2003 Chili Bowl -
Thursday, January 9
Hatton
Hustles to Love's Thunder at the Bowl
Triumph
 Lonnie
Wheatley – TULSA, Okla. (January 9,
2003) – Scott Hatton made a long-awaited
return to the Tulsa Expo Raceway’s Chili
Bowl Nationals victory lane, leading
wire-to-wire to claim the Love’s Travel
Stops & Country Stores Thursday Night
Thunder at the Bowl 25-lap qualifying
feature victory.
Hatton, who won the second running of the
Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in 1988,
earned the pole starting position for
Thursday night’s 22-car feature by
coming from seventh to win the fourth
heat. As the green flag flew, Hatton got
the jump on fellow front row starter
Jeremy Sherman to take command early.
Sherman trailed Hatton by several
car-lengths in the early going, with Randy
Koch, Luke Icke and Greg Lueckert pursuing
the lead duo. Hatton’s machine began to
miss soon after a lap five caution for
Damion Gardner, who came to a stop in turn
two.
Sensing the opportunity, Sherman
intensified his challenges for the lead,
with Hatton utilizing the low-groove to
perfection to maintain the lead.
Sherman’s bid for the lead came to an
end on the 13th round when he spun in turn
one.
Hatton survived another pair of cautions
over the final half of the race, including
a lap 21 tangle that collected eight cars
in turn three, including top ten
contenders Ron Gregory, Ray Bull and Kenny
Lewis. Unaffected, Hatton kept the Miller
Lite Mopar-powered Stealth in front to the
checkered flag, holding a five car-length
advantage at the stripe.
Koch, who took over second when Sherman
spun, held second at the finish in Bill
Ecker’s Gaerte-powered Kunz, with Icke
claiming third in his Singer-powered Ellis
in his first ever visit to the Chili Bowl.
Lueckert snared the fourth and final
transfer position to Saturday night’s
17th Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals
main event.
P.J. Jones rounded out the top five, with
Brad Kuhn in sixth. Gardner recovered from
his early incident to claim seventh, with
Shane Matthews turning in the feature’s
top passing performance by coming from
18th to finish eighth. David Camfield,
Jr., and Blake Feese completed the top
ten.
Heat race victories for the 67-car field
were claimed by Gardner, Sherman, Kuhn,
Hatton, Shane Hollingsworth, Wally
Pankratz, Lueckert, Kevin Doty and Jones.
Camfield and Craig Carey topped the 12-lap
B Features, with Critter Malone and David
Rosales winning the 10-lap C Features.
Tracy Hines, one of the pre-race
favorites, was involved in a lap nine turn
three tangle, then exited the race after
21 laps when the rear brake area ignited
under a caution period. Sherman was the
race’s only other casualty, leaving the
track at the same time with a flat left
rear tire.
J.J. Yeley's Chili Bowl championship hopes
took a severe blow when his motor expired
on the second round in his heat race,
bringing an early end to his night.
Josh Lakatos needed only seven rounds to
charge from seventh into the lead en route
to winning the 15-lap Ford Focus feature.
Lakatos overtook Chad DeSelle on the
seventh round, then held off Chris Rahe
and Tyler Brown over the final rounds.
Derek Mungor crossed the stripe fourth,
with DeSelle rounding out the top five.
 
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
Thursday Night Thunder at the Bowl
Results:
First Heat (10 Laps): 1. #8m Damion
Gardner, Concord, CA; 2. #20w Cody
Weisensel, Sun Prairie, WI; 3. #28 Matt
Brun, New Carlile, OH; 4. #8b Murray
Erickson, Odessa, TX; 5. #21x Derek
Davidson, Indianapolis, IN; 6. #33az David
Rosales, Glendale, AZ; 7. #17m Mario
Marietta, Clinton, IN; 8. #1f Mike Fulper,
Cumberland, OH.
Second Heat (10 Laps): 1. #3 Jeremy
Sherman, Phoenix, AZ; 2. #2I Luke Icke,
Littleton, CO; 3. #02 Shane Matthews,
Marysville, CA; 4. #51 Ryan Durst,
Lincoln, NE; 5. #63n Rex Norris III,
Knightstown, IN; 6. #0x Johnny Murdock,
Kaufman, TX; 7. #21 Aaron Andruskevitch,
Riverton, IL. DNS: #4b Roger Branson, Jr.,
Riverton, IL.
Third Heat (10 Laps): 1. #67 Brad Kuhn,
Avon, IN; 2. #22 Ron Gregory, Noblesville,
IN; 3. #0 Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg,
TN; 4. #12c Rick England, Wichita, KS; 5.
#71r Keith Rauch, Edgewater, CO; 6. #57
Brian Brown, Higginsville, MO; 7. #32f
Dave Fuhrman, Avon, IN; 8. #8x Butch
Middleton, Erie, CO.
Fourth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #15h Scott
Hatton, Roscoe, IL; 2. #5d Kenny Lewis,
Wheatridge, CO; 3. #7c Cole Carter,
Brownsburg, IN; 4. #6 Randy Fiscus, Monona,
WI; 5. #41 Josh Ford, Oxnard, CA; 6. #31v
Rick Vaughn, Indianapolis, IN; 7. #10t
Toby Alfrey, Miamisburg, OH.
Fifth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #85 Shane
Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, IN; 2. #57k
Randy Koch, Oregon, WI; 3. #30c Craig
Carey, Springfield, IL; 4. #78 Tim
Crawley, Mabelvale, AR; 5. #16f Chad
Farmer, Colorado Springs, CO; 6. #50
Roland Ayo, Houston, TX; 7. #7t Jimmy
McVay, Lees Summit, MO; 8. #24 J.J. Yeley,
Phoenix, AZ.
Sixth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #8p Wally
Pankratz, Orange, CA; 2. #11 Tracy Hines,
Greenfield, IN; 3. #19w Mike Woodring,
Eden, NY; 4. #0h Jesse Hockett, Warsaw,
MO; 5. #5m Mike Neher, Logansport, IN; 6.
#26 Glenn Carson, Newark, CA. DNS: #67n
Randy Nigg, Colorado Springs, CO.
Seventh Heat (10 Laps): 1. #01 Greg
Lueckert, Kansas City, MO; 2. #22m Ray
Bull, Bloomsburg, PA; 3. #32 Blake Feese,
Saybrook, IL; 4. #49 Bryan Kobylarz,
Birasboro, PA; 5. #7 Critter Malone,
Speedway, IN; 6. #43 Chris Coers,
Columbus, IN. DNS: #10 Andy Pierce,
Plainfield, IN..
Eighth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #2 Kevin Doty,
Milan, IL; 2. #86c David Camfield, Jr.,
Decatur, IL; 3. #55 Tony Everhart, El
Cajon, CA; 4. #10b Bill Baue,
Indianapolis, IN; 5. #61a Toby Brown,
Carthage, MO; 6. #6L Eddie Leavitt,
Knoxville, IA; 7. #51m Chris Partin,
Tulsa, OK.
Ninth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #17j P.J. Jones,
Torrance, CA; 2. #33h Robert Hanley,
Foxfield, CO; 3. #19s Ronnie Day, Salinas,
CA; 4. #18w Travis Welpott, Pendleton, IN;
5. #10c Jamie Ferrell, Des Moines, IA; 6.
#45az Jeff Perry, Phoenix, AZ; 7. #99r
Kyle Rayburn, Pueblo West, CO.
First C Feature (12 Laps): 1. #7 Critter
Malone, Speedway, IN; 2. #31v Rick Vaughn,
Indianapolis, IN; 3. #26 Glenn Carson,
Newark, CA; 4. #7t Jimmy McVay, Lees
Summit, MO; 5. #10c Jamie Ferrell, Des
Moines, IA; 6. #99r Kyle Rayburn, Pueblo
West, CO; 7. #32f Dave Fuhrman, Avon, IN;
8. #0x Johnny Murdock, Kaufman, TX; 9.
#17m Mario Marietta, Clinton, IN. DNS: #6L
Eddie Leavitt, Knoxville, IA; #8x Butch
Middleton, Erie, CO; #67n Randy Nigg,
Colorado Springs, CO.
Second C Feature (12 Laps): 1. #33az David
Rosales, Glendale, AZ; 2. #43 Chris Coers,
Columbus, IN; 3. #57 Brian Brown,
Higginsville, MO; 4. #61a Toby Brown,
Carthage, MO; 5. #10t Toby Alfrey,
Miamisburg, OH; 6. #45az Jeff Perry,
Phoenix, AZ; 7. #50 Roland Ayo, Houston,
TX; 8. #21 Andrew Andruskevitch, Riverton,
IL. DNS: #51m Chris Partin, Tulsa, OK; #1f
Mike Fulper, Cumberland, OH; #24 J.J.
Yeley, Phoenix, AZ; #10 Andy Pierce,
Plainfield, IN.
First B Feature (15 Laps): 1. #86c David
Camfield, Jr., Decatur, IL; 2. #5d Kenny
Lewis, Wheatridge, CO; 3. #0 Scott
Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN; 4. #32 Blake
Feese, Saybrook, IL; 5. #28 Matt Brun, New
Carlile, OH; 6. #16f Chad Farmer, Colorado
Springs, CO; 7. #12c Rick England,
Wichita, KS; 8. #7 Critter Malone,
Speedway, IN; 9. #6 Randy Fiscus, Monona,
WI; 10. #7c Cole Carter, Brownsburg, IN;
11. #33h Robert Hanley, Foxfield, CO; 12.
#10b Bill Baue, Indianapolis, IN; 13. #51
Ryan Durst, Lincoln, NE; 14. #31v Rick
Vaughn, Indianapolis, IN; 15. #63n Rex
Norris III, Knightstown, IN; 16. #55 Tony
Everhart, El Cajon, CA..
Second B Feature (15 Laps): 1. #30c Craig
Carey, Springfield, IL; 2. #02 Shane
Matthews, Marysville, CA; 3. #78 Tim
Crawley, Mabelvale, AR; 4. #19s Ronnie
Day, Salinas, CA; 5. #8b Murray Erickson,
Odessa, TX; 6. #33az David Rosales,
Glendale, AZ; 7. #71r Keith Rauch,
Edgewater, CO; 8. #0h Jesse Hockett,
Warsaw, MO; 9. #20w Cody Weisensel, Sun
Prairie, WI; 10. #49 Bryan Kobylarz,
Birasboro, PA; 11. #19w Mike Woodring,
Eden, NY; 12. #41 Josh Ward, Oxnard, CA;
13. #18w Travis Welpott, Pendleton, IN;
14. #43 Chris Coers, Columbus, IN; 15.
#21x Derek Davidson, Indianapolis, IN; 16.
#5m Mike Neher, Logansport, IN.
Love’s Thursday Night Thunder at the
Bowl A Feature (25 Laps): 1. #15h Scott
Hatton, Roscoe, IL; 2. #57k Randy Koch,
Oregon, WI; 3. #2i Luke Icke, Littleton,
CO; 4. #01 Greg Lueckert, Kansas City, MO;
5. #17j P.J. Jones, Torrance, CA; 6. #67
Brad Kuhn, Avon, IN; 7. #8m Damion
Gardner, Concord, CA; 8. #02 Shane
Matthews, Marysville, CA; 9. #86c David
Camfield, Jr., Decatur, IL; 10. #32 Blake
Feese, Saybrook, IL; 11. #19s Ronnie Day,
Salinas, CA; 12. #22 Ron Gregory,
Noblesville, IN; 13. #22m Ray Bull,
Bloomsburg, PA; 14. #2 Kevin Doty, Milan,
IL; 15. #8p Wally Pankratz, Orange, CA;
16. #5d Kenny Lewis, Wheatridge, CO; 17.
#85 Shane Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, IN;
18. #78 Tim Crawley, Mabelvale, AR; 19.
#30c Craig Carey, Springfield, IL; 20. #0
Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN; 21. #11
Tracy Hines, Greenfield, IL; 22. #3 Jeremy
Sherman, Phoenix, AZ.
Ford Focus Midgets (15 Laps): 1. Josh
Lakatos, 2. Chris Rahe, 3. Tyler Brown, 4.
Derek Mungor, 5. Chad DeSelle, 6. J.J.
Ercse, 7. Wayne McCormick, 8. Todd
Hunsaker, 9. Garratt Boyden, 10. Bobby
McGowan, 11. Garrett Hansen, 12. Darren
Hagen.
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