Fans to Determine Chili Bowl Race of Champions At-Large Starters

On-Line Voting Begins December 18

Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (December 17, 2008) – The 23^rd Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire will feature an added attraction, as the five-night event will be augmented with the Chili Bowl Race of Champions.

And, race fans around the world will have the opportunity over the next several weeks to determine the final pair of starters for the Tuesday night, January 13, Race of Champions event via voting at www.chilibowl.com.

For those that missed out on tickets for the rest of the week or haven't had an opportunity to experience the Chili Bowl in person, it's an excellent opportunity as a limited number of tickets remain for the Tuesday night card.  In addition to the Chili Bowl Race of Champions, a full field of approximately 70 competitors will battle it out through a full slate of racing action including heats, qualifiers and feature events.

Already included in the Chili Bowl Race of Champions are past event winners Jay Drake, Damion Gardner, Scott Hatton, Tracy Hines, Cory Kruseman, Tim McCreadie and Sammy Swindell along with Kasey Kahne, J.J. Yeley, Jason Leffler and Dave Darland.

Now, it's up to the fans to determine the final two drivers that will go for the glory and the $2,500 winner's share in the 20-lap Chili Bowl Race of Champions.

Excluding those drivers already in the Race of Champions, another 16 drivers entered in the 23^rd Annual Chili Bowl Nationals have made three or more Chili Bowl championship main event starts over the course of their career.  And, those are the drivers that have been deemed eligible for the "At-Large" starting berths.

The 16 candidates will be placed in two groups of eight, with fans voting on the first group from December 18 through 24 and then the second group from December 25 through December 31.  The top three in voting from each group will move to the Final Round of voting, which takes place January 1 through January 9.

The pair of drivers accumulating the most votes in the final round will be extended invitations to compete in the Chili Bowl Race of Champions.  If one of the elected drivers is unable to participate for any reason, the invitation will transfer to the next driver in the voting results.

Those drivers in Group A, which will be voted on from December 18 through December 24, include Brad Kuhn, Danny Lasoski, Donnie Lehmann, Gary Wright, Joe Boyles, Matt Westfall, Shane Carson and Shane Cottle.

Those drivers in Group B, which will be voted on from December 25 through December 31, include Bud Kaeding, Davey Ray, Jerry Coons, Jr., Jon Stanbrough, Kevin Olson, Rick Hendrix, Steve Buckwalter and Tony Elliott.

A limited number of tickets remain for the Tuesday night, January 13, O'Reilly Qualifying Night event that also includes the Chili Bowl Race of Champions for just $26 apiece.  Tickets may be obtained by calling the ticket office at 918-838-3777.

Currently, the Chili Bowl office has been flooded with 269 entries, putting last year's record mark of 274 competitors in jeopardy.

Chili Bowl Race of Champions at a Glance:

Who's Already In:

Dave Darland (Lincoln, IN)

Jay Drake (Brownsburg, IN)

Damion Gardner (Pittsboro, IN)

Scott Hatton (Roscoe, IL)

Tracy Hines (Newcastle, IN)

Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA)

Cory Kruseman (Ventura, CA)

Jason Leffler (Long Beach, CA)

Tim McCreadie (Watertown, NY)

Sammy Swindell (Germantown, TN)

J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ)

At-Large Candidates (Top Two from Final Round will be Awarded Starting Berths):

Group A – Voting Open December 18 through December 24

Brad Kuhn

Danny Lasoski

Donnie Lehmann

Gary Wright

Joe Boyles

Matt Westfall

Shane Carson

Shane Cottle

Group B – Voting open December 25 through December 31

Bud Kaeding

Davey Ray

Jerry Coons, Jr.

Jon Stanbrough

Kevin Olson

Rick Hendrix

Steve Buckwalter

Tony Elliott

Note: Top three from each preliminary round of voting move to Final Round "At-Large" voting on January 1 through January 9.

Additional Lucas Oil Chili Bowl presented by General Tire Information:

What:  23^rd Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals presented by General Tire

Where:  Tulsa Expo Raceway – ¼-mile clay oval inside the QuikTrip Center at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds

When: 

January 13-17, 2009

Tuesday – O'Reilly Qualifying Night plus Chili Bowl Race of Champions

Wednesday - Creek Nation Casino Qualifying Night

Thursday – Warren CAT Qualifying Night

Friday – Bass Pro Shops Qualifying Night

Saturday – Championship Feature Events

Past Winners:  Damion Gardner (2008), Tony Stewart (2007 and 2002), Sammy Swindell (1998, 1996, 1992 and 1989), Cory Kruseman (2004 and 2000), Dan Boorse (2003 and 1999), Tim McCreadie (2006), Tracy Hines (2005), 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 23^rd Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire were depleted by the end of May.  A limited number of reserved seats for Tuesday night's Qualifying Event and 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 23^rd Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals presented by General Tire will be broadcast on SPEED TV on a one-week tape-delayed basis on Saturday night, January 24. 

Chili Bowl on the Net:  All official news pertaining to the 23^rd Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals presented by General Tire, 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 presented by General Tire is available at http://www.chilibowl.com/ or by calling 918-838-3777.

(David Shead photo)