Everybody
Love's the Drake in Thursday Chili Bowl
Prelim
 Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 12,
2006) – Former O'Reilly Chili Bowl
Midget Nationals champion Jay Drake made
his way back to victory lane at the Tulsa
Expo Raceway by scoring the win in
Thursday night's 25-lap Love's Travel
Stops & Country Stores qualifying
feature.
Drake took command at the outset after
polesitter J.J. Yeley lost a bout with the
frontstretch retaining wall, then fought
off a lap 18 bid from Garrett Hansen en
route to victory lane to conclude the
second night of the 20th Annual O'Reilly
Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
Jon Stanbrough battled past Hansen in the
latter stages to snare the runner-up slot.
Hansen settled for the show
position, with Steve Buckwalter fending
off Justin Allgaier for the fourth and
final transfer to Saturday's championship
main event.
“It was fun,” Drake commented afterward. “We haven’t made the show the last two years and I
wasn’t even expecting him (car owner
Keith Kunz) to invite me back this year,
but he always sticks with me and always
welcomes me back and tells me I have a car
waiting anytime I want it and that’s a
good feeling to have.”
Set to contend for NASCAR Nextel Cup
Rookie of the Year honors in 2006, Yeley
was the star of the show throughout
qualifying action.
The Arizona native made a dramatic
last-corner pass of Jason Leffler to top
his heat race, then secured the pole
position for the 25-lap feature by
outdueling Leffler once again in classic
style in qualifying race action, this
after an opening lap tangle that sent
Yeley to the rear of the 12-car qualifier.
But, matching Yeley step-for-step, 2001 Chili
Bowl champion Drake topped both his heat
race and qualifier to earn the outside
front row starting berth for the main
event.
After the original feature start was waved off
for a minor tangle, it was third-starter
Hansen blasting past both Yeley and Drake
in the opening two corners.
Yeley then drifted too high
exiting turn four as he battled
wheel-to-wheel for third with Jon
Stanbrough near the completion of the
first lap.
Yeley’s car caught the retaining
wall and launched into the catch fence at
the start-finish line.
Although Yeley was uninjured, the unique
Bondio No. 47x was done for the night.
On the restart, Drake beat Hansen to the
cushion in the first corner to take a lead
he would never relinquish in the frantic
non-stop 25-lap affair.
But until the final five rounds,
there was little breathing room for Drake
in the Fontana-powered Keith Kunz
Motorsports No. 71k Advanced Racing/Kwik
Change Bullet-chassis.
Hansen and Stanbrough shadowed Drake’s every
move, even after lapped traffic came into
play on the eighth round.
Working adeptly through lapped
traffic, Drake finally became mired behind
a pair of lapped machines on the 16th
circuit.
Hansen, the 20-year-old California upstart,
dove underneath Drake entering turn one on
the 18th lap in a bold move to
take the lead.
The former USAC Sprint Car champion
was up to the challenge however, fending
off the bid and quickly disposing of the
lapped cars in response.
Drake stretched his lead to a half straightaway
over the final five rounds to secure the
victory and an assured top-three starting
position for Saturday night’s
prestigious 20th Annual
O’Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals
finale.
Indiana’s Stanbrough slid past Hansen for
second on the 20th lap and kept
Hans Lein’s Esslinger-powered No. 2x
Midstate Acres Spike in the runner-up slot
the rest of the way.
“I just got hooked up with Hans probably two
or three weeks ago and didn’t know if I
was gonna get to run for him or not and
I’m really pleased that I got to run
with him,” Stanbrough stated at the
post-race press conference.
“I want to thank these two guys
(Hansen and Buckwalter), I don’t even
know ‘em and they ran real clean and
I’m real proud to run with ‘em and
really excited to be in for Saturday
night.”
Hansen’s breakout performance aboard the
Fontana-powered Hansen Racing Products No.
70 Stealth netted third place and a spot
in Saturday’s feature.
“This is by far the best we’ve ever done,
I’m pretty impressed with the way the
car was, anything I wanted to do I could
pretty much do,” Hansen explained.
“To run up front with these guys
was pretty cool.”
ARDC Midget contender Steve Buckwalter of
Royersford, PA, fought off young Illinois
shoe Justin Allgaier to take the fourth
spot to Saturday’s main event, the
second time in the last three years that
Buckwalter has locked into the finale
through his preliminary feature.
“This is all I really wanted, just to come
out here and run with these guys is great,
I basically just run the whole ARDC deal
and try to scrape enough money together to
get out there and run with everybody,”
Buckwalter explained.
Allgaier rounded out the top five, while
Leffler charged from 13th to
sixth.
Kevin Swindell turned in the top
Chili Bowl rookie performance of the
opening two nights by claiming seventh,
besting Brent Beauchamp’s eleventh place
showing on Wednesday night.
Defending Chili Bowl champion Tracy Hines was
eighth, with 2005 National Midget Driver
of the Year Brad Kuhn and 16th-starter
Michael Trimble completing the top ten.
Heat race winners for Thursday night’s 85-car
field included Kenny Brown, Critter
Malone, Swindell, Chris Rahe, Stanbrough,
Yeley, Darren Hagen, Chad Kemenah, Drake
and Allgaier.
Thomas Meseraull, John Wolfe, Gary Wright and
John Sarna each scored Last Chance Race
wins, with Allgaier, Yeley, Buckwalter and
Drake acing the Qualifying Races.
Wright outlasted Kemenah to win the first
15-lap B Main, with youngster Cole Whitt
topping the second B Main.
Jay Jordan and Eric Schrock flipped during heat
race action, with Russ Harper getting
upside down during Last Chance
competition.
Malone and Matt Mitchell were
involved in a wild double-flip during
Qualifying Race action, with Mitchell
later flipping into the turn two fencing
during the B Mains.
Other B Main flips included John
Wolfe, Jonathan Beason and Kenny Brown.
There were no injuries.
Thursday's
Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores
Qualifying Night Results from the 20th
Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget
Nationals:
Heat
1 (8 Laps): 1. 17K Kenny Adams, Normal,
IL; 2. 57K Randy Koch, Oregon, WI; 3. 7M
Michelle Decker, Guthrie, OK; 4. 71B Chad
Branson, Sherman, IL; 5. 19S Jonathan
Beason, Broken Arrow, OK; 6. 23D Mike
Dibart, Springfield, IL. DNS – 5H Doug
Hunting, Sacramento, CA; 86 Davey Camfield,
Decatur, IL; 93 Dustin Morgan,
Collinsville, OK
Heat
2 (8 Laps): 1. 7 Critter Malone, Speedway,
IN; 2. 5M Steve Buckwalter, Royersford,
PA; 3. 15T Michael Trimble, San Jose, CA;
4. 75H Bart Hartman, Zanesville, OH; 5. XX
Darrin Bolton, El Dorado Hills, CA; 6. 21J
Jeep Van Wormer, Pinconning, MI; 7. 7T
Todd McVay, Lee’s Summit, MO; 8. 9M Matt
Michaels, Choctaw, OK. DNS – 17Z Ryan
Ratliff, Tulsa, OK
Heat
3 (8 Laps): 1. 39 Kevin Swindell,
Germantown, TN; 2. 51S Jeremy Sherman,
Phoenix, AZ; 3. 2B Brady Short, Bedford,
IN; 4. 3M John Wolfe, Winchester, IN; 5.
16B Patrick Bruns, Champaign, IL; 6. 18
Donnie Trent, Honey Brook, PA; 7. 24L Roy
Larkin, Tulsa, OK; 8. 46 Russ Gamester,
Peru, IN: 9. 95X Jay Jordan, Lincoln, NE
Heat
4 (8 Laps): 1. 3C Chris Rahe, Placentia,
CA; 2. 74K Brad Kuhn, Avon, IN; 3. 51D
Chris Deshon, Littleton, CO; 4. 5Z Zachary
Daum, Pocahontas, IL; 5. 20AZ John Sarna,
Sedona, AZ; 6. 31B Danny Burke, Houston,
TX; 7. 10T Terry Tarditi, Lodi, CA; 8. 11S
Eric Schrock, Lake Ozark, MO; 9. 45S
Stevie Sussex, Tempe, AZ
Heat
5 (8 Laps): 1. 2X Jon Stanbrough,
Jamestown, IN; 2. 70 Garrett Hansen,
Manhattan Beach, CA; 3. 45 Aaron Kirk,
Magnolia, TX; 4. 83 Kurt Blackaby,
Bentonville, AR; 5. 10A Thomas Briggs,
Anna, OH; 6. 37V Damon Lusk, Kennewick,
WA; 7. 27A LeRoy VanConett, Galt, CA; 8.
6R Bill Rose, Plainfield, IN. DNS – 54
Ralph Cortez, Sacramento, CA
Heat
6 (8 Laps): 1. 47X J.J. Yeley, Phoenix,
AZ; 2. 32L Jason Leffler, Long Beach, CA;
3. 31H Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD;
4. 29W Cole Whitt, Alpine, CA; 5. 77E Dave
Ely, West Lawn, PA; 6. 43 Buddy Luebke,
Stoughton, WI; 7. 41 Trey Hausmann, Grand
Forks, ND; 8. 49JR Ron Bach, Ventura, CA;
9. 11J Jonathan Henry, Glendale, AZ
Heat
7 (8 Laps): 1. 71 Darren Hagen, Riverside,
CA; 2. 11 Tracy Hines, Greenfield, IN; 3.
69 A.J. Fike, Galesburg, IL; 4. 44P Ryan
Pace, Arroyo Grande, CA; 5. 35W Gary
Wright, Hooks, TX; 6. 67AZ Lonnie Oliver,
Surprise, AZ; 7. 50J Jeff Griffin Sr.,
Helena, CA; 8. 5W Tiffany Wyzard,
Williamsville, IL; 9. 51L Harold Leep Jr.,
Oklahoma City, OK
Heat
8 (8 Laps): 1. 71C Chad Kemenah, Findlay,
OH; 2. 52 Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA; 3.
68 Jonathan Hendrick, Fortville, IN; 4. 75
David Gough, Machesney Park, IL; 5. 31T
Randy Timms, Oklahoma City, OK; 6. 22G Ron
Gregory, Noblesville, IN; 7. 21X Steve
Stroud, St. Charles, MO; 8. 3A Bill Allen,
Independence, MO; 9. 02R Brian Ramstack,
West Bend, WI
Heat
9 (8 Laps): 1. 71K Jay Drake, Val Verde,
CA; 2. 29 Scott Sawyer, Broken Arrow, OK;
3. 8F Aaron Fiscus, Sun Prairie, WI; 4.
00X Thomas Meseraull, San Jose, CA; 5. 3W
Brandon Waelti, Sun Prairie, WI; 6. 1X
Rick Eckert, York, PA; 7. 10D Dan Douville,
Bridgewater, NH; 8. 9H Russ Harper,
Watkins, CO; 9. 11H Garrett Hood,
Concordia, KS
Heat
10 (8 Laps): 1. 86 Justin Allgaier,
Springfield, IL; 2. 5S Darren Stewart,
Bixby, OK; 3. 37 Matt Mitchell, Yorba
Linda, CA; 4. 38 Levi Jones, Olney, IL; 5.
4KO Kevin Olson, Machesney Park, IL; 6. 2S
Dave Shirk, Mohnton, PA; 7. 8M Murray
Erickson, Odessa, TX; 8. 7J Brad Graham,
Springfield, MO
Last
Chance 1 (Top 2 to back of Qualifier No. 1
– 10 Laps): 1. 00X Thomas Meseraull, San
Jose, CA; 2. 4KO Kevin Olson, Machesney
Park, IL; 3. 24L Roy Larkin, Tulsa, OK; 4.
10A Thomas Briggs, Anna, OH; 5. 31B Danny
Burke, Houston, TX; 6. 11S Eric Schrock,
Lake Ozark, MO; 7. 11J Jonathan Henry,
Glendale, AZ; 8. 27A LeRoy VanConett,
Galt, CA; 9. 8M Murray Erickson, Odessa,
TX; 10. 9H Russ Harper, Watkins, CO; 11.
23D Mike Dibart, Springfield, IL. DNS –
17Z Ryan Ratliff, Tulsa, OK
Last
Chance 2 (Top 2 to back of Qualifier No. 2
– 10 Laps): 1. 3W Brandon Waelti, Sun
Prairie, WI; 2. 77E Dave Ely, West Lawn,
PA; 3. 43 Buddy Luebke, Stoughton, WI; 4.
6R Bill Rose, Plainfield, IN; 5. 21X Steve
Stroud, St. Charles, MO; 6. 41 Trey
Hausmann, Grand Forks, ND; 7. 18 Donnie
Trent, Honey Brook, PA; 8. 3A Bill Allen,
Independence, MO; 9. 2S Dave Shirk,
Mohnton, PA; 10. 51L Harold Leep Jr.,
Oklahoma City, OK; 11. 7J Brad Graham,
Springfield, MO
Last
Chance 3 (Top 2 to back of Qualifier No. 3
– 10 Laps): 1. 35W Gary Wright, Hooks,
TX; 2. 19S Jonathan Beason, Broken Arrow,
OK; 3. 7T Todd McVay, Lee’s Summit, MO;
4. 50J Jeff Griffin, St. Helena, CA; 5.
95X Jay Jordan, Lincoln, NE; 6. 1X Rick
Eckert, York, PA; 7. 37V Damon Lusk,
Kennewick, WA; 8. 21J Jeep Van Wormer,
Pinconning, MI; 9. 49JR Ron Bach, Ventura,
CA; 10. 02R Brian Ramstack, West Bend, WI;
11. 9M Matt Michaels, Choctaw, OK
Last
Chance 4 (Top 2 to back of Qualifier 4 –
10 Laps): 1. 20AZ John Sarna, Sedona, AZ;
2. 22G Ron Gregory, Noblesville, IN; 3.
16B Patrick Bruns, Champaign, IL; 4. 46
Russ Gamester, Peru, IN; 5. 31T Randy
Timms, Oklahoma City, OK; 6. 10D Dan
Douville, Bridgewater, NH; 7. 45S Stevie
Sussex III, Tempe, AZ; 8. 11H Garrett
Hood, Concordia, KS; 9. 10T Terry Tarditi,
Lodi, CA; 10. 5W Tiffany Wyzard,
Williamsville, IL; 11. 67AZ Lonnie Oliver,
Surprise, AZ
A
Qualifier 1 (10 Laps): 1. 86 Justin
Allgaier, Springfield, IL; 2. 71 Darren
Hagen, Riverside, CA; 3. 74K Brad Kuhn,
Avon, IN; 4. 2X Jon Stanbrough, Jamestown,
IN: 5. 57K Randy Koch, Oregon, WI; 6. 00X
Thomas Meseraull, San Jose, CA; 7. 29W
Cole Whitt, Alpine, CA; 8. 71C Chad
Kemenah, Findlay, OH; 9. 8F Aaron Fiscus,
Sun Prairie, WI; 10. 75H Bart Hartman,
Zanesville, OH; 11. 44P Ryan Pace, Arroyo
Grande, CA; 12. 4KO Kevin Olson, Machesney
Park, IL
A
Qualifier 2 (10 Laps): 1. 47X J.J. Yeley,
Phoenix, AZ; 2. 32L Jason Leffler, Long
Beach, CA; 3. 39 Kevin Swindell,
Germantown, TN; 4. 15T Michael Trimble,
San Jose, CA; 5. 3M John Wolfe,
Winchester, IN; 6. 17K Kenny Adams,
Normal, IL; 7. 3W Brandon Waelti, Sun
Prairie, WI; 8. 38 Levi Jones, Olney, IL;
9. 69 A.J. Fike, Galesburg, IL; 10. 77E
Dave Ely, West Lawn, PA; 11. 37 Matt
Mitchell, Yorba Linda, CA; 12. 7 Critter
Malone, Speedway, IN
A
Qualifier 3 (10 Laps): 1. 5M Steve
Buckwalter, Royersford, PA; 2. 52 Mike
Spencer, Temecula, CA; 3. 3C Chris Rahe,
Placentia, CA; 4. 35W Gary Wright, Hooks,
TX; 5. 11 Tracy Hines, Greenfield, IN; 6.
68 Jonathan Hendrick, Fortville, IN; 7.
51S Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ; 8. 45
Aaron Kirk, Magnolia, TX; 9. XX Darrin
Bolton, Eldorado Hills, CA; 10. 5Z Zach
Daum, Pocahontas, IL; 11. 2B Brady Short,
Bedford, IN; 12. 19S Jonathan Beason,
Broken Arrow, OK
A
Qualifier 4 (10 Laps): 1. 71K Jay Drake,
Val Verde, CA; 2. 70 Garrett Hansen,
Manhattan Beach, CA; 3. 31H Justin
Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD; 4. 29 Scott
Sawyer, Broken Arrow, OK; 5. 51D Chris
Deshon, Littleton, CO; 6. 22G Ron Gregory,
Noblesville, IN; 7. 20AZ John Sarna,
Sedona, AZ; 8. 7M Michelle Decker,
Guthrie, OK; 9. 71B Chad Branson, Sherman,
IL; 10. 75 David Gough, Machesney Park,
IL; 11. 83 Kurt Blackaby, Bentonville, AR.
DNS – 5S Darren Stewart.
B
Main 1 (15 Laps): 1. 35W Gary Wright,
Hooks, TX; 2. 71C Chad Kemenah, Findlay,
OH; 3. 51D Chris Deshon, Littleton, CO; 4.
51S Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ; 5. 22G
Ron Gregory, Noblesville, IN; 6. 4KO Kevin
Olson, Machesney Park, IL; 7. 7 Critter
Malone, Speedway, IN; 8. 75H Bart Hartman,
Zanesville, OH; 9. 75 David Gough,
Machesney Park, IL; 10. 8F Aaron Fiscus,
Sun Prairie, WI; 11. 3M John Wolfe,
Winchester, IN; 12. 5Z Zach Daum,
Pocahontas, IL; 13. 38 Levi Jones, Olney,
IL; 14. 3W Brandon Waelti, Sun Prairie,
WI; 15. 37 Matt Mitchell, Yorba Linda, CA.
DNS – 2B Brady Short. Note: 7 Critter
Malone was penalized two spots for hitting
the restart cone on Lap 13.
B
Main 2 (15 Laps): 1. 29W Cole Whitt,
Alpine, CA; 2. 57K Randy Koch, Oregon, WI;
3. 77E Dave Ely, West Lawn, PA; 4. 68
Jonathan Hendrick, Fortville, IN; 5. 20AZ
John Sarna, Sedona, AZ; 6. 44P Ryan Pace,
Arroyo Grande, CA; 7. XX Darrin Bolton,
Eldorado Hills, CA; 8. 71B Chad Branson,
Sherman, IL; 9. 17K Kenny Adams, Normal,
IL; 10. 00X Thomas Meseraull, San Jose,
CA; 11. 7M Michelle Decker, Guthrie, OK;
12. 83 Kurt Blackaby, Bentonville, AR; 13.
45 Aaron Kirk, Magnolia, TX; 14. 69 A.J.
Fike, Galesburg, IL; 15. 19S Jonathan
Beason, Broken Arrow, OK. DNS – 5S
Darren Stewart, Bixby, OK
 A
Main (25 Laps):
1. 71 Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA; 2.
2x Jon Stanbrough, Jamestown, IN; 3. 70
Garrett Hansen, Manhattan Beach, CA; 4. 5m
Steve Buckwalter, Royersford, PA; 5. 86
Justin Allgaier, Springfield, IL; 6. 32L
Jason Leffler, Long Beach, CA; 7. 39 Kevin
Swindell, Germantown, TN; 8. 11 Tracy
Hines, Greenfield, IN; 9. 74k Brad Kuhn,
Avon, IN; 10. 15T Michael Trimble, San
Jose, CA; 11. 71 Darren Hagen, Riverside,
CA; 12. 3c Chris Rahe, Placentia, CA; 13.
52 Mike Spencer, Temecula, CA; 14. 35w
Gary Wright, Hooks, TX; 15. 71c Chad
Kemenah, Findlay, OH; 16. 68 Jonathan
Hendrick, Fortville, IN; 17. 51d Chris
Deshon, Littleton, CO; 18. 51s Jeremy
Sherman, Phoenix, AZ; 19. 29 Scott Sawyer,
Broken Arrow, OK; 20. 29w Cole Whitt,
Alpine, CA; 21. 57k Randy Koch, Oregon,
WI; 22. 77e Dave Ely, West Lawn, PA; 23.
47x J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, AZ. DNS – 31h Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD.
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