2005 Chili Bowl -
Wednesday, January 5
Ford
Cashes in on Wednesday Qualifier
 Lonnie
Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 5, 2005)
– The 19th edition of the O’Reilly
Chili Bowl Midget Nationals kicked off at
Tulsa Expo Raceway Wednesday night with
California’s Josh Ford scoring an
impressive wire-to-wire triumph in the
25-lap Creek Nation Casino Qualifying
Showdown.
Ford was chased to the line by Wisconsin
shoe Chad DeSelle, Missouri’s Danny
Lasoski and Arizona’s Casey Shuman, each
of whom locked themselves into Saturday
night’s 50-lap O’Reilly Chili Bowl
Midget Nationals championship main event.
“I was just two laps away from my first
USAC Sprint win here at Tulsa Fairground
Motorplex in September and I cut a tire
and lost that race, so I guess Tulsa just
paid me back,” Ford quipped afterward.
“Man, Keith (Kunz) and those guys gave
me a great car, that thing was awesome.”
“This plaque means a lot to me, it’s
the biggest thing I’ve won. Keith Kunz
and Pete Willoughby are so on and as long
as I stay focused, I just seem to keep
doing better and better. We’ll have a
good chance on Saturday night but
there’s gonna be a lot of good guys, if
it works your way you might get it. But as
he (Danny Lasoski) knows sometimes it
doesn’t work your way and you might end
up second or third, we all want that
Golden Driller so we’re gonna give it
all we’ve got,” Ford concluded.
Ford earned the pole position for
Wednesday night’s Creek Nation Casino
Qualifying Showdown by virtue of racing
from seventh to win the third of the
evening’s dozen heat races. Ford was
joined on the front row by ninth heat race
winner Mike Welker as Steve Buckwalter and
Dustin Morgan made up the second row.
Ford outgunned Welker at the drop of the
green and led fifth-starter Jon Stanbrough,
seventh-starter DeSelle and Buckwalter
across the stripe to complete the first
lap. The caution flew moments later when
Welker looped his mount in turn two,
collecting several cars in the process. On
the ensuing restart, Welker toppled his
mount in the same corner, bringing an
early end to his night.
Ford set the pace on the restart with
Stanbrough and DeSelle dicing for the
second position just three car-lengths
back. DeSelle soon took command of second
from Stanbrough while Buckwalter and
Brandon Waelti vied for fourth.
After a lap seven caution for a tangle
involving Sparky Howard and Levi Jones,
Waelti’s strong run was cut short when
he spun down the front stretch after
making contact with Stanbrough as the pair
raced for fourth.
 The
final 18 rounds were run in non-stop
fashion, with Ford piloting the Keith
Kunz-owned Esslinger-powered No. 73 Vital
Express/Temecula Valley Pipe Supply Bullet
flawlessly to capture the biggest win of
his young career.
After earning 2004 Chili Bowl Wildcard
Award honors, DeSelle held second the rest
of the way to lock himself into
Saturday’s finale aboard James Fiscus’
Esslinger-powered RFS Advanced Fastening
System No. 6d Buzzard.
Meanwhile, Lasoski had advanced from his
twelfth starting position into sixth by
the final caution on lap seven, then had
moved up to fourth by the tenth lap.
Lasoski then put the pressure on young
Shuman, who had taken over third on the
ninth round after starting the feature in
ninth. Lasoski’s persistence paid off as
he snared the show position aboard Jerry
Russell’s Mopar-powered Bass Pro Shops
No. 20L on the 23rd lap, with Shuman
keeping A.J. Felker’s Pontiac-powered
Main Street Billiards/Pro Shocks No. 37x
Stealth in the final transfer position to
Saturday’s main event.
Stanbrough settled for a fifth place
finish, with Paul White racing from 17th
to claim sixth. Buckwalter crossed the
line in seventh, with veteran Chili Bowl
prankster Kevin Olson racing from 23rd to
snare eighth. Mike Spencer was ninth, with
Cole Carter completing the top ten.
Heat race winners for Wednesday night’s
83-car field included Tyler Brown,
Stanbrough, Ford, Carter, Buckwalter,
Shuman, Spencer, Joey Montgomery, Welker,
Nick Lundgreen, Waelti and Dan Boorse. J.J.
Yeley topped the 10-lap D Main, with Cody
Weisensel and Bob Harr claiming victory
honors in the twin “C” Mains. White
and Montgomery were both victorious in
“B” Main action.
After winning the night’s twelfth heat
race, two-time Chili Bowl winner Boorse
exited the feature after 14 rounds with a
cut right front tire.
Yeley, who suffered a broken radius rod in
his heat race, struggled in his “C”
Main after the “D” Main triumph and
exited before the checkered flag. Yeley,
who advanced 69 positions by racing from
an “F” Feature to third in the 2004
edition of the O’Reilly Chili Bowl
Midget Nationals, will find himself mired
deep in the alphabet soup of Saturday’s
features for the third year in a row.
There were in excess of a dozen flip
victims in Wednesday’s action, with R.J.
Johnson, Zach Chappell and Matt Michaels
taking the wildest of the rides. There
were no injuries.
The five-lap Scott Performance Wire/Rocket
Chassis Late Model Chili Bowl Challenge
featuring Rick Eckert, Bart Hartman, Tim
McCreadie and Jeep Van Wormer was
postponed to Friday night due to time
constraints.
Results for Heat races (10 laps) Wednesday
night
(top 16 in passing points to A; next 28 to
two B Mains; next 28 to two C Mains; rest
to D Main)
Heat 1: 1. #34 Tyler Brown, Norco, CA; 2.
#93 Dustin Morgan, Owasso, OK; 3. #79
Damion Gardner, Concord, CA; 4. #19 Chris
Wagner, Colorado Spring, CO; 5. #22J
Jasiel Randolph, Tulsa, OK; 6. #2 Mark
Bush, Cumming, GA; 7. #8A Matt Hummel,
Brownsburg, IN.
Heat 2: 1. #25 Jon Stanbrough, Danville,
IN; 2. #1W Paul White, Temple, TX; 3. #84
Nelson Stewart, Avon, IN; 4. #74 Eddie
Sauer, Loves Park, IL; 5. #12J Jay Mounce,
Downs, IL; 6. #90 Mark Lightfoot,
Springfield, MO; DNS #97 Patrick Bruns,
Champaign, IL.
Heat 3: 1. #73 Josh Ford, Ventura, CA; 2.
#12H Rick Hendrix, Canoga Park, CA; 3.
#74K Brad Kuhn, Avon, IN; 4. #6R Bill
Rose, Plainfield, IN; 5. #81 Shane Carson,
Yukon, OK; 6. #32F Dave Fuhrman, Avon, IN;
7. #24L Roy Larkin, Tulsa, OK.
Heat 4: 1. #007 Cole Carter, Brownsburg,
IN; 2. #3 Tracy Miller, Reading, PA; 3.
#42B Garratt Boyden, Santa Cruz, CA; 4.
#14B Kevin Battles, Collinsville, OK; 5.
#51J R.J. Johnson, Phoenix, AZ; 6. #05
Brad Loyet, Sunset Hills, MO.
Heat 5: 1. #5B Steve Buckwalter,
Royersford, PA; 2. #6D Chad DeSelle, Sun
Prairie, WI; 3. #27C Sparky Howard, Santa
Rosa, CA; 4. #7A Doug Elliott, Port
Orange, FL; 5. #32P Randi Pankratz,
Atascadero, CA; 6. #51Z Zach Chappell,
Talala, OK; 7. #11OS J.J. Yeley,
Stilesville, IN.
Heat 6: 1. #37X Casey Shuman, Chandler,
AZ; 2. #10 Greg Lueckert, Kansas City, MO;
3. #25X Jerome Rodela, El Monte, CA; 4.
#71 Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA; 5. #31
Donnie Lehmann, Springfield, IL; 6. #1P
Conner Pullen, Amarillo, TX; 7. #39X Lee
Beckwith, Joliet, IL.
Heat 7: 1. #50M Mike Spencer, Temecula,
CA; 2. #20L Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO; 3.
#10C Chris D’Arcy, San Jose, CA; 4. #20W
Cody Weisensel, Sun Prairie, WI; 5. #1AZ
Adam Young, Phoenix, AZ; 6. #31S Evan
Sewell, Jenks, OK; 7. #15T Michael
Trimble, San Jose, CA.
Heat 8: 1. #52C Joey Montgomery,
Fredericktown, MO; 2. #6J Levi Jones,
Olney, IL; 3. #42 Bugs Norbury, Prescott
Valley, AZ; 4. #16 Tiffany Wyzard,
Williamsville, IL; 5. #96 Cody Brewer,
Choctaw, OK; 6. #41 Matt Sherrell, Tulsa,
OK; 7. #7 Shannon McQueen, Bakersfield,
CA.
Heat 9: 1. #22 Mike Welker, Peoria, AZ; 2.
#5 Davey Ray, Davenport, IA; 3. #11A Brett
Anderson, Belleville, IL; 4. #2H Bob Harr,
Arvada, CO; 5. #51N Mike Nigh, Brownsburg,
IN; 6. #9M Matt Michaels, Choctaw, OK; 7.
#19N Nick O’Neal, Wagoner, OK.
Heat 10: 1. #40 Nick Lundgreen,
Indianapolis, IN; 2. #73E Jason Yount,
Fresno, CA; 3. #14M Jason Meyers, Clovis,
CA; 4. #61A Toby Brown, Carthage, MO; 5.
#77U Chris Urish, Elkhart, IL; 6. #71BG
Mike Leslie, Peoria, AZ DNS - #17M Austin
Martin, Brownsburg, IN.
Heat 11: 1. #3W Brandon Waelti, Sun
Prairie, WI; 2. #25P Frank Polimeda, Fort
Lee, NJ; 3. #99 Kyle Rayburn, Pueblo West,
CO; 4. #6C George Aimone, Gardner, IL; 5.
#85X Jordan Noblitt, Columbus, IN; 6. #48
Jimmy Miller, Parowan, UT; 7. #95J Rik
Forbes, Omaha, NE.
Heat 12: 1. #88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee, WI;
2. #10B Thomas Briggs, Anna, OH; 3. #6M
Kevin Olson, Rockford, IL; 4. #21 Steve
Stroud, St. Charles, MO; 5. #1C Chad
McDaniel, Concordia, KS; 6. #03 Kirk Kubik,
Long Beach, CA; 7. #2M Dave Shirk,
Mohnton, PA.
D Main (10 Laps) - top 4 to Twin C Mains
D Main: 1. #11OS J.J. Yeley, Stilesville,
IN; 2. #8A Matt Hummel, Brownsburg, IN; 3.
#7 Shannon McQueen, Bakersfield, CA; 4.
#15T Michael Trimble, San Jose, CA; 5. #97
Patrick Bruns, Champaign, IL; 6. #2M Dave
Shirk, Mohnton, PA; 7. #19N Nick O’Neal,
Wagoner, OK; 8. #39X Lee Beckwith, Joliet,
IL.
C Mains (12 Laps) - top 2 to Twin B Mains
First C Main: 1. #20W Cody Weisensel, Sun
Prairie, WI; 2. #32P Randi Pankratz,
Atascadero, CA; 3. #51J R.J. Johnson,
Phoenix, AZ; 4. #31S Evan Sewell, Jenks,
OK; 5. #77U Chris Urish, Elkhart, IL; 6.
#7 Shannon McQueen, Bakersfield, CA; 7.
#48 Jimmy Miller, Parowan, UT; 8. #85X
Jordan Noblitt, Columbus, IN; 9. #12J Jay
Mounce, Downs, IL; 10. #05 Brad Loyet,
Sunset Hills, MO; 11. #6C George Aimone,
Gardner, IL; 12. #96 Cody Brewer, Choctaw,
OK; 13. #1P Conner Pullen, Amarillo, TX;
14. J.J. Yeley, Stilesville, IN. DNS - #90
Mark Lightfoot, Springfield, MO; #9M Matt
Michaels, Choctaw, OK.
Second C Main: 1. #2H Bob Harr, Arvada,
CO; 2. #1AZ Adam Young, Phoenix, AZ; 3.
#81 Shane Carson, Yukon, OK; 4. #21 Steve
Stroud, St. Charles, MO; 5. #8A Matt
Hummel, Brownsburg, IN; 6. #1C Chad
McDaniel, Concordia, KS; 7. #32F David
Fuhrman, Avon, IN; 8. #51N Mike Nigh,
Brownsburg, IN; 9. #41 Matt Sherrell,
Tulsa, OK; 10. #31 Don Lehmann,
Springfield, IL; 11. #22J Jasiel Randolph,
Tulsa, OK; 12. #2 Mark Bush, Cumming, GA;
13. #71BG Mike Leslie, Peoria, AZ; 14. #97
Patrick Bruns. DNS - #51Z Zach Chappell,
Talala, OK; #03 Kirk Kubik, Long Beach,
CA.
B Mains (15 Laps) - top 4 to A Main
First B Main: 1. #1W Paul White, Temple,
TX; 2. #6J Levi Jones, Olney, IL; 3. #27C
Sparky Howard, Santa Rosa, CA; 4. #6M
Kevin Olson, Rockford, IL; 5. #14M Jason
Meyers, Clovis, CA; 6. #6R Bill Rose,
Plainfield, IN; 7. #32P Randi Pankratz,
Atascadero, CA; 8. #20W Cody Weisensel,
Sun Prairie, WI; 9. #42 Bugs Norbury,
Prescott Valley, AZ; 10. #74K Brad Kuhn,
Avon, IN; 11. #14B Kevin Battles,
Collinsville, OK; 12. #73E Jason Yount,
Fresno, CA; 13. #10 Greg Lueckert, Kansas
City, MO; 14. #42B Garratt Boyden, Santa
Cruz, CA; 15. #99 Kyle Rayburn, Pueblo
West, CO; 1. #11A Brett Anderson,
Belleville, IL.
Second B Main: 1. #52C Joey Montgomery,
Fredericktown, MO; 2. #79 Damion Gardner,
Concord, CA; 3. #71 Jay Drake, Val Verde,
CA; 4. #25P Frank Polimeda, Fort Lee, NJ;
5. #61A Toby Brown, Carthage, MO; 6. #12H
Rick Hendrix, Canoga Park, CA; 7. #16
Tiffany Wyzard, Williamsville, IL; 8. #19
Chris Wagner, Colorado Springs, CO; 9.
#1AZ Adam Young, Phoenix, AZ; 10. #2H Bob
Harr, Arvada, CO; 11. #10C Chris D’Arcy,
San Jose, CA; 12. #7A Doug Elliott, Port
Orange, FL; 13. #25X Jerome Rodela, El
Monte, CA; 14. #74 Eddy Sauer, Loves Park,
IL; 15. #84 Nelson Stewart, Avon, IN; 16.
#40 Nick Lundgreen, Indianapolis, IN.
A Main (25 Laps) - top 4 transfer to
Saturday A feature; others to Saturday B
& C features
 A
Main: 1. #73 Josh Ford, Ventura, CA; 2.
#6D Chad DeSelle, Sun Prairie, WI; 3. #20L
Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO; 4. #37X Casey
Shuman, Chandler, AZ; 5. #25 Jon
Stanbrough, Jamestown, IN; 6. #1W Paul
White, Temple, TX; 7. #5B Steve Buckwalter,
Royersford, PA; 8. #6M Kevin Olson,
Rockford, IL; 9. #50M Mike Spencer,
Temecula, CA; 10. #007 Cole Carter,
Brownsburg, IN; 11. #79 Damion Gardner,
Concord, CA; 12. #71 Jay Drake, Val Verde,
CA; 13. #25P Frank Polimeda, Fort Lee, NJ:
14. #27C Sparky Howard, Santa Rosa, CA;
15. #3W Brandon Waelti, Sun Prairie, WI;
16. #88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee, WI; 17. #5
Davey Ray, Davenport, IA; 18. #52C Joey
Montgomery, Fredericktown, MO; 19. #6J
Levi Jones, Olney, IL; 20. #22 Mike
Welker, Peoria, AZ; 21. #10B Thomas
Briggs, Anna, OH; 22. #93 Dustin Morgan,
Owasso, OK; 23. #34 Tyler Brown, Norco,
CA; 24. #3 Tracy Miller, Reading, PA.
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