke out the car for the first time other than a test back in February. The results were nothing shy of impressive. Swaim put the car on the pole after being among the top three in every practice session. Then from the drop of the green flag he was clearly the best car in the field, only coming under challenge on restarts.
His team also withstood a mandatory two-tire pit stop and came out of the pits long before anyone else who took on tires did. He only lost the lead on a lap 105 restart and fell as low as third before reclaiming second and tracking down the leader on lap 121. With 20 laps to go in the 150 lap race Swaim was all over the back of the leader but his engine broke the number two rod and ended his day.”I’m definitely disappointed not to finish but I can’t really be anything but proud of how the car ran and how the team performed on the pit stop and all weekend,” said Swaim. “With a brand new piece to go to the track and sit on the pole, lead the most laps and come out of the pits first on the pit stop and be chasing the leader down with 20 to go is something to be proud of.”
Jarrett was equally proud of the effort despite the results because of the fact that they do everything in-house at Jarrett Motorsports.
“Running Tommy (Lemons) down with 20 to go and we broke the number two connector rod,” explained Jarrett. “A $300 part cost us a chance to at least race for the win. We felt like we had the best car and had been one of the best all weekend. That’s just a testament to this team and putting the right people in place for the pit stop and having all the right pieces in place. We don’t take the car anywhere. We do pretty much everything ourselves. We pull it down ourself, use our own pull down and surface plate and all.”
Swaim and Jarrett are still looking to compete for the championship at Caraway Speedway this season which is their main focus despite being 13th in points after the engine problem. They also plan on running Martinsville and Myrtle Beach at the end of the year and might hit a few CARS Tour races.
Swaim says this program is perfect for him because of his age and where he’s at in his career and not running all the time.
“I don’t run like (Lee) Pulliam and (Tommy) Lemons do,” explained Swaim. “I couldn’t afford to go out and buy a new car just to run 8 or 10 races. Travis had this car and it just worked out. I’m looking forward to running these races and some ARCA races but I’m too old to think I’m going to get a Cup ride or something.”
Jarrett also has another Limited car in his Jarrett Motorsports stables that Coy Beard will drive some this season. Beard has run a rental deal with Jarrett for a couple of years with some success last season in the Late Model Truck. Jarrett says he’s committed to doing these two deals but might be willing to entertain running someone else in one of the cars down the road if something changes.
Jarrett also says that having Swaim driving his car is special to him.
“I’ve worked for Mike Swaim, Sr. for 13 years and being able to do this for Travis is the only way I can give back to his dad for all he’s done for me,” explained Jarrett. “Giving Travis a potentially winning car is my way of giving back to him for everything.”
Swaim and Jarrett will be back in action at Caraway Speedway for the second race of the 2016 season for NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock Cars in the D&L Drywall Contractors Ford Fusion looking for redemption.
“We’re running for points, so now we’re focused on going out and winning the next five races at Caraway,” explained Jarrett. “Of course everyone’s looking to do that but I think we’ve got a great chance.”
