Lucas
Oil Chili Bowl Entries Unveiled – 147
and Counting!
 Lonnie
Wheatley, TULSA, Okla.
(December 5, 2008) – Let's face
it. There's
only one motorsports event in the world
that draws seemingly universal attention. From the NASCAR ranks, to the drag strips, to your favorite
Saturday night bullring and across the
seas, people circle the dates of the Chili
Bowl Midget Nationals on their calendar each year.
And
with the pre-entry deadline of December 15
for the 23rd Annual Lucas Oil
Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General
Tire still ten days away, the event office
has already been flooded with entries in
anticipation of next month's mega-event at
the QuikTrip Center's Tulsa Expo Raceway.
Currently,
a total of 147 entries representing 28
different states as well as Canada have
been filed for the 23rd Annual
Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, which unfolds
atop the ¼-mile Tulsa Expo Raceway clay
oval on January 13-17, 2009.
The
complete list of entries for the 23rd
Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals
presented by General Tire is available at www.chilibowl.com/2009chilibowlentries.asp.
Driver entry is just $150 if filed
by December 15.
Entries filed after the pre-entry
deadline are $200.
The
current list of entries already reads like
a veritable who's who of auto racing, with
past event winners Sammy Swindell, Cory
Kruseman, Tracy Hines and Tim McCreadie
among an early group of entries that also
includes NASCAR star Kasey Kahne and
author of much Chili Bowl lore, J.J. Yeley,
among others.
With
the event still more than five weeks away,
last year's record count of 274
competitors could very well be in jeopardy
as California native Damion Gardner is
expected to make a bid to become the first
back-to-back winner in Chili Bowl history.
The
talent already entered for the Chili Bowl
Midget Nationals represents a wide variety
of racing disciplines, including NASCAR,
ARCA, Late Models, DIRT Modifieds, winged
and wingless Sprint Car racing and Midgets
among others.
The
23rd Annual Lucas Oil Chili
Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire
kicks off Tuesday night, January 13, with
the first of four qualifying nights.
Tuesday's card will also include
the Chili Bowl Race of Champions,
featuring past event winners and other top
Chili Bowl contenders squaring off in a
special feature race.
The
top three finishers from the Qualifying
Night features will automatically lock
into the Saturday night, January 17, Chili
Bowl championship feature, with the
balance of Saturday's Bass Pro Shops
championship feature events lined up
according to Qualifying Night finishes.
Originally
a two-day event that attracted 52 entries
in 1987, the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget
Nationals presented by General Tire has evolved into a five-night
extravaganza of indoor, dirt track midget
racing, and ranks among the world’s most
prestigious auto racing events with the
2008 edition of the event attracting a
record number of 274 competitors.
A
limited number of reserved seats remain
for Tuesday night's Qualifying event and
Race of Champions for just $26 apiece.
Tickets may be obtained by calling
the ticket office at 918-838-3777.
Only
pit passes remain for Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday and Saturday, as those tickets were
depleted in May.
Additional
information regarding the Lucas Oil Chili
Bowl Midget Nationals presented by General
Tire is available at http://www.chilibowl.com/.
Lucas
Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by
General Tire Pre-Entry Stats:
Most
Chili Bowls Competed In (Among Pre-Entered
Drivers):
Donnie
Lehmann 19, Sammy Swindell 18, Danny
Lasoski 17, Critter Malone 16, Tracy Hines
12, Jason Leffler 12, J.J. Yeley 12, Jerry
Coons, Jr. 11, Dave Darland 11, Tony Elliott 11, Cory
Kruseman 11, A.J. Fike
10, Mike Hess 10, Tim Siner 10, Matt
Westfall 10
Chili
Bowl Championship Feature Starts (Among
Pre-Entered Drivers):
Sammy Swindell 15, Danny Lasoski
14, Dave Darland 10, Tracy Hines 10, Jason
Leffler 10, Jerry Coons, Jr. 9, Cory
Kruseman 8, Kasey Kahne 5, Matt Westfall
5, J.J. Yeley 5, Tony Elliott 4, Donnie
Lehmann 4, Jon Stanbrough 4, Steve
Buckwalter 3, Brad Kuhn 3, Tim McCreadie
3, Josh Ford 2, Mike Hess 2, Wayne Johnson
2, Critter Malone 2, Justin Allgaier 2,
Bryan Clauson 1, A.J. Fike 1, David Gough
1, Jonathan Hendrick 1, Jesse Hockett 1,
Shane Hollingsworth 1, Levi Jones 1, Jason
Meyers 1, Kevin Swindell 1, Cole Whitt 1,
Chris Windom 1.
(Keenan
Wright photo)
|
