2003 Chili Bowl -
Wednesday, January 8
Boorse
Blasts to Bud Shootout Qualifying Victory
 Lonnie
Wheatley – TULSA, Okla. (January 8,
2003) – Dan Boorse kicked off the 17th
Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals by
slipping underneath race-long leader Jimmy
Sills exiting turn four on the 15th round
en route to winning Wednesday night’s
Bud Shootout Qualifying 25-lap feature at
Tulsa Expo Raceway.
“It was fairly difficult to pass
tonight, so I knew the best chance to get
around him would be on a restart” stated
Boorse in the post-race press conference.
“Fortunately he hooked the cushion and I
just happened to be in the right place.”
Sills, who displayed why he’s the
“professor” of a dirt track driving
school, explained, “The car was getting
tighter and tighter as the race went on,
and I finally caught the ledge in turn
four and Dan was there to take
advantage.”
Jerry Coons, Jr., who earned the pole
position for the feature by charging from
sixth starting position to win the third
of nine qualifying heat races, led the
22-car field to the green flag with Sills
alongside. Coons got loose exiting turn
two on the opening round and fell to
mid-pack as Sills assumed command.
Sills paced the early rounds with Boorse
and Troy Rutherford in pursuit, while
Jason Meyers passed Chad DeSelle for
fourth on the fifth lap. Sills held a
narrow four car-length advantage over
Boorse and Rutherford until lapped traffic
came into play on the 11th circuit.
With Sills blocked behind a dueling pair
of backmarkers, Boorse and Rutherford
quickly closed the gap, with Rutherford
getting around Boorse for second on the
12th lap. With Sills on the high side,
Rutherford made a bid for the lead
entering the third turn on the 13th round,
momentarily nosing ahead of Sills before
hitting the berm and spinning, bringing
out the race’s first caution.
With Rutherford relegated to the rear,
Sills held off Boorse on the ensuing
restart, only to have the caution fly two
rounds later for a John Wolfe spin in turn
two. Sills set sail on the restart in
Murray Erickson’s Budweiser Gaerte-powered
TCR, however when he hooked the turn four
cushion, Boorse ducked underneath into a
lead he wouldn’t relinquish.
Boorse’s charge to the checkered flag
was briefly interrupted by a three-car
tangle in turn two after 18 laps. The 1999
Chili Bowl champion had the field covered
over the final seven circuits as he
charged to the checkered flag unchallenged
aboard his Weiland Race Enterprise Gaerte
Ford-powered Stealth to secure the Bud
Shootout Qualifying triumph.
Sills held second to the line, while
Meyers made a strong Midget racing debut
aboard Dallen McKenney’s Gowens-powered
TCR, posting a solid third place finish.
Danny Lasoski passed Teddy Beach for
fourth on the lap 15 restart and held the
fourth and final Chili Bowl Nationals main
event transfer position to the line.
2001 Chili Bowl winner Jay Drake came from
10th to round out the top five, with Matt
Westfall charging from 18th to claim
sixth. Jeff Flesher crossed the stripe in
seventh, with Nick Lundgreen, DeSelle and
Bobby East completing the top ten.
Sixty-five cars signed in for Wednesday
night’s Bud Shootout Qualifying action,
with Rutherford, Beach, Coons, Flesher,
Meyers, Lasoski, Justin Allgaier, Aaron
Fiscus and Mathew Neely topping heat race
action. Lundgreen and East topped the twin
15-lap B Features, with Dino Tomassi and
Billy Wease winning the 12-lap C Mains.
John Wolfe, who led the first half of his
heat race before mechanical problems sent
him pitside, came from 7th to finish
second in the first C Feature, then
charged from 16th to second in the first B
Main, earning a transfer to the main
event.
There were four flip victims during the
evening’s racing action, with Jimmy
Kite’s turn four endo in the second B
Feature the most spectacular. Kite walked
away unscathed. Other flip victims
included Alex Coonan in heat race action,
with A.J. Fike and Shane Cottle each
turning over during B Main action.
 
Photos: Top-Dan Boorse celebrates his Bud
Shootout Qualifying victory (Racetracker
photos); Bottom Left-The Hooters girls
ride in the Chili Bowl pace car prior to
the main event (The Wheatley Collection);
Bottom Right - Jerry Coons, Jr. (11c) and
Jimmy Sills (8) lead the field to the
green flag (The Wheatley Collection).
Wednesday’s Bud Shootout Qualifying
Results:
First Heat (10 Laps): 1. #7r Troy
Rutherford, Ojai, CA; 2. #8 Jimmy Sills,
Marysville, CA; 3. #4e Bobby East,
Brownsburg, IN; 4. #8s Bobby Smith, Camby,
IN; 5. #7w Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL;
6. #30 Johnny Rodriguez, Elk Grove, CA; 7.
#15k Donnie Kratzberg, Fort Smith, AR; 8.
#99d Shon Deskins, Phoenix, AZ.
Second Heat (10 Laps): 1. #25b Teddy
Beach, Donnelsville, OH; 2. #71 Jay Drake,
Val Verde, CA; 3. #44 Chad Branson,
Sherman, IL; 4. #27a Amy Maris, Gilbert,
AZ; 5. #36 Brad Paris, Brownsburg, IN; 6.
#13 Matt Walton, Tulsa, OK; 7. #76 Garrett
Hanson, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. DNS: #7m
David Langford, Blue Springs, MO.
Third Heat (10 Laps): 1. #11c Jerry Coons,
Jr., Tucson, AZ; 2. #40L Nick Lundgreen,
Indianapolis, IN; 3. #59 Jim Sawyer,
Trenton, OH; 4. #30x Jimmy Kite,
Stockbridge, GA; 5. #2h Robert Harr,
Arvada, CO; 6. #19n Nick O’Neal,
Wagoner, OK; 7. #44c Al Cole, McFarland,
WI; 8. #94 Alex Coonan, Ransom, IL.
Fourth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #72 Jeff
Flesher, Lexington, IL; 2. #14 Tony Rossi,
Arvada, CO; 3. #87x Cameron Dodson,
Greenfield, IN; 4. #78d Jeff Heaton,
Ventura, CA; 5. #15m Chris Morway,
Glastonbury, CT; 6. #95x Rik Forbes,
Omaha, NE.
Fifth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #88m Jason
Meyers, Fresno, CA; 2. #25 Mike Farmer,
Colorado Springs, CO; 3. #51f Chris DeShon,
Littleton, CO; 4. #35 Brandon Petty,
Alexandria, IN; 5. #76c James Chesson, Far
Hills, NJ; 6. #12 Billy Wease,
Noblesville, IN; 7. #17 Doug McCune,
Colleyville, TX.
Sixth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #20 Danny Lasoski,
Dover, MO; 2. #81 Chad DeSelle, Sun
Prairie, WI; 3. #21k Kurt Mayhew, Demotte,
IN; 4. #87 Rich Camfield, Decatur, IL; 5.
#29 Dino Tomassi, Fremont, CA; 6. #33a
Stephen Arnold, Seymour, IN; 7. #3m, John
Wolfe, Winchester, IN.
Seventh Heat (10 Laps): 1. #85a Justin
Allgaier, Riverton, IL; 2. #69 A.J. Fike,
Galesburg, IL; 3. #11s Matt Westfall,
Ludlow, OH; 4. #Q4 Edwin Wilson, Tuttle,
OK; 5. #03 Bill Allen, Independence, MO;
6. #51n Mike Nigh, Brownsburg, IN; 7. #3w
Brandon Waelti, Sun Prairie, WI.
Eighth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #7f Aaron Fiscus,
Sun Prairie, WI; 2. #55k Steve Knepper,
Belleville, IL; 3. #86 Shane Cottle,
Kokomo, IN; 4. #45 Aaron Kirk, Conroe, TX;
5. #15 Tim Siner, Waterloo, IL; 6. #19
Chris Wagner, Colorado Springs, CO; 7. #27
Sparky Howard, Santa Rosa, CA.
Ninth Heat (10 Laps): 1. #17n Mathew
Neely, Robinson, IL; 2. #88 Dan Boorse,
Milwaukee, WI; 3. #12h Rick Hendrix,
Canoga Park, CA; 4. #1 Sammy Swindell,
Germantown, TN; 5. #00x John Giffin, Mnt.
View, CA; 6. #4t Brian Terry, Monona, WI;
7. #4g Ricky Gaunt, Torrance, CA.
First C Feature (12 Laps): 1. #29 Dino
Tomassi, Fremont, CA; 2. #3m John Wolfe,
Winchester, IN; 3. #19 Chris Wagner,
Colorado Springs, CO; 4. #99d Shon Deskins,
Phoenix, AZ; 5. #15k Donnie Kratzberg,
Fort Smith, AR; 6. #44c Al Cole,
McFarland, WI; 7. #30 Johnny Rodriguez; 8.
#19n Nick O’Neal, Wagoner, OK; 9. #7m
David Langford, Blue Springs, MO; 10. #27
Sparky Howard, Santa Rosa, CA; 11. #00x
John Giffin, Mnt. View, CA. DNS: #33a
Stephen Arnold, Seymour, IN.
Second C Feature (12 Laps): 1. #12 Billy
Wease, Noblesville, IN; 2. #3w Brandon
Waelti, Sun Prairie, WI; 3. #95x Rik
Forbes, Omaha, NE; 4. #4t Brian Terry,
Monona, WI; 5. #76 Garrett Hanson, Rancho
Palos Verdes, CA; 6. #51n Mike Nigh,
Brownsburg, IN; 7. #4g Ricky Gaunt,
Torrance, CA; 8. #17 Doug McCune,
Colleyville, TX; 9. #03 Bill Allen,
Independence, MO; 10. #94 Alex Coonan,
Ransom, IL. DNS: #13 Matt Walton, Tulsa,
OK.
First B Feature (15 Laps): 1. #40L Nick
Lundgreen, Indianapolis, IN; 2. #3m John
Wolfe, Winchester, IN; 3. #35 Brandon
Petty, Alexandria, IN; 4. #17n Mathew
Neely, Robinson, IL; 5. #36 Brad Paris,
Brownsburg, IN; 6. #8s Bobby Smith, Camby,
IN; 7. #78d Jeff Heaton, Ventura, CA; 8.
#87x Cameron Dodson, Greenfield, IN; 9.
#45 Aaron Kirk, Conroe, TX; 10. #51f Chris
DeShon, Littleton, CO; 11. #29 Dino
Tomassi, Fremont, CA; 12. #1 Sammy
Swindell, Germantown, TN; 13. #7w Korey
Weyant, Springfield, IL; 14. #15m Chris
Morway, Glastonbury, CT; 15. #55k Steve
Knepper, Belleville, IL; 16. #69 A.J. Fike,
Galesburg, IL.
Second B Feature (15 Laps): 1. #4e Bobby
East, Brownsburg, IN; 2. #11s Matt
Westfall, Ludlow, OH, 3. #25 Mike Farmer,
Colorado Springs, CO; 4. #12h Rick
Hendrix, Canoga Park, CA; 5. #87 Rich
Camfield, Decatur, IL; 6. #15 Tim Siner,
Waterloo, IL; 7. #76c James Chesson, Far
Hills, NJ; 8. #12 Billy Wease,
Noblesville, IN; 9. #2h Robert Harr,
Arvada, CO; 10. #3w Brandon Waelti, Sun
Prairie, WI; 11. #21k Kurt Mayhew,
Demotte, IN; 12. #44 Chad Branson,
Sherman, IL; 13. #Q4 Edwin Wilson, Tuttle,
OK; 14. #27a Amy Maris, Phoenix, AZ; 15.
#30x Jimmy Kite, Stockbridge, GA; 16. #86
Shane Cottle, Kokomo, IN.
Bud Shootout Qualifying A Feature (25
Laps): 1. #88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee, WI;
2. #8 Jimmy Sills, Marysville, CA; 3. #88m
Jason Meyers, Milwaukee, WI; 4. #20 Danny
Lasoski, Dover, MO; 5. #71 Jay Drake, Val
Verde, CA; 6. #11s Matt Westfall, Ludlow,
OH; 7. #72 Jeff Flesher, Lexington, IL; 8.
#40L Nick Lundgreen, Indianapolis, IN; 9.
#81 Chad DeSelle, Sun Prairie, WI; 10. #4e
Bobby East, Brownsburg, IN; 11. #7f Aaron
Fiscus, Sun Prairie, WI; 12. #25b Teddy
Beach, Donnelsville, OH; 13. #14 Tony
Rossi, Arvada, CO; 14. #7r Troy
Rutherford, Ojai, CA; 15. #59 Jim Sawyer,
Trenton, OH; 16. #3m John Wolfe,
Winchester, IN; 17. #12h Rick Hendrix,
Canoga Park, CA; 18. #35 Brandon Petty,
Alexandria, IN; 19. #11c Jerry Coons, Jr.,
Tucson, AZ; 20. #17n Mathew Neely,
Robinson, IL; 21. #25 Mike Farmer,
Colorado Springs, CO; 22. #85a Justin
Allgaier, Riverton, IL.
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