2008
Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals
Winner? Media Survey Says...
 Lonnie
Wheatley, TULSA, Okla.
(January 7, 2008) – The best of
the best are set to slug it out over the
course of five nights, beginning on
Tuesday at the 22nd Annual
Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, and the
odds of selecting Saturday night's winner
are only slightly better than winning the
lottery.
But
as has become tradition, a number of
motorsports media members have been asked
to do just that.
A
difficult question to be sure.
Can Tony Stewart become the first
back-to-back winner in event history?
Will Cory Kruseman or J.J. Yeley
give car owner Andy Bondio a fourth Golden
Driller?
Will Sammy Swindell get his fifth
Chili Bowl win?
Will Kasey Kahne follow Tony
Stewart's 06-07 pattern of "F"
Main to Chili Bowl glory?
Or will one of 280 or so others
become the 16th different
winner in Chili Bowl history?
Two
years ago, none of the esteemed media
members selected eventual winner Tim
McCreadie.
And to top themselves, not one
singled out Tony Stewart to win last
year's edition of the Chili Bowl.
In short, don't bet the house
payment on any of the following.
Tony
Bokhoven
– Chili Bowl Announcer
Selection
– Ricky
Stenhouse, Jr.
"Ricky
picked up 5 midget wins this season
driving for TSR and was arguably one of
the top non-wing sprint car and midget
drivers of the season. I think he has the
momentum and determination to win a Golden
Driller in 2008."
Bryan
Gapinski
– Founder, National Midget Driver of the
Year award
Selection
– Jerry Coons, Jr.
"With
a record 285 entries I believe about 10%
(28) have the correct driver/car
owner combination to claim the Golden
Driller. From that I scaled it down to a
great final few laps Saturday Night with
Jerry Coons Jr. nipping Tracy Hines &
Jason Leffler for the victory,
there's your podium for Saturday!"
Gary
Guehler
– Texas Motor Speedway
Selection
– Dave
Darland/Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
"Picking
the outside temperature on Chili Bowl
Saturday is easier than choosing a Golden
Driller winner. Let's go with a
couple of unexpected choices - after all,
isn't picking a Stewart, Swindell or
Kruseman the easy way out? Dave
Darland may greet noted owner Steve Lewis'
return to the Chili Bowl wars with midget
racing's most prestigious crown Saturday
night. Experienced, knows how to
qualify in the prelims, hard charger.
A dark horse is Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
Bullring trained at Memphis' Riverside
Speedway, wingless experience the past
seasons. And a fan favorite - who
can't root for KO, Kevin Olson?"
Len
Hayward –
Sports Editor Midland Reporter-Telegram
Favorites:
Sammy
Swindell - Last year showed 4-time champ
still as feisty as ever
Tony
Stewart - Last chance to have fun before
he begins grueling Cup season
Jerry
Coons Jr. - Driving for powerful Wilke-Pak
team could help him earn elusive Golden
Driller
Cory
Kruseman - Always a favorite in Tulsa
Wild
Cards:
Jon
Stanbrough - Indiana gasser has put on
shows before in Tulsa
Dave
Darland - Interesting to see how new
Toyota powerplant handles the Bowl
J.J.
Yeley - You know he's fast if he can stay
on his wheels
Gary
"Bubba" Altig - Why not? He
proved he could compete last year and has
one more year experience
Don
Hubbard
– Columnist, Sooner Circles
Selection
– J.J.
Yeley
"He
has thrilled the fans for many years and
he is overdue, he is my pick for
2008."
Jack
Miller
– Columnist, Sprint Car & Midget Magazine
"The
Chili Bowl competition basically has come
down to three main ingredients over the
past twenty one years: a really good
car----25% a really good driver---25% a
hell of a lot of luck---50% so here are
some of my best picks to make the Saturday
nite feature event.
1. Sammy Swindell....Mr.
Consistency, among the leaders every year.
Very smart in tight situations.
2. Brady Short....Surprise!!
Surprise!!!
3. Bobby East...only if he can
avoid a qualifying nite melee.
4. Danny Lasoski....has been
second best in so many big ones. This
could be his time to shine in front.
5. Jon Stanbrough...2007 was his
best year yet, and it could carry right on
over to 2008.
6. Dave Darland....the cream
always rises to the top. He will
always be the man to beat in any race.
7. Jerry Coons, Jr.....Why not??
He has already won everything else.
8. Tony Stewart....Tony only goes to
win!!
9. Darren Hagen....Smart...lot
of courage...just needs to get a break.
10. Corey Kruseman....Always
there!!! Can do it again anytime,
any place.
11. J.J. Yeley....No one more
exciting in the entire field. Just
needs to avoid traffic jams.
12. Jason Leffler...has had a pretty
tough NASCAR career. Will get his
spirits back up with a good midget run.
13. Brad Kuhn....another of the very
good tight competition racers.
Just might be one of the Chili Bowl
surprises.
14. Kasey Kahne....why not??
He has always been a great midget
chauffeur and would be great for his
commercials.
15. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.....has
surprised a lot of people already.
Has a really great ride for this event,
but he likes the wide open spaces better
than the close-in stuff.
16. Brady Bacon.....will be
one of the top local favorites....Has been
really outstanding in the Tulsa Shoot-outs
and can win this one with a couple of good
breaks.
As usual, I do expect to see a couple of
non-headliner names in the main event, but
once again, it all comes down to a lot of
luck on qualifying nites.
See you all soon and hoping we will have a
great experience.
Jerry
Reigle
– Area Auto Racing News
Selection
– Steve
Buckwalter
"One
year, the Golden Driller trophy will
return east of the Mississippi and land in
Pennsylvania. Buckwalter will give
the vocal and proud Pennsylvania Posse
fans another reason to proclaim why our
drivers are considered the best in the
business with a CBN win. His
versatility, which included appearances in
Sprint Cars, Micro Sprints and ARDC
Midgets over the past year, makes him a
lock to steal America's best indoor Midget
Car race."
John
Rittenoure
– Tulsa World Correspondent
Selection
- Tony
Stewart
"I
feel Tony Stewart will win again to become
the first driver to win a second straight
Chili Bowl."
Pat
Sullivan
Selection
– Dave
Darland
"While
I think this may be the most wide-open
race in years – Dave Darland teamed with
Steve Lewis and Kelly Drake may help the
great veteran finally get a Golden
Driller."
Mike
Sweeton
– Chili Bowl Announcer
Selection
– Jerry
Coons, Jr.
"Pick
one out of that driver list? You
don't ask for much do you? I'd just
like to narrow it down to five. Oh well,
here goes... after much grumbling I would
have to say that it is time for Jerry
Coons, Jr. to take home his first Golden
Driller. He's always towards the
front on preliminary nights, which is a
key factor in setting up Saturday night
and he's coming off of the two best
seasons of his career. Most
importantly is how well he and the Wilke
crew seem to be working together right
now. They know what it takes to win
this thing and communication between
driver and crew is always a big
factor."
Randy
Ward
– KSAN-TV Sports Director / Chili Bowl
Announcer
Selection
– Sammy
Swindell
Sammy
Swindell will win his fifth Golden Driller
this time around. No matter how deep in
the field he starts the day on Saturday he
will give it a run and truly think he has
a chance to win, and that is what will
make him tough to beat.
Justin
Zoch
– Editor, Flat Out Magazine
Selection
– Dave Darland
"It's
not a coy or interesting pick but I'll
take Dave Darland in the Steve Lewis
Number Nine machine. Lewis has lifted his
self-imposed Chili Bowl boycott and will
send America's most lovable racer to do
the dirty work. Darland has been close the
last few years in the Wilke-Pak Midget and
should have everything he needs this year.
He's made the A-main in nine of his 11 Chili
Bowl attempts and with car counts nearing
300, I'll take the guy most likely to make
the A-main and let it ride from
there!"
With
the rest of these chaps brave enough to
make a selection or two, guess I'll try
out the impossible as well by trying to
predict the winner of the 22nd
Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
Lonnie
Wheatley
Selection
– Brady
Bacon
“Kasey
Kahne gets his first Golden Driller, but
it will be as car owner rather than driver
as Brady Bacon keeps the Golden Driller
within the Sooner State for just the
second time in event history and the first
time since an Andy Hillenburg win in 1994.
Honing his skills by taking on the
nation's top Midget and
"traditional" Sprint Car shoes
over the past year, the third-generation
Bacon tuned up for the Chili Bowl with a
win in the Tulsa Shootout Multi class
headliner just over a week ago."
Additional
Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals Information:
What:
22nd Annual Dodge Chili
Bowl Midget Nationals
Where:
Tulsa Expo Raceway – ¼-mile clay
oval inside the QuikTrip Center (formerly
known as Tulsa Exposition Center) at the
Tulsa State Fairgrounds
When:
January
8-12, 2008
Tuesday
– Bass Pro Shops Pre-Qualifying Night
Wednesday
- Creek Nation Casino Qualifying Night
Thursday
– Warren CAT Qualifying Night
Friday
– O'Reilly Qualifying Night
Saturday
– Bass Pro Shops Championship Saturday
Feature Events
Past
Winners:
Tony Stewart (2007 and 2002), Sammy
Swindell (1998, 1996, 1992 and 1989), Cory
Kruseman (2004 and 2000), Dan Boorse (2003
and 1999), Tim McCreadie (2006), Tracy
Hines (2005), Jay Drake (2001), Billy Boat
(1997), Donnie Beechler (1995), Andy
Hillenburg (1994), Dave Blaney (1993),
Lealand McSpadden (1991), Jon Heydenreich
(1990), Scott Hatton (1988), Rich Vogler
(1987).
Current
Entries:
286 entries from 29 different
states as well as Canada and Australia,
topping last year's record count of 267
competitors.
Past
winners already entered include Tony
Stewart, Sammy Swindell, Cory Kruseman,
Tim McCreadie, Tracy Hines and Johnny
Heydenreich.
Currently,
there are 69 Chili Bowl rookies on the
entry list.
At
least 32 series or track champions over
the course of the 2007 season have entered
the Chili Bowl Nationals, including:
Eleven
midget champions from 2007 that have
entered the Chili Bowl include Jerry
Coons, Jr. (USAC and National Midget
Driver of the Year), David Gough (UMARA),
16-year-old Justin Grant (BCRA), Nathan
High (AMRA), Brad Kuhn (BMARA), Brad Loyet
(POWRi), Andy Martin (ARDC), Doug McCune (SSMA),
Johnny Rodriguez (USAC Western States),
Chris Sheil (RMMRA) and Gary Taylor (SMRS).
Eight
winged Sprint Car champs are ready for the
Chili Bowl, including Lee Grosz (ASCS
Northern Plains), Mike Goodman (OCRS),
Garry Lee Maier (NCRA), Joey Montgomery
(St. Francois County Raceway), Shane
Stewart (All-Star Speedweek and NSCS
Speedweek), Glenn Styres (SOS), George
White (Cowtown Speedway) and Gary Wright (ASCS
National and National Driver of the Year).
Six
wingless Sprint Car champs are entered,
including 19-year-old Jeff Bland, Jr.
(Bloomington Speedway and National Rookie
of the Year), Shane Cottle (Kokomo
Speedway), Jesse Hockett (Sprint Bandits
TNT), Levi Jones (USAC), Ryan Kaplan (USAC
Western States) and Jon Stanbrough (KISS
and National Non-Wing Driver of the Year).
Bud
Kaeding won the USAC Silver Crown
championship.
Other
2007 champions include Stewart Friesen
(DIRT Modifieds at New York's Utica Rome
Speedway), Brent Rees (Rocky Mountain Mini
Sprint Association), Austin Mero (Ventura
Raceway Junior Ford Focus Midgets), Andrew
Deal (non-wing Micros at Will Rogers
Raceway), Doug Nunes (BCRA Midget Lites)
and Joe Walker (Central Missouri Speedway
modifieds).
Bass
Pro Shops Kick Off Party:
Bass Pro Shops in Broken Arrow, OK,
will host a Chili Bowl Kick Off Party on
Monday night, January 7, beginning at 6:00
p.m.
Drivers from the Tony Stewart
Motorsports team, including Tracy Hines,
Levi Jones and Josh Richards, will be on
hand to sign autographs.
Fans can enter for a chance to ride
in the Chili Bowl pace truck, the King of
Bucks trailer will be present and
accounted for and there will be all
variety of games, prizes and giveaways.
The flyer for the Bass Pro Shops
Chili Bowl Kick Off Party is available at www.chilibowl.com/bpscbkop08.zip.
Trade
Show:
Always a popular attraction at the
Chili Bowl Midget Nationals is the Trade
Show, which is open to the public each day
(Tuesday through Saturday) free of charge.
All variety of racing products,
apparel and more is available with well
over 100 different vendors.
The Trade Show covers approximately
20,000 square feet.
Preferred
Parking:
A limited number of Preferred
Parking spaces are still available for all
five nights of the Dodge Chili Bowl Midget
Nationals by calling the ticket office at
918-838-3777.
Buffet:
The cafeteria at the east end of
the QuikTrip Center will offer an
all-you-can-eat buffet each day.
The buffet is available from 11:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday through
Friday and then 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on
Saturday.
Tickets:
Four-night tickets for Wednesday
through Saturday of the 22nd
Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals were
depleted by the beginning of June.
A limited number of reserved seats
for Tuesday night's Pre-Qualifying event
are available for $21 per person and may
be obtained by calling 918-838-3777 or at
the gate. Pit passes for all five nights are available at the gate as
well.
Pay-Per-View:
Lucas Oil presents the Chili Bowl
Nationals live on HBO Pay-Per-View for the
first time on Saturday night, January 12.
The
live broadcast on Saturday, January 12
begins at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT),
with an immediate pay-per-view replay and
additional replays on Sunday. The HBO
Pay-Per-View racing telecast has a
suggested retail price $24.95 and will be
available to more than 61 million
pay-per-view homes
in
the United States and Canada and millions
more worldwide. HBO Pay-Per-View is the
leading supplier of event programming in
the pay-per-view industry.
Ordering information is available
at http://www.hbo.com/.
Viewers
are encouraged to contact their local
cable operator or satellite provider to
order the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals. Customers
must have digital cable or satellite
service to order.
A subscription to HBO is not required.
Dodge
Chili Bowl Nationals On the Web:
All the action from Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday along with
Saturday's action prior to the
Pay-per-View telecast will be webcast live
at www.racinboys.com.
Complete information, including
entry lists, updates and official results
is available at www.chilibowl.com.
Additional
information regarding the Dodge Chili Bowl
Midget Nationals is available at www.chilibowl.com
or by calling 918-838-3777.
Pictured:
Tony
Stewart tries to become the first
back-to-back winner in Chili Bowl history.
(Bob Hesser Photo)
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