Lucas
Oil Chili Bowl Time is Here!
 Lonnie
Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 11, 2010)
– After a Monday highlighted by visits
from dignitaries and a full practice
session, the 24th Annual Lucas
Oil Chili Bowl Nationals fires to life on
Tuesday at the QuikTrip Center’s Tulsa
Expo Raceway.
Tuesday’s
Warren CAT Qualifier and Vacuworx Race of
Champions marks the first of four nights
of qualifying competition that will
ultimately set the lineups for
Saturday’s Rockstar Energy Drink slate
of championship feature events.
As Monday’s
practice session for the 265 entries from
28 different states as well as Australia,
New Zealand and Canada got under way at
10:00 a.m., a group of dignitaries
including the likes of Congressman John
Sullivan, Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett and
County Commissioners Fred Perry and John
Smaligo were led on a tour of the facility
by event co-promoter Emmett Hahn.
With a healthy
contingent of local media on hand,
Sullivan and Bartlett noted the
significant economic impact of the Chili
Bowl Nationals to the City of Tulsa, with
the event estimated to generate $15
million in direct spending.
Mayor Bartlett
commented that, “Fifteen million is huge
with the budget issues the City of Tulsa
has. When
you think in terms of sales tax, that’s
several hundred thousand dollars straight
to the bottom line. This event contributes
to the City of Tulsa and its well
being.”
An attendee of
the Chili Bowl over the last several
years, Congressman Sullivan explained
that, “This is a great, great event.
It’s an event that isn’t asking for
much from the City, just some
appreciation.”
Brady Bacon,
Michelle Decker and Shannon McQueen were
among the drivers on hand to field
questions from the media before shaking
out their weekend rides.
Once again,
the Chili Bowl Nationals has drawn
competitors from all strata, with Hahn
commenting that, “We’ve got some car
owners out there that are probably
multi-millionaires parked next to some car
owners that may be on welfare.
But when they’re out there,
they’re all the same; we’ve sent Kasey
Kahne up the ramp before when he tried to
sneak in an extra practice session.”
Unofficially
among the quickest in the day’s practice
was California native Cole Whitt, who
ranks as the youngest champion in USAC
history after taking the 2008 Midget crown
at the age of 17.
Whitt is among a five-car Keith
Kunz Motorsports stable that also includes
Jon Stanbrough and Henry Clarke, with two
other seats potentially open.
Others
stopping the clocks in impressive fashion
included five-time and defending Chili
Bowl champion Sammy Swindell, who vies to
become the first back-to-back winner in
event history, and New Zealand’s Michael
Pickens in the stateside debut of the
Aggressor V8 powerplant.
There were
only a pair of cars getting upside down in
the day’s 52 hot lap sessions, with
Kellen Conover climbing the backstretch
wall and then flipping in turn three and
then Ryan Cole turning over in turn two.
Pickens is
part of a stout Tuesday night Warren CAT
Qualifier that also includes hometown
favorites Brady Bacon, Matt Sherrell and
Dustin Morgan along with perennial Chili
Bowl contender Dave Darland, Indiana’s
Jon Stanbrough, Missouri’s Danny Lasoski
and California’s Tyler Walker among
others.
With 66 of the
265 entries slated for Tuesday night,
another 16 drivers will take part in the
Vacuworx Race of Champions including past
winners Sammy Swindell, Cory Kruseman,
Damion Gardner, Tim McCreadie, Tracy
Hines, Jay Drake, Jon Heydenreich and
Scott Hatton along with NASCAR stars Kasey
Kahne and Jason Leffler, National Midget
Driver of the Year Bryan Clauson, USAC
Midget champion Brad Kuhn, Gary Taylor,
Brad Loyet, Garrett Hansen and Cole Whitt.
A limited
number of tickets remain for Tuesday
night’s action, which goes green at 6:00
p.m. Tickets
are available for $27 at the gate or by
calling 918-838-3777.
Lucas Oil
Chili Bowl Nationals Quick Facts:
What:
24th
Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget
Nationals
Where:
Tulsa
Expo Raceway – ¼-mile clay oval inside
the QuikTrip Center at the Tulsa State
Fairgrounds
When:
January 12-16,
2010
Tuesday –
Warren CAT Qualifying Night plus Vacuworx
Chili Bowl Race of Champions
Wednesday –
River Spirit Casino Qualifying Night
Thursday –
Bully Dog Qualifying Night
Friday – E3
Spark Plugs Qualifying Night
Saturday –
Rockstar Energy Drink Championship Feature
Events
Past Winners:
Sammy
Swindell (2009, 1998, 1996, 1992 and
1989), Damion Gardner (2008), Tony Stewart
(2007 and 2002), Tim McCreadie (2006),
Tracy Hines (2005), Cory Kruseman (2004
and 2000), Dan Boorse (2003 and 1999), Jay
Drake (2001), Billy Boat (1997), Donnie
Beechler (1995), Andy Hillenburg (1994),
Dave Blaney (1993), Lealand McSpadden
(1991), Jon Heydenreich (1990), Scott
Hatton (1988), Rich Vogler (1987).
Trade Show:
Always
a popular attraction at the Chili Bowl
Midget Nationals is the Trade Show, which
is open to the public each day (Tuesday
through Saturday) free of charge.
All variety of racing products,
apparel and more is available with well
over 100 different vendors.
The Trade Show covers approximately
20,000 square feet.
Tickets:
Four-night
tickets for Wednesday through Saturday of
the 24th Annual Lucas Oil Chili
Bowl Nationals were depleted by the end of
May. A
limited number of reserved seats for
Tuesday night's Warren CAT Qualifying
Event and the Second Annual Vacuworx
International Chili Bowl Race of Champions
are available for $26 per person and may
be obtained by calling 918-838-3777 or at
the gate.
Pit passes for all five nights are
available at the gate as well.
Chili Bowl on
TV: Portions
of the 24th Annual Lucas Oil
Chili Bowl Midget Nationals will be
broadcast on SPEED TV on a tape-delayed
basis.
Chili Bowl on
the Net:
All
official news pertaining to the 24th
Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget
Nationals, including official entry lists,
race results and recaps, is available
first at www.chilibowl.com.
Also, all five nights of the Chili
Bowl Nationals will be broadcast live
(audio) on www.racinboys.com.
Additional
information regarding the Lucas Oil Chili
Bowl Midget Nationals is available at http://www.chilibowl.com/
or by calling 918-838-3777.
Pictured; Michael
Pickens was among the quickest in Monday's
practice. (Tim Aylwin photo)
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