Kruser
Prevails in Red Hot Friday Chili Bowl Prelim
 Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 13,
2006) – Two-time Chili Bowl king Cory
Kruseman outlasted P.J. Jones and a host
of other challengers in Friday night’s
hotly-contested 25-lap Warren CAT
Qualifying night feature at Tulsa Expo
Raceway’s 20th Annual
O’Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
In a torrid feature event that included six
official lead changes and numerous others
from one corner to another, Kruseman took
command for keeps on the 21st
round and fought back the advances of
Jones, Kasey Kahne, Sammy Swindell and
Mike Goodman before a crowd of 13,622.
The top-finishing quartet of Kruseman, Jones,
Kahne and Swindell locked themselves into
Saturday night’s prestigious finale
along with Wednesday and Thursday’s top
four finishers, which include Danny
Lasoski, Jay Drake, Steve Kinser, Jon
Stanbrough, Jerry Coons, Jr., Garrett
Hansen, Tim McCreadie and Steve Buckwalter.
The balance of the 24-car main
event will be determined through
Saturday’s Chili Bowl championship
feature events, which get under way at
1:00 p.m.
While Friday night’s feature was loaded with
talent, it didn’t include NASCAR Nextel
Cup champion Tony Stewart.
Stewart, who scratched from
Wednesday’s card after a flip in hot
laps, flipped wildly down the backstretch
in his Friday night qualifying race after
a heat race win. Shaken, the 2002 Chili Bowl winner was transported to a local
hospital where he was treated and
released.
For the second night in a row, an Andy Bondio-owned
entry raced its way to the pole position
of the feature event, with Kruseman
earning the spot by virtue of an eighth to
first charge in his heat race and a
sixth-to-second run in his qualifier.
Racing wheel-to-wheel through the first two
corners at the drop of the green, Kruseman
wrestled the early lead away from fellow
front row starter Jones.
But, setting what would become a
trend for the balance of the race, Jones
raced underneath Kruseman down the
backstretch on the second lap to take
command.
“He
(Jones) was definitely strong, there were
times that he was the better car and it
just kind of made a difference on who hit
the right spot in the corner,” Kruseman
later commented.
With Jones fending off Kruseman for the point,
fifth-starter Mike Goodman disposed of
second row starters Paul McMahan and Dave
Darland for third by the fifth round.
The first of several cautions flew
moments later for Brad Loyet’s turn four
spin, with Darland surrendering fourth
position under the caution period due to a
flat left rear tire.
Darland rejoined the chase after a
quick tire change.
McMahan reported to the work area
as well, also rejoining the field at the
tail.
After wading through a pair of cautions, the
battle for the lead intensified with
Kruseman racing past Jones on the 11th
circuit.
Jones slid back underneath Kruseman
in turns one and two on the 12th
lap, only to have the move negated by a
Travis Berryhill spin.
Not to be denied, Jones once again raced
underneath Kruseman to snare the point on
the restart.
That lead was short-lived however,
as Kruseman returned the favor the next
time around, with Jimmy Sills’ wild turn
two flip bringing out the caution with 13
laps in the books.
On the ensuing restart, third-running Goodman
charged by both Kruseman and Jones in
turns one and two and led the way down the
backstretch before slipping over the
cushion in three and four.
Goodman’s slip allowed Jones to
race into the lead on the 14th
lap with Kruseman in second.
According
to Kruseman, “The best thing for us was
that the top was getting better and the
bottom was getting worse, at least in my
eyes, and it kinda was slowing P.J. up a
little bit.
But every time a yellow would come
he’d track back by me, so obviously it
wasn’t so true.”
With Jones, Kruseman and Goodman engaged in a
spirited battle for the lead, 14th-starter
Kahne and 15th-starter Sammy
Swindell had quietly climbed into the top
five by the time a caution flew after 17
laps for a tangle involving Casey Shuman
and Wally Pankratz.
The lead quintet of Jones, Kruseman, Kahne,
Swindell and Goodman raced in tight
formation over the next handful of laps,
swapping spots continuously much to the
approval of the capacity crowd.
Kruseman finally charged into the lead for good
upon the completion of the 21st
lap, and after a final caution that set up
a two-lap dash to the checkered flag, beat
Jones to the stripe by two car-lengths.
In search of a third Golden Driller
trophy, it marked Kruseman’s fifth Chili
Bowl preliminary night triumph aboard Andy
Bondio’s Barnes-powered No. 47 Barnes
Oil Pumps/Kenny’s Components entry.
 Jones settled
for runner-up honors aboard Mike
Minarik’s Chevy-powered No. 17J K&C
Drywall TCR.
Jones commented, “I’m rusty in
the dirt racing, I’ve run one dirt race
a year the last ten years and that’s
been here.
I’m probably not as sharp and on
my game as somebody like Cory or Sammy,
but it comes back to you fast.”
On Jones’ rear bumper, NASCAR star Kahne
edged four-time Chili Bowl champion
Swindell for the show position.
Kahne commented that, “This is just a fun,
exciting race to come to every year and
I’ve got to come until I win the
thing.”
According
to Chili Bowl veteran Swindell, “I’ve
been fortunate to finish a lot of races
here and run up front a lot of times.
I think there was a point here
tonight where I was second, for maybe a
second or two, then I kinda got a bad
bounce there a time or two.
That’s part of it, we were just
trying to get what we could get and we
came a long ways from where ever I
started.”
Chili
Bowl rookie contender Goodman rounded out the top five, with 19th-starter
Bryan Clauson overcoming several miscues
earlier in the night by charging to sixth.
Teddy Beach snared seventh in front
of 18th-starter Shane Cottle
and Rich Camfield, with two-time Chili
Bowl champion Dan Boorse charging from 21st
to tenth.
Jones, Pankratz, Alan Ballard, Kruseman,
Swindell, Daniel Adler, Tony Stewart,
Goodman, Joe Boyles and Berryhill captured
heat race victories for Friday night’s
89-car field.
Davey Camfield, Matt Sherrell, Shuman and
Damion Gardner posted Last Chance Race
wins, with Darland, Josh Wise, Goodman and
Beach topping the Qualifying races.
Loyet and Cottle split victory honors in the
twin B Mains.
Sherrell’s late move to win his Last Chance
race aboard perhaps the oldest vehicle
among this year’s record 260 competitors
earned a standing ovation from the
appreciative crowd.
Sherrell’s Jack Hitt-owned mount
is the same car in which Danny Frye, Jr.,
captured a preliminary feature win in
Second Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals
of 1988.
Friday's
Warren CAT Qualifying Night Results from
the 20th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget
Nationals:
Heats
(Top 40 in passing points to Four A
Qualifiers; Balance to Four Last Chance
Races)
Heat
1 (8 Laps): 1. 17J P.J. Jones, Torrance,
CA; 2. 5A Shon Deskins, Waddell, AZ; 3.
12C Rick England, Wichita, KS; 4. 98
Curtis Bailey, Bartlesville, OK; 5. 24E
Bill Eslick, Burleson, TX; 6. 9B Ryan
Beechler, Anna, TX; 7. 37X Casey Shuman,
Tempe, AZ; 8. 14AZ Danny Sheridan, Santa
Maria, CA; 9. 10V Ron Kuhn, Lee’s
Summit, MO
Heat
2 (8 Laps): 1. 8 Wally Pankratz, Orange,
CA; 2. 20W Josh Wise, Riverside, CA; 3. 73
Josh Ford, Oxnard, CA; 4. 15 Scott Hatton,
Roscoe, IL; 5. 73F Foster Landon,
Collinsville, OK; 6. 14 Tony Rossi,
Westminster, CO; 7. 86X Daron Clayton,
Sikeston, MO; 8. 17X Audra Sasselli,
Fresno, CA; 9. 11X Steve Newman, Lakewood,
CO
Heat
3 (8 Laps): 1. 36 Alan Ballard,
Bakersfield, CA; 2. 11W Dave Darland,
Lincoln, IN; 3. 93 Dustin Morgan,
Collinsville, OK; 4. 125 Teddy Beach,
Donnelsville, OH; 5. 11R Ryan Cole,
Porter, OK; 6. 35 Mat Neely, Robinson, IL;
7. 74 Ernie Bartley III; 8. F1 French
Grimes, Madison, VA; 9. 69M Mike Marfia,
Rio Rancho, NM
Heat
4 (8 Laps): 1. 47 Cory Kruseman, Ventura,
CA; 2. 87C Rich Camfield, Decatur, IL; 3.
67 Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN; 4. 5H
Doug Hunting, Sacramento, CA; 5. 21S Bob
Shreffler, Plainfield, IL; 6. 55 Tony
Everhart, El Cajon, CA; 7. 86C Davey
Camfield, Decatur, IL; 8. 17C Chris
Windom, Canton, IL; 9. 57 Brian Gard,
Kelseyville, CA
Heat
5 (8 Laps): 1. 1 Sammy Swindell,
Germantown, TN; 2. 12 Trey Robb,
Newcastle, OK; 3. 2L Luke Icke, Littleton,
CO; 4. 25 Nick Knepper, Belleville, IL; 5.
10B Brandon Knupp, Sidney, OH: 6. 33M Marc
Arnold, Peru, IN; 7. 15P Alex Pruett,
Carefree, AZ; 8. 16 Tom Bigelow,
Winchester, IN; 9. 4AZ Chris Edwards,
Buckeye, AZ
Heat
6 (8 Laps): 1. 50 Daniel Adler, East
Carondolet, IL; 2. 67K Paul McMahan,
Nashville, TN; 3. 05 Brad Loyet, Sunset
Hills, MO; 4. 21M Andy Martin,
Gordonville, PA; 5. 55X Matt Sherrell,
Tulsa, OK; 6. 6 Damion Gardner, Concord,
CA; 7. 12H Rick Hendrix, Canoga Park, CA;
8. 32K Kirk Kubik, Long Beach, CA; 9. 31X
Joe Walker, Harrisonville, MO
Heat
7 (8 Laps): 1. 20 Tony Stewart, Columbus,
IN; 2. 85 Shane Hollingsworth,
Indianapolis, IN; 3. 71H Keith Rauch,
Thornton, CO; 4. 51H Joe Roe, Pleasant
Prairie, WI; 5. 44C Shane Cottle, Kokomo,
IN; 6. 17W Mike Woodruff, Satanta, KS; 7.
34J Jon LeJeune, Decorah, IA; 8. 48 Mike
Welker; Peoria, AZ; 9. 19B Cameron Beard,
Atwater, CA
Heat
8 (8 Laps): 1. 11M Mike Goodman, Tulsa,
OK; 2. 35X Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL;
3. 9 Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw, WA; 4. D33
Jeff Davis, Pittsburg, IL; 5. 88 Dan
Boorse, Milwaukee, WI; 6. 5D Gary Taylor,
Wheat Ridge, CO; 7. 73I Aaron Pierce,
Muncie, IN; 8. 5L Leighton Crouch,
Lubbock, TX; 9. 4L Doug Lippincott,
Minden, NV
Heat
9 (8 Laps): 1. 7B Joe Boyles, Greenwood,
MO; 2. 27 Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV; 3.
54 Ralph Cortez, Sacramento, CA; 4. 19
Chris Wagner, Colorado Springs, CO; 5. 93S
Evan Sewell, Jenks, OK; 6. 13 Chris
Shoulders, Dallas, TX; 7. 27X Bobby Boone,
Bakersfield, CA; 8. 27B Todd Kimmel, Avon,
IN; 9. 6J Jesse Hockett, Warsaw, MO
Heat
10 (8 Laps): 1. 11Z Travis Berryhill,
American Canyon, CA; 2. 8S Jimmy Sills,
Elverta, CA; 3. 3 Tracy Miller, Reading,
PA; 4. 17M Doug McCune, Fort Worth, TX; 5.
7X Brian Mater, Pueblo, CO; 6. 87 Harley
Slotten, Menasha, WI; 7. 52R Ricky
Stenhouse Jr., Olive Branch, MS; 8. 17Z
Ryan Ratliff, Tulsa, OK
Last
Chance Races (Top 2 in each to back of
respective A Qualifier)
Last
Chance 1 (Top 2 to back of Qualifier No. 1
– 10 Laps): 1. 86C Davey Camfield,
Decatur, IL; 2. 14 Tony Rossi,
Westminster, CO; 3. 73I Aaron Pierce,
Muncie, IN; 4. 93S Evan Sewell, Jenks, OK;
5. 10V Ron Kuhn, Lee’s Summit, MO; 6. 19
Chris Wagner, Colorado Springs, CO; 7. 74
Ernie Bartley III, El Cajon, CA; 8. 10B
Brandon Knupp, Sidney, OH; 9. 32K Kirk
Kubik, Long Beach, CA; 10. 17W Mike
Woodruff, Satanta, KS; 11. 5L Leighton
Crouch, Lubbock, TX; 12. 4AZ Chris
Edwards, Buckeye, AZ; DNS – Jesse
Hockett, Warsaw, MO
Last
Chance 2 (Top 2 to back of Qualifier No. 2
– 10 Laps): 1. 55X Matt Sherrell, Tulsa,
OK; 2. 5D Gary Taylor, Wheatridge, CO; 3.
15P Alex Pruett, Carefree, AZ; 4. 27X
Bobby Boone, Bakersfield, CA; 5. 55 Tony
Everhart, El Cajon, CA; 6. 17M Doug
McCune, Fort Worth, TX; 7. 24E Bill Eslick,
Burleson, TX; 8. 14AZ Danny Sheridan,
Santa Maria, CA; 9. 48 Mike Welker,
Peoria, AZ; 10. 52R Rickey Stenhouse Jr.,
Olive Branch, MS; 11. 31X Joe Walker,
Harrisonville, MO; 12. 11X Steve Newman,
Lakewood, CO
Last
Chance 3 (Top 2 to back of Qualifier No. 3
– 10 Laps): 1. 37X Casey Shuman, Tempe,
AZ; 2. 35 Mat Neely, Robinson, IL; 3. 17X
Audra Sasselli, Fresno, CA; 4. 27B Todd
Kimmel, Avon, IN; 5. 19B Cameron Beard,
Atwater, CA; 6. 13 Chris Shoulders,
Dallas, TX; 7. 73F Foster Landon,
Collinsville, OK; 8. 7X Brian Mater,
Pueblo, CO; 9. F1 French Grimes, Madison,
VA; 10. 69M Mike Marfia, Rio Rancho, NM;
11. 33M Marc Arnold, Peru, IN. DNS – 12H
Rick Hendrix, Canoga Park, CA
Last
Chance 4 (Top 2 to back of Qualifier No. 4
– 10 Laps): 1. 6 Damion Gardner,
Concord, CA; 2. 88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee,
WI; 3. 11R Ryan Cole, Porter, OK; 4. 86X
Daron Clayton, Sikeston, MO; 5. 16 Tom
Bigelow, Winchester, IN; 6. 9B Ryan
Beechler, Anna, TX; 7. 17C Chris Windom,
Canton, IL: 8. 87 Harley Slotten, Menasha,
WI; 9. 4L Doug Lippincott, Minden, NV; 10.
34J Jon LeJeune, Decorah, IA; 11, 57 Brian
Gard, Kelseyville, CA; 12. 17Z Ryan
Ratliff, Tulsa, OK
A
Qualifiers (Top 16 in combined passing
points with the heats to A Main; Balance
to Twin B Mains)
A
Qualifier 1 (10 Laps): 1. 11W Dave Darland,
Lincoln, IN; 2. 47 Cory Kruseman, Ventura,
CA; 3. 11Z Travis Berryhill, American
Canyon, CA; 4. 71H Keith Rauch, Thornton,
CO; 5. 7B Joe Boyles, Greenwood, MO; 6.
51H Joe Roe, Pleasant Prairie, WI; 7. 25
Nick Knepper, Belleville, IL; 8. 98 Curtis
Bailey, Bartlesville, OK; 9. 14 Tony
Rossi, Westminster, CO; 10. 3 Tracy
Miller, Reading, PA; 11. 5A Shon Deskins,
Waddell, AZ; 12. 86C Davey Camfield,
Decatur, IL. Note: 3 Tracy Miller was
penalized a position for hitting the
restart cone.
A
Qualifier 2 (10 Laps): 1. 20W Josh Wise,
Riverside, CA; 2. 8S Jimmy Sills, Elverta,
CA; 3. 17J P.J. Jones, Torrance, CA; 4. 05
Brad Loyet, Sunset Hills, MO; 5. 44C Shane
Cottle, Kokomo, IN; 6. 2L Luke Icke,
Littleton, CO; 7. 5D Gary Taylor,
Wheatridge, CO; 8. 73 Josh Ford, Oxnard,
CA; 9. 36 Adam Ballard, Bakersfield, CA;
10. D33 Jeff Davis, Pittsburg, IL; 11. 21M
Andy Martin, Gordonville, PA; 12. 55X Matt
Sherrell, Tulsa, OK
A
Qualifier 3 (10 Laps): 1. 11M Mike
Goodman, Tulsa, OK; 2. 87C Rich Camfield,
Decatur, IL; 3. 85 Shane Hollingsworth,
Indianapolis, IN; 4. 9 Kasey Kahne,
Enumclaw, WA; 5. 37X Casey Shuman, Tempe,
AZ; 6. 12C Rick England, Wichita, KS; 7.
50 Daniel Adler, East Carondolet, IL; 8.
35 Mat Neely, Robinson, IL; 9. 12 Trey
Robb, Newcastle, OK: 10. 5H Doug Hunting,
Sacramento, CA; 11. 93 Dustin Morgan,
Collinsville, OK; 12. 15 Scott Hatton,
Roscoe, IL
A
Qualifier 4 (10 Laps): 1. 125 Teddy Beach,
Donnelsville, OH; 2. 67K Paul McMahan,
Nashville, TN; 3. 27 Josh Richards,
Shinnston, WV; 4. 1 Sammy Swindell,
Germantown, TN; 5. 8 Wally Pankratz,
Orange, CA; 6. 6 Damion Gardner, Concord,
CA; 7. 88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee, WI; 8.
35X Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL; 9. 54
Ralph Cortez, Sacramento, CA; 10. 21S Bob
Shreffler, Plainfield, IL; 11. 67 Bryan
Clauson, Noblesville, IN; 12. 20 Tony
Stewart, Columbus, IN
B
Mains (Top 4 Advance to Preliminary A
Main)
B
Main 1 (15 Laps): 1. 05 Brad Loyet, Sunset
Hills, MO; 2. 67 Bryan Clauson,
Noblesville, IN; 3. 88 Dan Boorse,
Milwaukee, WI; 4. 35 Mat Neely, Robinson,
IL; 5. 12C Rick England, Wichita, KS; 6.
51H Joe Roe, Pleasant Prairie, WI; 7. 2L
Luke Icke, Littleton, CO; 8. 5H Doug
Hunting, Sacramento, CA; 9. 54 Ralph
Cortez, Sacramento, CA; 10. 3 Tracy
Miller, Reading, PA; 11. 73 Josh Ford,
Oxnard, CA; 12. 14 Tony Rossi,
Westminster, CO; 13. 25 Nick Knepper,
Belleville, IL; 14. 6 Damion Gardner,
Concord, CA. DNS – 55X Matt Sherrell,
Tulsa, OK; 35X Korey Weyant, Springfield,
IL
B
Main 2 (15 Laps): 1. 44C Shane Cottle,
Kokomo, IN; 2. 37X Casey Shuman, Tempe,
AZ; 3. 36 Alan Ballard, Bakersfield, CA;
4. 8 Wally Pankratz, Orange, CA; 5. 12
Trey Robb, Newcastle, OK; 6. 50 Daniel
Adler, East Carondolet, IL; 7. 15 Scott
Hatton, Roscoe, IL; 8. 5D Gary Taylor,
Wheatridge, CO; 9. D33 Jeff Davis,
Pittsburg, IL; 10. 86C Davey Camfield,
Decatur, IL; 11. 98 Curtis Bailey,
Bartlesville, OK; 12. 21S Bob Shreffler,
Plainfield, IL; 13. 21M Andy Martin,
Gordonville, PA; 14. 93 Dustin Morgan,
Collinsville, OK. DNS – 20 Tony Stewart,
Columbus, IN; 5A Shon Deskins, Waddell, AZ
 A
Main (Top 4 to Saturday’s 50-Lap
Championship A Main)
A
Main (30 Laps): 1. 47 Cory Kruseman,
Ventura, CA; 2. 17J P.J. Jones, Torrance,
CA; 3. 9 Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw, WA; 4. 1
Sammy Swindell, Germantown, TN; 5. 11M
Mike Goodman, Tulsa, OK; 6. 67 Bryan
Clauson, Noblesville, IN; 7. 125 Teddy
Beach, Donnelsville, OH; 8. 44C Shane
Cottle, Kokomo, IN; 9. 87C Rich Camfield,
Decatur, IL: 10. 88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee,
WI; 11. 27 Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV;
12. 11W Dave Darland, Lincoln, IN; 13. 05
Brad Loyet, Sunset Hills, MO; 14. 37X
Casey Shuman, Tempe, AZ; 15. 36 Alan
Ballard, Bakersfield, CA; 16. 71 Keith
Rauch, Thornton, CO; 17. 8 Wally Pankratz,
Orange, CA; 18. 20W Josh Wise, Riverside,
CA; 19. 67K Paul McMahan, Nashville, TN;
20. 7B Joe Boyles, Greenwood, MO; 21. 8S
Jimmy Sills, Elverta, CA; 22. 85 Shane
Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, IN; 23. 11Z
Travis Berryhill, American Canyon, CA; 24.
35 Mat Neely Robinson, IL
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