Dale Everett Swanson (February 22, 1918 in

Castana, Iowa Castana is a city in Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 107 at the time of the 2020 census. History A post office has been in operation at Castana since 1865. Castana was platted in 1886 by the railroad. The name Castana wa ...

January 28, 1996) was an American

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

driver and owner. Swanson lived in

Harlan, Iowa Harlan is a city and the county seat of Shelby County, Iowa, along the Nishnabotna River, West Nishnabotna River. The population was 4,893 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Harlan was platted in 1858. It was nam ...

, and became one of the premier racing engine builders in the 1940s and 1950s. Though he started his racing career driving in the coupe circuit in the late 1940s in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, he was better known for his car building expertise. He was often referred to as a "mechanical genius". Swanson owned the cars driven by Harlan native and racing champion

Johnny Beauchamp Johnny Beauchamp (March 23, 1923 – April 17, 1981) was an American NASCAR driver from Harlan, Iowa. He is best known for finishing second in the 1959 Daytona 500 in a photo finish after being declared the unofficial winner. In 23 starts, he ...

from 1956 to 1957. In the mid-1950s, Swanson was sponsored by

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

's Racing Division to compete in IMCA racing events. Swanson and driver Johnny Beauchamp dominated the IMCA stock car series winning 43 features and the series Championship in 1956. Swanson was one of the most knowledgeable mechanics in racing when it came to the Chevrolet. Another Harlan, Iowa racing legend,

1963 Daytona 500 The 1963 Daytona 500, the 5th running of the event held on February 24, 1963, was won by Tiny Lund driving a 1963 Ford. Lund drove his number 21 to victory in three hours and 17 minutes. There were 2 cautions flags which slowed the race for 1 ...

winner

Tiny Lund DeWayne Louis "Tiny" Lund (November 14, 1929 – August 17, 1975) was an American stock car racer. He was a journeyman racer-for-hire in the top level NASCAR Grand National Series, running partial seasons for a number of years, including a vict ...

, also drove for Swanson in the early 1950s. Swanson's racing work continued until the late 1970s at racetracks in Iowa and Nebraska. Dale Swanson’s legacy continued with his son Dale L. Swanson and grandson Dale (Ken) Swanson. Dale (Ken) Swanson spent 15 years working for some of the best

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

teams in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. While working at

Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Behind Oliver Mowat, Davis was the List of premiers of Ontario by time in office, second-longes ...

Racing under head engine builder, Terry Elledge, he built the engine that powered the #22 Caterpillar Car driven by Ward Burton and crew chiefed by Tommy Baldwin, winning the 2002 Daytona 500. He also worked at Richard Childress Racing’s (RCR) Engine R&D department and contributed to

Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and commentator for '' NASCAR on Fox''. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewa ...

winning the 2007 Daytona 500. While at RCR, he also built engines for Kevin Harvick Racing, Inc. and driver Ron Hornaday who won the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship.

Personal life

Swanson was the son of Theodore and Neva Swanson. He died January 28, 1996U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Number: 480-18-5943; Issue State: Iowa; Issue Date: Before 1951 in Harlan, Iowa.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swanson, Dale Racing drivers from Iowa 1918 births 1996 deaths NASCAR team owners People from Harlan, Iowa