 Swindell took off the wings in 1981, to win the prestigious Pacific Coast Nationals at Ascot.Swindell made his debut in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in the 1985 Atlanta Journal 500; in 1991, he planned to move full-time to the Winston Cup Series, competing for Rookie of the Year for Moroso Racing, but he was fired by the team following several spins during Speedweeks and crashing again in qualifying for the second race of the year at Richmond International Raceway.Following his release he returned to sprint car racing.