2004 Chili Bowl -
Wednesday, January 7
Lasoski
Romps in Chili Bowl Opener
 Lonnie
Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 7, 2004) -
Danny Lasoski kicked off the 18th Annual
O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals by
romping to victory lane in Wednesday night's
25-lap preliminary feature at Tulsa Expo
Raceway.
Lasoski survived several cautions to lead
11th-starter Davey Ray and 20th-starter Dan
Boorse to the checkered flag. Steve
Buckwalter edged Ray Bull at the stripe for
the fourth and final transfer position to
Saturday night's O'Reilly Chili Bowl
Nationals finale.
Asked if any victory would mean more than a
Chili Bowl title, Lasoski responded with,
“Absolutely not! The Knoxville Nationals
ranks right up there with it, but really a
Chili Bowl win would mean everything.”
California’s Thomas Meseraul earned the
pole position for Wednesday night’s
feature by charging from sixth to win the
first of nine heat races, with Lasoski, who
duplicated Meseraul’s passing feat in the
next heat race, alongside.
After the initial start was waved off for a
multi-car tangle in turn four, Lasoski
outgunned Meseraul to snare the early lead.
Meseraul’s fine outing would come to a
premature end following a lap two incident
that sent him pitside for the evening.
The only thing that slowed Lasoski’s
lightning-quick pace aboard Jerry
Russell’s Esslinger-powered Eagle were
four more cautions over the remainder of the
race, including the final stoppage after 17
rounds when Josh Lakatos smacked the turn
one wall.
Lasoski slipped away from the field
following each caution, racing to the
checkered flag unabated with nearly a
straightaway advantage when the checkered
flag flew. With a pair of Chili Bowl
runner-up showings in 1997 and 2001, Lasoski
moved a step closer to his first Chili Bowl
crown with the qualifying victory.
After starting sixth, Joey Montgomery had
charged into second by the second circuit.
Montgomery held the runner-up slot until
making his exit to the pit area with
mechanical woes after the lap 17 caution.
Upon Montgomery’s exit, 11th-starter Davey
Ray assumed command of the runner-up slot
and held it to the finish. Two-time Chili
Bowl champion Dan Boorse advanced from his
20th starting position after transferring
from a B Feature to claim the show position
behind Lasoski and the 2003 BMARA champion.
After starting 17th, four-time ARDC Midget
champion Ray Bull took over fourth on the
18th round, only to have 16th-starter Steve
Buckwalter dash by in the final corner to
snatch the fourth and final transfer
position to Saturday’s main event by the
narrowest of margins.
Bull settled for fifth, with Joe Boyles,
R.J. Johnson, 15th-starter Garrett Hansen,
22nd-starter Justin Allgaier and Tim Siner
completing the top ten.
Meseraul, Lasoski, Siner, Boyles, Ray,
Donnie Lehmann, Buckwalter, Teddy Beach and
Don Droud, Jr., snared heat race victories
for Wednesday night’s 63-car field. Harley
Slotten and Toby Brown topped the twin
12-lap C Features, with Bull and Boston Reid
winning the twin 15-lap B Mains.
Jim Doyle, Nick Lundgreen, Paul White, Don
Hammer and Craig Carey were all heat race
flip victims. Lundgreen took an even wilder
ride in the first C Feature, while Mike
Kertscher, John Giffin and Derek Mungor all
took B Feature tumbles. All drivers emerged
unscathed.
 
Photos: Top-Danny Lasoski was pumped up
after winning Wednesday night's feature; Bottom
Left-Lasoski is all smiles with the
Hooter's Girls; Bottom Right-Davey
Ray raced to a second place finish.
(All photos from The
Wheatley Collection)
Wednesday’s
18th Annual O’Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals
Results:
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #13 Thomas Meseraul,
San Jose, CA; 2. #3T Tracy Miller, Reading,
PA; 3. #51J R.J. Johnson, Phoenix, AZ; 4. #4
Brian Terry, Cottage Grove, WI; 5. #69 A.J.
Fike, Galesburg, IL; 6. #71B Chad Branson,
Sherman, IL; 7. #5MA Mallory Armfield, St.
Joseph, MO; 8. #79. Jim Doyle, Ft. Lupton,
CO.
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #20 Danny Lasoski,
Dover, MO; 2. #34 Tyler Brown, Norco, CA; 3.
#D20 Derek Mungor, Walnut, IL; 4. #51S Chris
Sheil, Lakewood, CO; 5. #2D Mark Bush,
Cumming, GA; 6. #19X Terry Holliman,
Hamburg, IA; 7. #1W Paul White, Temple, TX;
8. #40 Nick Lundgreen, Indianapolis, IN.
Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #15S Tim Siner,
Waterloo, IL; 2. #19W Bud Kaeding, Campbell,
CA; 3. #22B Ray Bull, Bloomsburg, PA; 4.
#50X Danny Stratton, Fontana, CA; 5. #71H
Keith Rauch, Edgewater, CO; 6. #33 Wally
McDuffey, St. Louis, MO; 7. #45H Don Hammer,
Clinton, IL.
Heat 4 (10 Laps): 1. #7B Joe Boyles,
Greenwood, MO; 2. #67 Jay Drake, Val Verde,
CA; 3. #71L Mike Leslie, Peoria, AZ; 4. #67N
Butch Zuniga, Brighton, CO; 5. #00 John
Giffin, San Jose, CA; 6. #15H Donnie
Kratzberg, Fort Smith, AR; 7. #7S Chris
Shoulders, Dallas, TX.
Heat 5 (10 Laps): 1. #5 Davey Ray,
Davenport, IA; 2. #85A Justin Allgaier,
Riverton, IL; 3. #29 Scott Sawyer, Broken
Arrow, OK; 4. #4P Josh Lakatos, Pasadena,
CA; 5. #63 Rex Norris, III, Knightstown, IN;
6. #50 Roland Ayo, Houston, TX; 7. #51N Mike
Nigh, Brownsburg, IN.
Heat 6 (10 Laps): 1. #31 Donnie Lehmann,
Springfield, IL; 2. #26 Glenn Carson,
Newark, CA; 3. #88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee,
WI; 4. #2I Luke Icke, Littleton, CO; 5. #94C
Kevin Crowder, Decatur, IL.
Heat 7 (10 Laps): 1. #2M Steve Buckwalter,
Royersford, PA; 2. #5C Joey Montgomery,
Fredericktown, MO; 3. #94 Brian Gerster,
Noblesville, IN; 4. #12 Billy Wease,
Noblesville, IN; 5. #14C Tony Rossi, Arvada,
CO; 6. #58 Cameron Beard, Turlock, CA; 7.
#33A Stephen Arnold, Seymour, IN.
Heat 8 (10 Laps): 1. #125 Teddy Beach,
Donnelsville, OH; 2. #16 Chad Farmer,
Colorado Springs, CO; 3. #25X Boston Reid,
Kokomo, IN; 4. #39 Mike Kertscher, Fredonia,
WI; 5. #42C Chris Pearce, Broken Arrow, OK;
6. #61A Toby Brown, Carthage, MO; 7. #31C
Derrick Crasi, Indianapolis, IN.
Heat 9 (10 Laps):1. #4X Don Droud, Jr.,
Lincoln, NE; 2. #99W Korey Weyant,
Springfield, IL; 3. #70 Garrett Hansen,
Manhattan Beach, CA; 4. #21K Kurt Mayhew,
Demotte, IN; 5. #87S Harley Slotten,
Menasha, WI; 6. #5K Kenny Lewis, Wheatridge,
CO; 7. #30 Craig Carey, Springfield, IL
C Features - top 2 to Twin B features
First C Main (12 Laps): 1. #87S Harley
Slotten, Menasha, WI; 2. #5K Kenny Lewis,
Wheatridge, CO; 3. #71B Chad Branson,
Sherman, IL; 4. #33A Stephen Arnold,
Seymour, IN; 5. #7S Chris Shoulders, Dallas,
TX; 6. #40 Nick Lundgreen, Indianapolis, IN;
7. #58 Cameron Beard, Turlock, CA; 8. #33
Wally McDuffey, St. Louis, MO. DNS - #1W
Paul White, Temple, TX.
Second C Main (12 Laps): 1. #61A Toby Brown,
Carthage, MO; 2. #30 Craig Carey,
Springfield, IL; 3. #50 Roland Ayo, Houston,
TX; 4. #51N Mike Nigh, Brownsburg, IN; 5.
#45H Don Hammer, Clinton, IL; 6. #15H Donnie
Kratzberg, Fort Smith, AR; 7. #31C Derrick
Crasi, Indianapolis, IN; 8. #5MA Mallory
Armfield, St. Joseph, MO. DNS - #19X Terry
Holliman, Hamburg, IA; #79 Jim Doyle, Ft.
Lupton, CO.
B Features - top 3 in each to A Feature
First B Main (15 Laps): 1. #22B Ray Bull,
Bloomsburg, PA; 2. #67 Jay Drake, Val Verde,
CA; 3. #4P Josh Lakatos, Pasadena, CA; 4.
#94 Brian Gerster, Noblesville, IN; 5. #2I
Luke Icke, Littleton, CO; 6. #71L Mike
Leslie, Peoria, AZ; 7. #5K Kenny Lewis,
Wheatridge, CO; 8. #99W Korey Weyant,
Springfield, IL; 9. #63 Rex Norris III,
Knightstown, IN; 10. #67N Butch Zuniga,
Brighton, CO; 11. #14C Tony Rossi, Arvada,
CO; 12. #87S Harley Slotten, Menasha, WI;
13. #2D Mark Bush, Cumming, GA; 14. #3T
Tracy Miller, Reading, PA; 15. #00 John
Giffin, San Jose, CA; 16. #39 Mike Kertscher,
Fredonia, WI.
Second B Main (15 Laps): 1. #25X Boston
Reid, Kokomo, IN; 2. #88 Dan Boorse,
Milwaukee, WI; 3. #85A Justin Allgaier; 4.
#12 Billy Wease, Noblesville, IN; 5. #29
Scott Sawyer, Broken Arrow, Ok; 6. #50X
Danny Stratton, Fontana, CA; 7. #4 Brian
Terry, Cottage Grove, WI; 8. #71H Keith
Rauch, Edgewater, CO; 9. #21K Kurt Mayhew,
Demotte, IN; 10. #D20 Derek Mungor, Walnut,
IL; 11. #42C Chris Pearce, Broken Arrow, OK;
12. #94C Kevin Crowder, Decatur, IL; 13.
#51S Chris Sheil, Lakewood, CO; 14. #69 A.J.
Fike, Galesburg, IL; 15. #61A Toby Brown,
Carthage, MO; 16. Craig Carey, Springfield,
IL.
A Feature - top 4 transfer to Saturday A
feature; others to Saturday B & C
features
A Main (25 Laps): 1. #20 Danny Lasoski,
Dover, MO; 2. #5 Davey Ray, Davenport, IA;
3. #88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee, WI; 4. #2M
Steve Buckwalter, Royersford, PA; 5. #22B
Ray Bull, Bloomsburg, PA; 6. #7B Joe Boyles,
Greenwood, MO; 7. #51J R.J. Johnson,
Phoenix, AZ; 8. #70 Garrett Hansen,
Manhattan Beach, CA; 9. #85A Justin Allgaier,
Riverton, IL; 10. #15S Tim Siner, Waterloo,
IL; 11. #19W Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA; 12.
#31 Donnie Lehmann, Springfield, IL; 13. #67
Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA; 14. #34 Tyler
Brown, Norco, CA; 15. #4X Don Droud, Jr.,
Lincoln, NE; 16. #5C Joey Montgomery,
Fredericktown, MO; 17. #4P Josh Lakatos,
Pasadena, CA; 18. #26 Glenn Carson, Newark,
CA; 19. #25X Boston Reid, Kokomo, IN; 20.
#125 Teddy Beach, Donnelsville, OH; 21. #13
Thomas Meseraul, San Jose, CA; 22. #16 Chad
Farmer, Colorado Springs, CO.
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