2004 Chili Bowl -
Thursday, January 8
Leffler
Love's Chili in Thursday Qualifier!
 Lonnie
Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 8, 2004) –
Jason Leffler rode the cushion past Aaron
Fike on the ninth circuit, then held off
Scott Hatton in the closing rounds to top
Thursday night’s Love’s Travel Stops
& Country Stores 25-lap qualifying
feature for the 18th Annual O’Reilly Chili
Bowl Midget Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway.
Former Chili Bowl champion Hatton pressured
Leffler over the final rounds, but was
unable to mount a charge and settled for a
close second place finish. Tracy Hines and
Tony Stewart both advanced several positions
over the last half of the race to snare the
third and fourth transfer positions to
Saturday night’s finale, close behind the
lead duo.
Queried about his use of the cushion,
Leffler responded with, “You try to go
where everyone else isn’t at, so I went to
the top and it worked out.” Leffler went
on to say, “Tracy (Hines) said it coming
up to the press conference, that the prelim
nights are almost more intense than the
finale on Saturday. You feel like you’ve
got to get yourself locked into the feature.
It’s intense, and it’s good to have it
over.”
While Leffler lined up eighth in the 22-car
starting grid after racing from eighth to
third in the second of ten heat races, it
was two-time National Midget Driver of the
Year Aaron Fike and 1995 Chili Bowl champion
Donnie Beechler who led the feature field to
the green flag.
Fike, who blasted from sixth to win the
fifth heat race, outgunned Beechler for the
early lead, with David Camfield, Jr.,
quickly moving from third to take second
from Beechler on the opening round. When the
race’s first caution flew after five
rounds for debris on the track, Fike held
the point in front of Camfield, Beechler,
Hatton and Leffler.
After the ensuing restart was waved off for
Travis Berryhill’s third turn tumble,
Leffler took to the cushion and quickly
disposed of Hatton and Beechler to take over
third on the sixth round. Leffler raced past
Camfield for second the next time around
then took command from Fike in turns three
and four on the ninth round.
Leffler paced the field until the caution
flew on the 13th lap for Brandon Waelti’s
frontstretch gymnastics. Leffler led Fike,
Hatton, Beechler, Hines and Camfield on the
restart, while 2002 Chili Bowl winner
Stewart had moved into seventh after
starting eleventh.
After a brief stoppage a lap later, Leffler
set the pace the rest of the way. Leffler
slipped over the cushion twice, and Hatton,
who overtook Fike for second on the 17th
round, applied heavy pressure to the leader
over the final rounds with Beechler, Fike,
Hines and Stewart in tow.
Leffler was not to be denied though and
raced to the checkered flag aboard Dino
Tomassi’s Finish Line Towing/Engler/Red
Line Oil Wirth-powered Beast with a two
car-length advantage over Hatton’s Mopar-powered
Miller Lite Stealth at the line. Hines took
over third with a nasty slide on Beechler in
the final rounds, then held off Stewart to
claim the show position.
Beechler settled for fifth in front of Fike,
15th-starter Gary Wright and 14th-starter
Troy Rutherford. Jeff Flesher turned in the
evening’s best passing performance by
racing from 19th to ninth, with Chad DeSelle
completing the top ten.
Cameron Dodson, Waelti, Rutherford, Wright,
Fike, Hatton, Beechler, Brandon Petty, Bryan
Clauson and Stewart claimed heat race
victories for Thursday night’s 69-car
field.
After breaking a steering gear in an early
heat race tangle, J.J. Yeley charged from
11th to win the first C Main, with Buddy
Luebke winning the second C Main. Yeley’s
attempt to charge through the first B Main
came to an early end when he flipped after
contact on the second round.
Jimmy Sills went on to hold off Flesher for
the win in the first B Main, while DeSelle
topped the second B Main.
Jerry Hammock took an easy roll in the fifth
heat race, while Clauson got some altitude
while running fourth in the latter stages of
the second B Main. All flip victims escaped
uninjured.
 
Photos: Top-Jason Leffler Celebrates
Thursday night's qualifying feature victory; Bottom
Left-Leffler with the Hooter's girls in
victory lane; Bottom Right-The
O'Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals pace car. (All photos from The
Wheatley Collection)
Love’s
Travel Stops & Country Stores Thursday
Night Results at the 18th Annual O’Reilly
Chili Bowl Nationals:
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #43 Cameron Dodson,
Greenfield, IN; 2. #11Z Travis Berryhill,
American Canyon, AZ; 3. #25F Mike Farmer,
Colorado Springs, CO; 4. #33H Robert Hanley,
Foxfield, CO; 5. #10C Shain Mathews,
Marysville, CA; 6. #14 Randy Hannagan, San
Jose, CA; 7. #47X J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, AZ.
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #3W Brandon Waelti, Sun
Prairie, WI; 2. #12AZ Eric Wilkins, El
Mirage, AZ; 3. #29J Jason Leffler, Long
Beach, CA; 4. #51 Ryan Durst, Lincoln, NE;
5. #1AZ David Rosales, Glendale, AZ; 6. #5M
Mike Neher, Monticello, IN; 7. #77 Matt
DeWitt, Houston, TX; 8. #31H Bart Hartman,
Zanesville, OH.
Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #7R Troy Rutherford,
Ojai, CA; 2. #10W Bobby Boone, Bakersfield,
CA; 3. #81 Chad DeSelle, Sun Prairie, WI; 4.
#17X Greg Nelson, Newcastle, CA; 5. #27C
Sparky Howard, Santa Rosa, CA; 6. #15M Chris
Morway, Glastonbury, CT.
Heat 4 (10 Laps): 1. #35W Gary Wright,
Hooks, TX; 2. #86C David Camfield, Jr.,
Decatur, IL; 3. #5S J.C. Bland, Springfield,
IL; 4. #30J Johnny Rodriguez, Elk Grove, CA;
5. #7 Critter Malone, Speedway, IN; 6. #43B
Buddy Luebke, Stoughton, WI; 7. #8P Wally
Pankratz, Orange, CA.
Heat 5 (10 Laps): 1. #95 Aaron Fike,
Galesburg, IL; 2. #57K Randy Koch, Oregon,
WI; 3. #95F Justin Fisher, Phoenix, AZ; 4.
#45 Jeremy Sherman; 5. #81H Jerry Hammock,
Ennis, TX; 6. #0J Todd Jackson,
Independence, MO; 7. #55 Tony Everhart, El
Cajon, CA.
Heat 6 (10 Laps): 1. #15X Scott Hatton,
Roscoe, IL; 2. #72 Jeff Flesher, Lexington,
IL; 3. #95X Rik Forbes, Omaha, NE; 4. #99
Kyle Rayburn, Pueblo West, CO; 5. #78C David
Camfield Sr., Maroa, IL; 6. #88M Matt
Hardin, Galveston, IN; 7. #56K Ken Dull,
Machesney Park, IL.
Heat 7 (10 Laps): 1. #10 Donnie Beechler,
Springfield, IL; 2. #99D Brad Kuhn, Avon,
IN; 3. #4W Edwin Wilson, Tuttle, OK; 4. #20M
Mario Marietta, Clinton, IN; 5. #10H Ryan
Howard, New Carlisle, OH; 6. #1P Conner
Pullen, Amarillo, TX; 7. #27K Ryan Kaplan,
Chico, CA.
Heat 8 (10 Laps): 1. #3M Brandon Petty,
Alexandria, IN; 2. #8 Jimmy Sills, Elverta,
CA; 3. #57 Johnny Cofer, Macdoel, CA; 4.
#27B Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS; 5. #20R Ron
Capps, Carlsbad, CA; 6. #00X Pete Davis,
Pleasanton, CA.
Heat 9 (10 Laps): 1. #85B Bryan Clauson,
Noblesville, IN; 2. #19 Chris Wagner,
Colorado Springs, CO; 3. #51H Mike Hess,
Petersburg, IL; 4. #20K Ken Schrader,
Concord, NC; 5. #9 Steven Cheek, Buffalo,
TX; 6. #21M Michele Miller, Temple, PA; 7.
#V6 Big Al Murie, Kansas City, MO.
Heat 10 (10 Laps): 1. #71 Tony Stewart,
Rushville, IN; 2. #11 Tracy Hines,
Greenfield, IN; 3. #62 Rick Ellis, Lakewood,
CO; 4. #7M Todd McVay, Lee’s Summit, MO;
5. #2J Josh Ford, Ventura, CA; 6. #3A Bill
Allen, Independence, MO; 7. #31J Jason Howe,
Jacksonville, IL.
C Features - top 2 to Twin B features
First C Main (12 Laps): 1. #47X J.J. Yeley,
Phoenix, AZ; 2. #8P Wally Pankratz, Orange,
CA; 3. #1AZ David Rosales, Glendale, AZ; 4.
#31H, Bart Hartman, Zanesville, OH; 5. #1P
Conner Pullen, Amarillo, TX; 6. #14 Randy
Hannagan, San Jose, CA; 7. #0J Todd Jackson,
Independence, MO; 8. #56K Ken Dull,
Machesney Park, IL; 9. #15M Chris Morway,
Glastonbury, CT; 10. #21M Michele Miller,
Temple, PA; 11. #20R Ron Capps, Carlsbad,
CA; 12. #78C David Camfield, Sr., Maroa, IL.
DNS - #V6 Big Al Murie, Kansas City, MO.
Second C Main (12 Laps): 1. #43B Buddy
Luebke, Stoughton, WI; 2. #00X Pete Davis,
Pleasanton, CA; 3. #81H Jerry Hammock,
Ennis, TX; 4. #31J Jason Howe, Jacksonville,
IL; 5. #10H Ryan Howard, New Carlisle, OH;
6. #77 Matt DeWitt, Houston, TX; 7. #55 Tony
Everhart, El Cajon, CA; 8. #2J Josh Ford,
Ventura, CA; 9. #5M Mike Neher, Monticello,
IN; 10, #88M Matt Hardin, Galveston, IN; 11.
#3A Bill Allen, Independence, MO; 12. #27K
Ryan Kaplan, Chico, CA.
B Features - top 3 in each to A Feature
First B Main (15 Laps): 1. #8 Jimmy Sills,
Elverta, CA; 2. #72 Jeff Flesher, Lexington,
IL; 3. #4W Edwin Wilson, Tuttle, OK; 4. #57K
Randy Koch, Oregon, WI; 5. #33H Robert
Hanley, Foxfield, CO; 6. #51H Mike Hess,
Petersburg, IL; 7. #8P Wally Pankratz,
Orange, CA; 8. #99 Kyle Rayburn, Pueblo
West, CO; 9. #27B Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS;
10. #5S J.C. Bland, Springfield, IL; 11. #7M
Todd McVay, Lee’s Summit, MO; 12. #7
Critter Malone, Speedway, IN; 13. #9 Steve
Cheek, Buffalo, TX; 14. #47X J.J. Yeley,
Phoenix, AZ; 15. #17X Greg Nelson,
Newcastle, CA; 16. #20m Mario Marietta,
Clinton, IN.
Second B Main (15 Laps): 1. #81 Chad DeSelle,
Sun Prairie, WI; 2. #45 Jeremy Sherman,
Phoenix, AZ; 3. #3M Brandon Petty,
Alexandria, IN; 4. #19 Chris Wagner,
Colorado Springs, Co; 5. #27C Sparky Howard,
Santa Rosa, CA; 6. #57 Johnny Cofer, Macdoel,
CA; 7. #25F Mike Farmer, Colorado Springs,
CO; 8. #43B Buddy Luebke, Stoughton, WI; 9.
#20K Ken Schrader, Concord, N.C.; 10, 95F
Justin Fisher, Phoenix, AZ; 11. #30J Johnny
Rodriguez, Elk Grove, CA; 12. #00X Pete
Davis, Pleasanton, CA; 13. #62 Rick Ellis,
Lakewood, CO; 14. #10C Shain Mathews,
Marysville, CA; 15. #85B Bryan Clauson,
Noblesville, IN; 16. #51 Ryan Durst,
Lincoln, NE.
A Feature - top 4 transfer to Saturday A
feature; others to Saturday B & C
features
A Main (25 Laps): 1. #29J Jason Leffler,
Long Beach, CA; 2. #15X Scott Hatton,
Roscoe, IL; 3. #11 Tracy Hines, Greenfield,
IN; 4. #71 Tony Stewart, Rushville, IN; 5.
#10 Donnie Beechler, Springfield, IL; 6. #95
Aaron Fike, Galesburg, IL; 7. #35W Gary
Wright, Hooks, TX; 8. #7R Troy Rutherford,
Ojai, CA; 9. #72 Jeff Flesher, Lexington,
IL; 10. #81 Chad DeSelle, Sun Prairie, WI;
11. #8 Jimmy Sills, Elverta, CA; 12. #45
Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix, AZ; 13. #86C David
Camfield, Jr., Decatur, IL; 14. #12AZ Erick
Wilkins, El Mirage, AZ; 15. #3M Brandon
Petty, Alexandria, IN; 16. #95X Rik Forbes,
Omaha, NE; 17. #10W Bobby Boone,
Bakersfield, CA; 18. #11Z Travis Berryhill,
American Canyon, CA; 19. #4W Edwin Wilson,
Tuttle, OK; 20. #43 Cameron Dodson,
Greenfield, IN; 21. #99D Brad Kuhn, Avon,
IN; 22. #3W Brandon Waelti, Sun Prairie, WI.
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