Gardner
Digs Friday's O'Reilly Qualifier at the
Chili Bowl
 Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 11, 2008) – Just
when it looked as though Jason Leffler was
going to win Friday night's O'Reilly Auto
Parts Qualifying event at Tulsa Expo
Raceway's Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals, his
hired gun foiled the NASCAR Nationwide
Series' victory plans.
California native Damion Gardner, piloting Leffler's Pace
Electronics/Team ASE No. 71g, made the top
side of the ¼-mile clay oval inside the
QuikTrip Center work over the latter
stages of the 25-lap feature and swept
into the lead on the 22nd lap
to snare the win.
"I thought if something was there up top I was gonna go
up there late," Gardner commented
afterward. "I was pretty sure in one and two but I wasn't sure
about three and four, I could get around
there pretty good and I just decided I was
going to give it a whirl."
Leffler explained how Gardner landed in his Midget,
"That car was just sitting in my
garage, sitting up on jack stands and I
felt bad it's such a nice car.
So I called Damion and said, 'Hey,
why don't you come get this thing and
either bring it back with a trophy or in a
bucket'.
He got a trophy, so it's
good."
Working his way from deep in the field, USAC ace Dave Darland
slipped around Leffler on the final round
to take second, with Leffler settling for
the show position.
NASCAR Sprint Cup sensation Kasey Kahne batted past Ron
Shuman on the 24th circuit to
take the fourth and final lock-in position
to Saturday night's 50-lap Chili Bowl
championship main event.
Gardner, Darland, Leffler and Kahne join Wednesday night's
top four (Josh Ford, Aaron Fiscus, Jerry
Coons, Jr., and Bryan Clauson) and
Thursday's top four (Brad Kuhn, Jon
Stanbrough, Shane Cottle and Cole Whitt)
as the dozen drivers locked into Saturday
night's main event, which will be
televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
The balance of the record 274
competitors will battle it out for the
remaining dozen starting positions through
Saturday's Bass Pro Shops slate of Chili
Bowl championship feature events, which
get under way at 1:00 p.m.
Starting from the pole position, Leffler outgunned Gardner
for the lead at the drop of the green
flag, with third-starter Cory Kruseman
quickly taking over second.
Kruseman, a two-time Chili Bowl
champion, slipped underneath Leffler in
turns one and two on the third lap and
paced the field much of the way.
With most of the field working the low portion of the track,
14th-starter Darland was the
first to try out the top side.
And Darland's experimentation began
to pay dividends following a lap 14
caution for Australia's Mark Brown, who
slid to a stop in turn two while running
fifth.
With Kruseman leading Leffler, Don Droud, Jr., and Gardner,
Darland needed just two laps to climb from
eighth to fifth and into the lead mix.
Darland briefly surged ahead of
Gardner upon the completion of the 18th
lap, but Gardner quickly changed his line
and used the top to reclaim fourth.
Meanwhile, Kruseman's bid for a sixth career Chili Bowl
preliminary feature win began to unravel.
Leffler raced back into the lead
exiting turn two on the 19th
lap, then Kruseman spun a half lap later
after brushing wheels with the charging
Gardner, collecting Droud in the melee.
Set for a six-lap charge to the checkered flag, Leffler
fought off Gardner for several rounds
before "The Demon's" top side
tenacity paid off with the winning move on
the 22nd lap.
Up to third on the final restart, Darland made his way past
Leffler on the last lap to take runner-up
honors in Steve Lewis' Ed Pink
Toyota-powered Team ASE/Performance Racing
Industry No. 9x Spike, qualifying for his
ninth consecutive Chili Bowl main event.
About taking to the top of the track, Darland explained that,
"We had the car set up to run up top
if we had to, I just had to go up there
and see what was up there.
Just running around there in eighth
or ninth I wasn't going to lose much by
going up there and trying it, so I decided
to take a chance and it worked pretty
good."
Leffler was third in the Toyota-powered Keith Kunz
Motorsports No. 71k Bullet, becoming the
third Kunz entry to lock into Saturday
night's main event.
"I could hear him out there, I knew he (Gardner) was
running second on that last yellow,"
Leffler explained.
"Where I was at, it'll take
you a lap-and-a-half or two laps to figure
the top out and by then you'd get slid
three or four times so I knew if I hit my
marks there I'd probably lose the race but
I'd at least get into the "A"
Feature.
I hate getting beat and I hate
really getting beat on the top, but you do
what you have to do."
The battle for the fourth and final lock-in position was a
wild one over the final rounds, with Ron
Shuman coming off a ten-year retirement
and holding the position until Kahne
soared by with the white flag in sight.
Kahne held on to claim fourth in
the Mopar-powered Kasey Kahne Racing
Budweiser No. 91 Spike.
"I was sliding around so much, I wasn't going anywhere
on the bottom so once Darland got by me I
tried it (the high groove) for a little
bit then I missed it and got passed
again," Kahne explained.
"Just at the end it worked out
and we got a few cars there to get into
the race."
Charging from 15th, Kevin Swindell rounded out the
top five, with Billy Wease and Bubba Altig
next across the line as Shuman slipped
back to eighth.
After winning his "B"
Main, 15-year-old Trey Robb raced from 18th
to ninth, with Steve Buckwalter completing
the top ten.
Tracy Hines, the 2005 Chili Bowl champion, finished just
outside the top ten in eleventh.
After advancing from Tuesday night's Pre-Qualifying event,
15-year-old Caleb Armstrong was the only
rookie to make the cut for Friday night's
feature field and finished 19th.
Battling among the top five in the early stages, Darren Hagen
flipped in turn two on lap six to become
the race's first casualty.
Austin Mero, Mark Brown, Buckwalter, Darland, Dex Eaton,
Kruseman, Leffler, Greg Bragg and Jeff Bland,
Jr., topped heat race action for Friday
night's 66-car field.
Kevin Morris, Darren Stewart, Kevin Swindell and Jason Holt
each won Last Chance Races, with Droud,
Gardner, Shuman and Hagen victorious in
the Qualifying Races.
Hines and Robb topped the twin "B" Mains.
Late Model ace Josh Richards went for a wild ride turn four
on the opening lap of the second heat
race, but was able to return for later
action.
Other heat race flippers included
Anthony Peterman, Kyle Rayburn, Andy
Martin and Holt, with Hunter Schuerenberg
taking a wild tumble down the frontstretch
on the opening lap of the first Last
Chance Race.
Wayne Johnson got upside down in
that melee as well.
Rich Camfield and Caleb Armstrong flipped in Qualifying Race
action, with Johnathon Henry getting
upside down in a "B" Main.
There were no injuries.
Saturday's slate of Bass Pro Shops championship feature
events consists of 21 events, with the
first of two "K" Mains set to go
green at 1:00 p.m.
Friday Night's O'Reilly Auto Parts Qualifying Event Results
from the 22nd Annual Dodge
Chili Bowl Midget Nationals
Heat Races (Top 40 in passing points to four A Qualifiers;
Balance to four Last Chance races)
Heat 1: 1. #25M Austin Mero,
Kingsburg, CA; 2. #7B Joe Boyles,
Greenwood, MO; 3. #15X Sam Hafertepe Jr.,
Sunnyvale, TX; 4. #34 Bob Ream Jr.,
Glendale, AZ; 5. #11S Steve Newman,
Steamboat, CO; 6. #13 Jason Dull; 7. #11Z
Travis Berryhill, American Canyon, CA; 8.
#54 Ryan Smith, Kunkletown, PA
Heat 2: 1. #71B Mark Brown,
Glendenning, NSW; 2. #67A Gary Altig,
Mechanicsburg, IL; 3. #12W Billy Wease,
Noblesville, IN; 4. #7P Anthony Peterman,
Crawfordsville, IN; 5. #05J P.J. Jones,
Torrance, CA; 6. #64 Brett Miller, Chico,
CA; 7. #39 Kevin Swindell, Germantown, TN;
8. #20R Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV
Heat 3: 1. #25 Steve
Buckwalter, Royersford, PA; 2. #37T Ron
Shuman, Tempe, AZ; 3. #21A Danny Stratton,
Indianapolis, IN; 4. #D33 Jeff Davis,
Pittsburg, IL; 5. #21 Tracy Hines,
Newcastle, IN; 6. #3 Tracy Miller,
Birdsboro, PA; 7. #112 Brent Beauchamp,
Fairland, IN; 8. #87C Rich Camfield,
Decatur, IL
Heat 4: 1. #9X Dave Darland,
Walton, IN; 2. #97K Caleb Armstrong, New
Castle, IN; 3. #15 Tim Siner, Waterloo,
IL; 4. #88 Johnathon Henry, Linden, CA; 5.
399K Kyle Rayburn, Pueblo, CO; 6. #23W
Scott Winters, Butterfield, MN; 7. #2G
Terry Goodwin, Phoenix, AZ
Heat 5: 1. #59 Dex Eaton,
Owasso, OK; 2. #55K Nick Knepper,
Belleville, IL; 3. #91 Kasey Kahne,
Enumclaw, WA; 4. #39T Jason Meyers,
Clovis, CA; 5. #7X Darren Stewart, Bixby,
OK; 6. #9M Doug McCune, Fort Worth, TX; 7.
#21M Andy Martin, New Holland, PA
Heat 6: 1. #47 Cory Kruseman,
Ventura, CA; 2. #71G Damion Gardner,
Pittsboro, IN; 3. #71D Don Droud Jr.,
Lincoln, NE; 4. #15N David Prickett,
Fresno, CA; 5. #10M Mason Moore,
Princeton, CA; 6. #5A Bill Allen,
Independence, MO; 7. #14T Tony Rossi,
Brighton, CO
Heat 7: 1. #71K Jason
Leffler, Long Beach, CA; 2. #7D Dakoda
Armstrong, Newcastle, IN; 3. #12 Trey
Robb, Newcastle, OK; 4. #50 Daniel Adler,
East Carondolet, IL; 5. #8J Jason Holt,
Brownsburg, IN; 6. #1H Hunter Schuerenberg,
Sikeston, MO; 7. #19W Mike Spencer,
Temecula, CA
Heat 8: 1. #05B Gregg Bragg,
Visalia, CA; 2. #8 Randi Pankratz,
Atascadero, CA; 3. #27 Randy Monroe Jr.,
Hampton, VA; 4. #11W Terry McCarl,
Altoona, IA; 5. #17K Kenny Morris, Ripon,
CA; 6. #0B Glenn Styres, Ohsweken, ONT; 7.
#F5 Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City, OK
Heat 9: 1. #43 Jeff Bland
Jr., Springville, IN; 2. #67K Travis Rilat,
Forney, TX; 3. #32 Darren Hagan,
Riverside, CA; 4. #27D Kyle Larson, Elk
Grove, CA; 5. #85 Shane Hollingsworth,
Indianapolis, IN; 6. #73I Blake
Fitzpatrick, West Terre haute, IN; 7. #6C
Josh Most, Red Oak, IA
Last Chance Races (Top 2 in each transfer to back of
corresponding A Qualifier)
Last Chance 1:
1. #17K Kevin Morris, Ripon, CA; 2.
#20R Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV; 3. #0B
Glenn Styres, Ohsweken, ONT; 4. #19W Mike
Spencer, Temecula, CA; 5. #3 Tracy Miller,
Birdsboro, PA; 6. #112 Brent Beauchamp,
Fairland, IN. DNS: #99k Kyle Rayburn,
Pueblo, CO
Last Chance 2:
1. #7X Darren Stewart, Bixby, OK;
2. #87C Rich Camfield, Decatur, IL; 3.
#23W Scott Winters, Butterfield, MN; 4.
#73I Blake Fitzpatrick, West Terre Haute,
IN; 5. #2G Terry Goodwin, Phoenix, AZ; 6.
#1H Hunter Schuerenberg, Sikeston, MO; 7.
#F5 Wayne Johnson, Oklahoma City, OK
Last Chance 3: 1. #39 Kevin
Swindell, Germantown, TN; 2. #10M Mason
Moore, Princeton, CA; 3. #9M Doug McCune,
Fort Worth, TX; 4. #13 Jason Dull,
Mattoon, IL; 5. #21M Andy Martin, New
Holland, PA; 6. #6C Josh Most, Red Oak, IA
Last Chance 4: 1. #8J Jason
Holt, Brownsburg, IN; 2. #14T Tony Rossi,
Brighton, CO; 3. #5A Bill Allen,
Independence, MO; 4. #54 Ryan Smith,
Kunkletown, PA DNS - #11Z Travis Berryhill,
American Canyon, CA; 64 Brett Miller,
Chico, CA
A Qualifiers (Top 16 in combined passing points to A Main;
Balance to twin B Mains)
A Qualifier 1: 1. #71D Don
Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE; 2. #71K Jason
Leffler, Long Beach, CA; 3. #7B Joe
Boyles, Greenwood, MO; 4. #25 Steve
Buckwalter, Royersford, PA; 5. #25M Austin
Mero, Kingsburg, CA; 6. #11W Terry McCarl,
Altoona, IA; 7. #27 Randy Monroe Jr.,
Hampton, VA; 8. #7P Anthony Peterman,
Crawfordsville, IN; 9. #55K Nick Knepper,
Belleville, IL; 10. #27D Kyle Larson, Elk
Grove, CA; 11. #17K Kevin Morris, Ripon,
CA; 12. #20R Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV
A Qualifier 2: 1. #71G
Damion Gardner, Pittsboro, IN; 2. #67A
Gary Altig, Mechanicsburg, IL; 3. #12W
Billy Wease, Noblesville, IN; 4. #67X
Travis Rilat, Forney, TX; 5. #21 Tracy
Hines, New Castle, IN; 6. #34 Bob Ream
Jr., Glendale, AZ; 7. #85 Shane
Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, IN; 8. #7X
Darren Stewart, Bixby, OK; 9. #7D Dakoda
Armstrong, New Castle, IN; 10. #59 Dex
Eaton, Owasso, OK; 11. #97K Caleb
Armstrong, New Castle, IN; 12. #87C Rich
Camfield, Decatur, IL
A Qualifier 3: 1. #37T Ron
Shuman, Tempe, AZ; 2. #47 Cory Kruseman,
Ventura, CA; 3. #39 Kevin Swindell,
Germantown, TN; 4. #9X Dave Darland,
Walton, IN; 5. #8 Randi Pankratz,
Atascadero, CA; 6. #21A Danny Stratton,
Indianapolis, IN; 7. #15X Sam Hafertepe
Jr., Sunnyvale, TX; 8. #43 Jeff Bland Jr.,
Springville, IN; 9. #88 Johnathon Henry,
Linden, CA; 10. #10M Mason Moore,
Princeton, CA; 11. #11X Steve Newman,
Steamboat Springs, CO; 12. #39T Jason
Meyers, Clovis, CA
A Qualifier 4: 1. #32 Darren
Hagen, Riverside, CA; 2. #91 Kasey Kahne,
Enumclaw, WA; 3. #71B Mark Brown,
Glendenning, NSW; 4. #12 Trey Robb,
Newcastle, OK; 5. #05B Greg Bragg,
Visalia, CA; 6. #15 Tim Siner, Waterloo,
IL; 7. #05J P.J. Jones, Torrance, CA; 8.
#D33 Jeff Davis, Pittsburg, IL; 9. #50
Daniel Adler, East Carondolet, IL; 10.
#14T Tony Rossi, Brighton, CO; 11. #8J
Jason Holt, Brownsburg, IN; 12. #15N David
Prickett, Fresno, CA
B Mains (Top 4 advance to A Main)
B Main 1: 1. #21 Tracy
Hines, New Castle, IN; 2. #21A Danny
Stratton, Indianapolis, IN; 3. #15 Tim
Siner, Waterloo, IL; 4. #55K Nick Knepper,
Belleville, IL; 5. #43 Jeff Bland Jr.,
Springville, IN; 6. #15X Sam Hafertepe
Jr., Sunnyvale, TX; 7. #59 Dex Eaton,
Owasso, OK; 8. #D33 Jeff Davis, Pittsburg,
IL; 9. #20R Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV;
10. #25M Austin Mero, Kingsburg, CA; 11.
#88 Johnathon Henry, Linden, CA; 12. #39T
Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA; 13. #14T Tony
Rossi, Brighton, CO; 14. #7P Anthony
Peterman, Crawfordsville, IN; 15. #27D
Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA; 16. #17K Kevin
Morris, Ripon, CA
B Main 2: 1. #12 Trey Robb,
Newcastle, OK; 2. #7D Dakoda Armstrong,
New Castle, IN; 3. #11W Terry McCarl,
Altoona, IA; 4. #97K Caleb Armstrong, New
Castle, IN; 5. #05J P.J. Jones, Torrance,
CA; 6. #10M Mason Moore, Princeton, CA; 7.
#27 Randy Monroe Jr., Hampton, VA; 8. #87C
Rich Camfield, Decatur, IL; 9. #8J Jason
Holt, Brownsburg, IN; 10. #34 Bob Ream
Jr., Glendale, AZ; 11. #15N David Prickett,
Fresno, CA; 12. #8 Randi Pankratz,
Atascadero, CA; 13. #11X Steve Newman,
Steamboat Springs, CO; 14. #85 Shane
Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, IN; 15. #50
Daniel Adler, East Carondolet, IL; 16. #7X
Darren Stewart, Bixby, OK
A Main (25 laps - Top 4 advance to Saturday Night’s Main
Event)
1. #71G Damion Gardner, Pittsboro,
IN; 2. #9X Dave Darland, Walton, IN; 3.
#71k Jason Leffler, Long Beach, CA; 4. #91
Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw, WA; 5. #39 Kevin
Swindell, Germantown, TN; 6. #12W Billy
Wease, Noblesville, IN; 7. #67A Gary Altig,
Mechanicsburg, IL; 8. #37T Ron Shuman,
Tempe, AZ; 9. #12 Trey Robb, Newcastle,
OK; 10. #25 Steve Buckwalter, Royersford,
PA; 11. #21 Tracy Hines, New Castle, IN;
12. #21A Danny Stratton, Indianapolis, IN;
13. #15 Tim Siner, Waterloo, IL; 14. #55K
Nick Knepper, Belleville, IL; 15. #7D
Dakoda Armstrong, Newcastle, IN; 16. #71D
Don Droud Jr., Lincoln, NE; 17. #11W Terry
McCarl, Altoona, IA; 18. #05B Greg Bragg,
Visalia, CA; 19. #97K Caleb Armstrong, New
Castle, IN; 20. #67X Travis Rilat, Forney,
TX; 21. #71B Mark Brown, Glendenning, NSW;
22. #47 Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA; 23.
#7B Joe Boyles, Greenwood, MO; 24. #32
Darren Hagen, Manhattan Beach, CA
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