Lucas Oil Chili Bowl National Entry Count Soars to
240!
by: Lonnie Wheatley
TULSA, Okla. (December 15, 2010) – A Chili Bowl Nationals record of 281
competitors was established less than two short years ago at the 23rd
running of the prestigious auto racing event.
Could that record
be in jeopardy when top racers from around the nation and beyond converge
upon the QuikTrip Center’s Tulsa Expo Raceway for the Silver Anniversary of
the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals on January 11-15, 2011?
It may very well be
if Wednesday’s barrage of entries is any indication, with the count
skyrocketing from 196 on Tuesday to a staggering 240 by day’s end on
Wednesday as teams scrambled to get in under the pre-entry wire.
And the names added
to the list in just one day’s time (Leffler, Darland, Crawley, Kaeding,
Crawford, Hatton, Sweet, Stanbrough, etc.) are an impressive lot on their
own, let alone the fact that they’re added to the previous star-studded 196
entries.
Among the day’s
entries are Kasey Kahne Racing stablemates Jason Leffler and Brad Sweet.
While Chili Bowl regular Kahne is reduced to the role of spectator this time
around as he recuperates from recent knee surgery, he’ll try to get a Golden
Driller with Leffler and Sweet.
Leffler, among the
top-ten in NASCAR Nationwide points, picked up his own Golden Driller as a
car owner three years ago with Damion Gardner and ranks as just one of ten
drivers in Chili Bowl history to make at least starts in the Saturday night
championship finale 50-lapper.
Sweet simply ranks
as one of the most versatile drivers of the modern era, picking off 2010
feature wins in both winged and wingless Sprint Cars as well as Midget while
mixing in eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts and then his NASCAR
Nationwide debut.
Dave Darland, whose
Chili Bowl record of ten championship feature starts in a row came to an end
last year, was officially named the driver of the Wilke Pak No. 4x with
young Kody Swanson in the team’s No. 11 entry with two other seats yet to be
filled.
Scott Hatton,
winner of the Second Annual Chili Bowl back in 1988,filed entry for his 19th
Chili Bowl to bring the number of past event winners to nine including
defending champ Kevin Swindell, five-time Chili king Sammy Swindell, Damion
Gardner, Tim McCreadie, Tracy Hines, Cory Kruseman, Jay Drake and Johnny
Heydenreich.
Several more 2010
series champions were added to the mix, including Mike Spencer (SCRA), Jon
Stanbrough (KISS) and Nick Foster, Jr. (BCRA Midgets), with three-time Lucas
Oil ASCS National champion Tim Crawley and three-time USAC Silver Crown
champion Bud Kaeding making the talent pool that much deeper.
Add in another
January 2010 Chili Bowl championship feature event starter, Brent Beauchamp,
along with two-time starter and local favorite Donnie Ray Crawford, and this
year’s Chili Bowl mix just keeps getting stronger.
The current list of
entries for the upcoming 25th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl
Nationals is available at
http://www.chilibowl.com/2011chilibowlentries.asp.
Lucas Oil Chili
Bowl Nationals Pre-Entry Stats:
Most Chili Bowls
Competed In (Among Pre-Entered Drivers): Rich Camfield 20, Sammy Swindell
20, Johnny Heydenreich 19, Scott Hatton 18, David Camfield, Jr. 16, Tracy
Hines 14, Jason Leffler 14, J.J. Yeley 14, Jackie Burke 13, Jerry Coons, Jr.
13, Dave Darland 13, Jay Drake 13, Cory Kruseman 13, Tony Elliott 13, P.J.
Jones 13, Johnny Murdock 13, A.J. Fike 12, Mike Hess 12, Tim Siner 12, Nick
O’Neal 12, Matt Westfall 12, Shane Cottle 11, Bud Kaeding 10, Floyd Alvis 9,
Josh Ford 9, Shane Hollingsworth 9, R.J. Johnson 9, Thomas Meseraull 9,
Davey Ray 9, Brandon Waelti 9, Paul White 9, Aaron Berryhill 8, Steve
Buckwalter 8, Don Droud, Jr. 8, Ryan Durst 8, Bobby East 8, Damion Gardner
8, Garrett Hansen 8, Brad Kuhn 8, Matt Mitchell 8, Daryn Pittman 8, Gary
Taylor 8, Josh Wise 8.
Chili Bowl
Championship Feature Starts (Among Pre-Entered Drivers): Sammy Swindell 17,
Jerry Coons, Jr. 11, Dave Darland 11, Tracy Hines 11, Jason Leffler 10, Cory
Kruseman 9, Scott Hatton 8, Shane Cottle 7, Jay Drake 7, P.J. Jones 6, J.J.
Yeley 6, Brad Kuhn 5, Jimmy Sills 5, Jon Stanbrough 5, Matt Westfall 5,
Steve Buckwalter 4, Bobby East 4, Tony Elliott 4, Davey Ray 4, Josh Ford 3,
Damion Gardner 3, Mike Hess 3, Johnny Heydenreich 3, Bud Kaeding 3, Tim
McCreadie 3, Casey Shuman 3, Cole Whitt 3, Chris Windom 3, Aaron Berryhill
2, Rich Camfield 2, Donnie Ray Crawford 2, Don Droud, Jr. 2, Garrett Hansen
2, Wayne Johnson 2, Levi Jones 2, Brad Loyet 2, Thomas Meseraull 2, Michael
Pickens 2, Daryn Pittman 2, Danny Stratton 2, Kevin Swindell 2, Josh Wise 2,
Daniel Adler 1, Brady Bacon 1, Brent Beauchamp 1, Bryan Clauson 1, Zach Daum
1, Ryan Durst 1, A.J. Fike 1, Shane Golobic 1, David Gough 1, Jonathan
Hendrick 1, Shane Hollingsworth 1, Kyle Larson 1, Bobby Michnowicz 1, Tony
Roney 1, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. 1, Brad Sweet 1, Gary Taylor 1, Brandon Waelti
1, Paul White1.
Lucas Oil Chili
Bowl Nationals Quick Facts:
What: 25th
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 11-15, 2011
Tuesday – Warren
CAT Qualifying Night plus Vacuworx Int’l Chili Bowl Race of Champions
Wednesday – River
Spirit Casino Qualifying Night
Thursday –
Qualifying Night
Friday – Vacuworx
International Qualifying Night
Saturday – Lucas
Oil Championship Feature Events
Past Winners:
Kevin Swindell (2010), 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: A limited
number of reserved seats for Tuesday night's Warren CAT Qualifying Event and
the Third Annual Vacuworx International Chili Bowl Race of Champions are
available for $43 per person and may be obtained by calling 918-838-3777 or
at the gate if still available. Pit passes for all five nights are
available at the gate as well.
Chili Bowl on TV:
Portions of the 25th 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 25th 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.
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