Former Chili Bowl Champ Kevin Swindell Becomes Team Owner After Sustaining Serious Injury

Chili Bowl champion Kevin Swindell has a new role this year, not a driver but a team owner.

"It's different; you feel like you've got somebody else's life in your hands a little bit,” said Swindell. “You feel like if you screw up, it hurts them too."

The transition isn't by choice. An accident at an Iowa dirt track in August left him semi-paralyzed.

"I remember everything. Nothing ever blacked out; nothing ever went away. Landed, as soon as I hit the ground, I knew my legs didn't work anymore and I couldn't feel them," he explained.

Swindell is making progress, but he still can't stand or walk on his own. While he recovers, Kevin Thomas Jr. will drive the number 39 car, carrying Swindell's motto, "bulldog strong."

"I'm kind of racing with a purpose this week, so I'll be driving a little bit smarter, a little bit harder, and hopefully we can win this thing," stated Thomas Jr. "Obviously, Kevin's won this thing four times in a row, so he knows how to get around this place. He's a good coach."

After the accident, support came from racers and their fans all over the country. One of Swindell's biggest fans is NASCAR champion Tony Stewart.

"He's got the same work ethic that he has with racing,” said Stewart. “That's how he's got as far as he has. He just won't quit working and he's got goals in his mind that he's going to get back in a race car and be walking again, and he's making great strides to that. If anyone can come out of a scenario like he's in, it would be Kevin."

A serious accident hasn't slowed down Swindell's desire to keep driving. He hopes to be chasing a fifth Chili Bowl title next year, even if he has to use a car with hand controls.

"This is your passion, what you love to do, it's the most fun thing in the world to get in one of these cars. You can't get away from that. It's killing me that I don't get to race this week, but trying to be a part of it as much as I can,” Swindell elaborated. “Hopefully, even if my feet don't work, we'll see how good my hands do in a year or so."