McQueen Racing Opens 2012 With Solid Chili Bowl Performance

 By Robert Haugh

Competing against the World’s best racers over five days January 10 through 14, with approximately 260 racers competing, including reigning and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and two-time Chili Bowl winner Tony Stewart, reigning NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Sprint Car icon and five-time Chili Bowl winner Sammy Swindell, reigning two-time champion Kevin Swindell and a plethora of the most talented racers from an array of racing backgrounds and disciplines, McQueen Racing didn’t capture the coveted Golden Driller Trophy at the 26^th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, but they were not alone of the 259 entries.

Having completed a stellar 2011 racing season, McQueen Racing opened the 2012 racing season with a strong, efficient, performance at the 26^th Annual Lucas Tulsa, Oklahoma at the QuikTrip Center’s 1/5-mile Tulsa Expo Raceway, January 10-14.

With all three of the team’s entries making it into the upper half of Saturday’s finale, which began with a K-Main, double J-Mains up through Double B-Mains, leading into the 55-lap A-Main, McQueen Racing didn’t take a Golden Driller home, but performed admirably against the best of the best on one of the trickiest tracks to race on.

For the first-time, McQueen Racing’s Chili Bowl three-car team was an all-female roster, consisting of Bakersfield, California’s Shannon McQueen, Guthrie, Oklahoma’s Michelle Decker and Lindsay, Oklahoma’s Harli White, a 16-year-old Chili Bowl rookie.

White, a Chili Bowl rookie, chauffeured the McQueen Racing #7W American Waste Control, Waurika Truck & Tire, Quantum Consulting, K&N Filters, Eibach Springs Spike/Esslinger in Wednesday’s River Spirit Casino preliminary qualifying night.

After starting second in her Heat, alongside NASCAR and Chili Bowl veteran Jason Leffler in her Heat, Harli was beat to the first corner, following Leffler closely to finish second. In her A-Qualifier she was roughed up, falling backwards, ending up in the B-Main. With little passing opportunities on a difficult track, Harli missed transferring to the A-Main.

Decker, piloting the Shannon McQueen #7D Waurika Truck & Tire, Carter Custom Finishes, Starrship Trucking, Simpson Race Products, Quantum Consulting Spike/Esslinger competed on Thursday’s Suburban Chevrolet preliminary qualifying night.

Decker started last in her Heat race due to drawing a 79 pill. Struggling to find grip on a poor track, Decker was marred in inexperienced traffic in the B-Main, missing the transfer to the A-Main.

McQueen, the team owner, manned the Shannon McQueen #7 Murf Dogg Racing, R.C. 4 Less, American Waste Control, Simpson Race Products, K&N Filters Spike/Esslinger on Friday’s Vacuworx International preliminary qualifying night.

Keeping the streak of high pill draws, McQueen drew the fourth highest pill. With a narrow, fast track, McQueen jumped from seventh to fifth on the opening lap and was setting up to pass for fourth when the fourth place car spun in front of her, dropping McQueen to the rear with only two laps remaining in the Heat. McQueen fought back to claim sixth in the heat.

One spot shy of automatically qualifying for the A-Qualifier races, McQueen had to race in the C-Main, where she ran third, transferring to the B-Main, where she stormed from 18^th to sixth, missing the A-Main transfer by just two spots.

After competing in qualifying night action, all three Lady racers competed in Saturday’s Chili Bowl final night, which started with a K-Main.

Though driving with a heavy heart, Harli showed poise, remaining confident and running with the best, with most everyone at the Chili Bowl was mourning the loss of popular Oklahoma racer and close friend of the White family Donnie Ray Crawford, who lost his life in a tragic non-racing incident on Saturday morning.

Originally getting a solid start in G-Main 1, running from 12^th to sixth, Harli fell backwards halfway through the feature and did not transfer to F-Main 1.

Decker started on the pole, and despite strong challenges, led every lap of G-Main 2, hugging the bottom and transferring to F-Main 2 with the win in G-Main 2. Unfortunately, Decker got upside down on lap 2 in F-Main 2, as another car moved from the bottom swiftly, causing her to flip on the front stretch as she had nowhere to go.

McQueen quickly moved from her eighth starting spot E-Main 2 to a potential transfer position in fourth before getting shuffled back to eighth while fighting a rapidly changing track, missing the transfer by only two positions.

McQueen Racing sponsors include K&N Filters, Lucas Oil Products, Simpson Race Products, Eibach Springs, American Fabrication of Bakersfield, Advanced Racing Suspensions, Ruth Engineering, West Evans Motorsports, Esslinger Racing Engines by Duane McQueen and JE Piston Company.

Additional 2012 Chili Bowl Sponsors include:  American Waste Control, MurfDogg Racing/Motorworks, R/C 4 Less, Carter Custom Finishes, Quantum Consulting, Waurika Truck and Tires, Starrship Trucking, Dale’s Electric and Mud-X.

Full McQueen Racing 2012 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals Saturday results:

E Main 2: 1. #11W Chris Windom, Canton, IL; 2. #7DA Dalton Armstrong, New Castle, IN; 3. #73S Alex Sewell, Broken Arrow, OK; 4. #94X Kevin Olson, Machesney Park, IL: 5. #2B Tyler Reddick, Coming, CA; 6. #3F Tony Elliott, Warsaw, IN; 7. #15D Andrew Deal, Caney, KS; 8. #7 Shannon McQueen, Tehachapi, CA; 9. #51 Brent Camarillo, Camarillo, CA; 10. #88 Brendan Bright, Collegeville, PA; 11. #24E Rick Eckert, York, PA; 12. #37X Cameron Hagin, Broken Arrow, OK; 13. #9U Doug McCune, Colleyville, TX; 14. #21M Billy Lawhead, El Reno, OK; 15. #91X Kyle Steffens, St. Charles, MO; 16. #28 Alex Schutte, Rohnert Park, CA

F Main 2: 1. #37X Cameron Hagin, Broken Arrow, OK; 2. #2B Tyler Reddick, Corning, CA; 3. #15D Andrew Deal, Caney, KS; 4. #28 Alex Schutte, Rohnert Park, CA; 5. #51X Matt Lundy, Phoenix, AZ; 6. #11XS Donovan Peterson, Brookings, SD; 7. #37T Chris Urish, Elkhart, IL; 8. #15B Danny Burke, Houston, TX; 9. #14R Troy DeCaire, Tampa, FL; 10. #58 Cole Peard, Quincy, CA; 11. #00 Pete Davis, Pleasanton, CA; 12. #11H Garrett Hood, Concordia, KS; 13. #18 Floyd Alvis, San Carlos, CA; 14. #49JR Bobby Michnowicz, Lomita, CA; 15. #7D Michelle Decker, Guthrie, OK; DNS -- #33X Jason Lair, Del City, OK

G Main 2: 1. #7D Michelle Decker, Guthrie, OK; 2. #28 Alex Schutte, Rohnert Park, CA; 3. #49JR Bobby Michnowicz, Lomita, CA; 4. #37T Chris Urish, Elkhart, IL; 5. #2R A.J. Hopkins, Brownsburg, IN; 6. #81B Ryan Beechler, McKinney, TX; 7. #6M Justin Mallo, Cheyenne, WY; 8. #0G Greg Bragg, Visalia, CA; 9. #0B Glenn Styres, Ohsweken, Ontario; 10. #12S Bryan Severs, Collison, IL; 11. #27C Kip Hughes, Enid, Ok; 12. #9M Cory Mallo, Cheyenne, WY; 13. #98G Gavin Galbraith, Washington, MO; 14. #8B Bob Ream Jr., Glendale, AZ; 15. #89JR Ron Kuhn, Independence, MO; DNS - #8K Donnie Ray Crawford, Broken Arrow, OK

G Main 1: 1. #6X Chris Morgan, Topeka, KS; 2. #94 Darren Kingston, Vandalia, IL; 3. #14W Matt Westfall, Ludlow Falls, OH; 4. #86C David Camfield Jr., Decatur, IL; 5. #8R Bobby Ruffin, Crandall, TX; 6. #38N Kyle Neal, Ewing, IL; 7. #15N T.J. Smith, Fresno, CA; 8. #17K Tanner Berryhill, Bixby, OK; 9. #7W Harli White, Lindsay, OK; 10. #2X Tyler Millwood, Kingston, CA; 11. #23F Jesse Sobbing, Glenwood, IA; 12. #49 Trevor Kobylarz, Birdsboro, PA; 13. #12JR Josh Pelkey, Peoria, AZ; 14. #77B Mike Boesel, Bennett, CO; 15. #25 Dylan Peterson, Sioux Falls, SD; DNS - #96 Cody Brewer, Choctaw, OK

McQueen Racing will continue their 2012 season on March 23-24 in USAC-Western States Midget action at the ¼-mile Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, CA as part of the Mini Gold Cup featuring the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars. 

Visit www.shannonmcqueen.com for more information. The 2012 McQueen Racing schedule will be posted soon.