Three Generations Making Cross-Country Chili Bowl Trek

Three Generations Making Cross-Country Chili Bowl Trek

By Robert Haugh

With around 250 entries at the 26^th Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, including three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and reigning NASCAR Nationwide series champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., there are a myriad of families competing in the prestigious race that features drivers from an array of backgrounds.

One of the West Coast families making the trek in hopes of capturing the coveted Golden Driller trophy on January 14 is The North Bay Wine Country’s Bock family – Doug, Mike and Britton Bock. Doug is a longtime Midget car owner, with many Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) feature wins under his belt, and is also a former BCRA car owner champion.

Doug, who has fielded a Midget for 11 years at the Chili Bowl (and attended for 18 years) will once again be fielding his #26 Spike/Esslinger, sponsored by Get Som Sports, Bicycles Inc. (Ft. Worth, TX), Country Builders, Piners Welding Supply and Driveline Service for Fremont, CA’s Shane Golobic, a young gun who’s won in wing and non-wing Sprint Cars, Midgets and other open wheel race cars. Golobic is among only two-dozen drivers having qualified for the Chili Bowl finale in the past two years.

Britton, Doug’s Grandson has been racing for over 11 years, is hoping to follow in his Grandfather’s footsteps in becoming a Midget racing champion. Making his second Chili Bowl start, 19-year-old Britton will be piloting his own #67x McNamara Electric-Mike Bock-Crain Construction-General Engineering-Pete’s Tractor Service Spike/Esslinger. Britton is a recent graduate of St. Helena High School who plans on attending Northwest Lineman College (PG&E) in the Spring of 2012. The Angwin, CA native has been racing for 11 years, including four years competing in Midgets. Britton claimed eighth in the BCRA Dirt points in 2011, and was tenth in the 2010 BCRA owner and driver points.

Joining the Bock team at the prestigious five-day Chili Bowl Midget Nationals will be 19-year-old San Jose, CA native and current Oklahoma resident, Ricky Wright, Jr., who will be driving Doug and Britton’s #35w TCR/Esslinger. Wright, who claimed fifth in the 2011 ASCS Sooner Region points while capturing Rookie-of-the-Year honors, is a Bellarmine College Prep graduate, studying at Oklahoma State University, majoring in Sports Management and Marketing. Wright has five career Sprint Car victories. In 2009, Wright claimed seventh in points at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, CA and third in points at Petaluma Speedway, where he earned most improved driver. Wright is sponsored by Wright One Construction, Red Line Oil, Maxim Performance, Butlerbuilt and Bell Helmets.

Bill McNamara is Britton’s Crew Chief.

Britton and his grandfather Doug are leaving for Tulsa on January 3 while Mike is leaving on January 8.

The Chili Bowl kicks off on Tuesday, January 10, with the finale on Saturday, January 14. Britton competes in Tuesday’s prelim qualifying night with Wright competing on Wednesday and Golobic racing on Thursday, with all three competing in Saturday’s finale. The Chili Bowl takes take at the Tulsa Expo Center’s QuickTrip Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Visit www.chilibowl.com for additional information on the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals. Check back here at http://wowracingnews.blogspot.com for updated information on West Coast results from the Chili Bowl.