Thursday, January 24, 2013

Unofficial BCRA Midget Schedule


Unofficial 2013 BCRA Midget Schedule

March
23            Madera Speedway
April
13            Stockton 99 Pave
27            Stockton 99 Dirt
May
4            Vukovich Classic Madera
18            Ukiah
June
1            Placerville
8            Pombo Classic Madera
15            Petaluma
22            All-American Speedway, Roseville
July
6            Lakeport
13            Gerhardt Classic Madera 100-laps           
27            Antioch
August
3            Placerville Hall of Fame/Picnic
10            Petaluma
24            Orland
September
5            Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico– Gold Cup
14            Harvest Classic Madera
21            Ukiah
October
5            Petaluma Soares Classic
12            Lakeport October Classic

Friday, January 18, 2013

McQueen Racing Announces Driver Roster for Copper on Dirt at Canyon Speedway Park


By Robert Haugh

Stepping out of the driver's seat, team owner Shannon McQueen is pleased to announce a pair of Oklahoma young guns, 18-year-old Alex Sewell of Broken Arrow and 21-year-old Trey Marcham of Oklahoma City will be piloting McQueen Racing #7 Spike/Esslinger by Duane McQueen entries at the USAC-Western States Copper on Dirt event, March 1-2 at the 3/8-mile Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Arizona.

Marcham, a senior Engineering student at Oklahoma University, brings experience in Micro Sprints, Ford Focus Midgets, 360 Non-Wing Sprint Cars and asphalt Late Models, with six Championships at I-44 Speedway in Newcastle, Oklahoma, as well as having claimed both the A-Class and Non-wing A-Mains at the Inaugural Donnie Ray Crawford Memorial/Race4Life in Tulsa in 2012. Marcham made his Midget racing debut for McQueen Racing in the 27th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals last week where he showed poise beyond his years against some of the best racers in the World.

Sewell brings experience in Micro Midgets, Midgets and Sprint Cars, having recently captured a Top 10 at the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget series event at the third annual Battle at the Center on the 1/6-mile Mini Magic Mile at the Southern Illinois Center. At this year's Chili Bowl, Sewell claimed third in E-Main 2, transferring to D-Main 2 where he started 17th and finished ninth, three spots shy of transferring. Sewell was primarily committed to running with the Oil Capital Racing Series Sprint Car series in 2012, where he claimed rookie-of-the-year honors, with four second-place runs, six Top 5s and 12 Top 10s, as well as four Heat wins, scoring fifth-place in points. Sewell has amassed over 30 wins in Micros.

McQueen became the first woman to win a BCRA Midget championship in 2011 when she claimed the BCRA Dirt Midget crown, then claimed the 2012 USAC-Western States Midget championship, amassing four Heat race wins, nine Top 5 runs, three fast time awards and 13 Top 10s in 2012. McQueen also holds track records at Calistoga Speedway, Petaluma Speedway, Silver Dollar Speedway and Orange Show Speedway. 

McQueen also recently accepted the prestigious Kara Hendrick Spirit award, one of the top awards for women in Motorsports. Established in 2003, the award is given in honor of Hendrick, one of USAC’s most accomplished female drivers, who posted a pair of USAC TQ Midget feature wins before tragically losing her life during a USAC-Western Midget event at El Cajon, CA in 1991.

McQueen Racing boasts a feature win, with Oklahoma’s Michelle Decker having claimed a win at Bakersfield in April 2012 in one of the McQueen Racing Spike/Esslinger by Duane McQueen entries.

McQueen Racing’s tentative schedule 2013 includes 23 races:
March 1 Canyon Raceway Park, Peoria, AZ Dirt USAC                                                           
March 2 Canyon Raceway Park, Peoria, AZ Dirt USAC                                                     
March 30 Bakersfield Speedway; Bakersfield, CA Dirt USAC                                             
April 13 Ventura Raceway; Ventura, CA Dirt USAC                                                            
April 27 Stockton 99 Dirt; Stockton, CA Dirt BCRA                                                           
May 11 Santa Maria Speedway; Santa Maria, CA Dirt USAC                                               
May 18 Ventura Raceway; Ventura, CA Dirt USAC                                                             
June 1 Placerville Speedway; Placerville, CA Dirt BCRA/USAC                                          
June 15 Petaluma Speedway; Petaluma, CA Dirt BCRA/USAC                                            
 June 22 Thunderbowl Raceway; Tulare, CA Dirt USAC                                                       
July 12 (Friday) Ocean Speedway; Watsonville, CA Dirt USAC                                               
July 20 Ventura Raceway; Ventura, CA Dirt USAC                                                              
July 27 Antioch Speedway Dirt BCRA                                                                             
August 3 Placerville Speedway; Placerville, CA Dirt BCRA                                                 
August 10 Petaluma Speedway, Petaluma, CA Dirt BCRA                                               
August 24 (Tentative) Orland Speedway; Orland, CA Dirt BCRA                                          
September 5 (Thursday) Silver Dollar Speedway, Chico, CA Dirt BCRA/USAC                          
September 21 Bakersfield Speedway; Bakersfield, CA Dirt USAC                                   
September 28 Ventura Raceway; Ventura, CA Dirt USAC                                               
October 5 Petaluma Speedway; Petaluma, CA Dirt BCRA/USAC                                  
November 14-16 (Tentative) Canyon Raceway Park; Peoria, AZ (National) Dirt USAC  
November 22-23 (Tentative) Cocopah Speedway; Arizona Dirt USAC                         
November 28 Perris Auto Speedway; Perris, CA (Turkey Night) Dirt USAC

McQueen Racing would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors: Lucas Oil Products, Simpson Race Products, Eibach Springs, DMI, Rod End Supply, K&N Filters, Advanced Racing Suspensions, MPD, Ruth Engineering, Jet-Hot Performance Coatings, Butler Built Seating Systems, Schoenfeld Headers, American Fabrication, West Evans Motorsports, Western Open Wheel Racing News and Esslinger Racing Engines by Duane McQueen.

Visit www.shannonmcqueen.com for more information on McQueen Racing. 





Friday, January 11, 2013

Chili Bowl – Thursday Night West Coast Results and Recap


By Robert Haugh

In what was a repeat on Wednesday night, the West Coast comprised much of the A-main field, but it was Kevin Swindell, the reigning three-time Chili Bowl champion who came out on top in Thursday’s preliminary qualifying night at the 27th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.

Ten of the 24 A-main starters were West Coast entries, with NASCAR racer Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA) claiming second in Gary Zarounian’s #67x Stealth/Toyota, followed by hard charger Tim McCreadie, a New York Late Model ace and former Chili bowl winner in third from 15th in Andy Bondio’s #47x Bondio/Barnes – putting up one of the most exciting performances of the week.
Arizona’s Jerry Coons, Jr. claimed fourth in the Dooling Machine #63 Spike/Esslinger with NASCAR racer Cole Whitt (Alpine, CA) claiming sixth in the Wilke-Pak #5 Stealth/Toyota.
Arizona native J.J. Yeley claimed seventh in the McKinnie Motorsports #1ST Hacked/Toyota with first-time Midget racer and Chili Bowl rookie D.J. Netto (Hanford, CA) claiming eighth in the Netto Farms #7N Stealth/Chevrolet. 2012 Chili Bowl rookie-of-the-year Richard VanderWeerd (Visalia, CA) claimed eleventh after starting 21st after transferring from a B-Main in Mike Sala’s #19s Spike/Sala Chevrolet. Bud Kaeding (Campbell, CA) claimed 12th in the Loyet Motorsports #05K Spike/Esslinger followed by Troy Rutherford (Ojai, CA) in Calvin Martens’ #11R TCR/Esslinger and Rico Abreu (Rutherford, CA) in the Keith Kunz #67 Bullet/Toyota.

Arizona’s Connor Kassik (Lake Havasu) was fifth in points after the Heats, having driven the high line to place second from sixth in the Neverlift Motorsports #115 Spike/Chevrolet. Kassik once again was flying high in A-Qualifier 1, having moved from fifth to second, including passes on Yeley and Abreu, but after bouncing off another car and suffering damage, Kassik settled for seventh. Kassik was fighting for a transfer position in B-Main 1, but suffered a flat tire, with the race going green before he could get back on the track.

California native Tyler Reddick (Corning) was looking for an alphabet soup run in the 2B Racing #2B Beast/Gaerte, having suffered from a DNF in his Heat race. Reddick moved from 12th to fourth in C-Main 1, then advanced from 16th to eighth on B-Main 1, four spots shy of making the A-Main.

Whitt claimed an A-Qualifer, while Rutherford claimed a B-Main. Tanner Swanson (Kingsburg, CA) claimed a C-Main victory in Ted Finkenbinder’s #3F Bullet/Chevy, coming from the rear, passing 11 cars for the win. Yeley, Sweet, Nic Faas (ABC Motorsports #12F Spike/Esslinger) and Coons all claimed Heat race wins.

Thursday’s John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night West Coast Results
A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 39-Kevin Swindell[1]; 2. 67X-Brad Sweet[4]; 3. 47X-Tim McCreadie[15]; 4. 63-Jerry Coons Jr[2]; 6. 5-Cole Whitt[3]; 7. 1ST-J.J. Yeley[6]; 8. 7N-D.J. Netto[7]; 11. 19S-Richard VanderWeerd[21]; 12. 05K-Bud Kaeding[8]; 14. 11R-Troy Rutherford[17]; 15. 67-Rico Abreu[14]

B Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 11R-Troy Rutherford[1]; 3. 19S-Richard VanderWeerd[5]; 7. 56P-Jason Leffler[2]; 8. 2B-Tyler Reddick[16]; 11. 7D-Michelle Decker[11]; 14. 115-Conner Kassik[3]
B Feature 2 (15 Laps): 5. 62-Dennis Howell[9]; 6. 12F-Nic Faas[5]; 8. 3F-Tanner Swanson[13]; 13. 26X-John Golobic[10]
A-Feature Qualifier #1 (10 Laps): 2. 1ST-J.J. Yeley[3]; 4. 67-Rico Abreu[7]; 5. 56P-Jason Leffler[10]; 7. 115-Conner Kassik[5]; 9. 62-Dennis Howell[2]; 10. 7D-Michelle Decker[8]
A-Feature Qualifier #2 (10 Laps): 1. 5-Cole Whitt[5]; 2. 63-Jerry Coons Jr[6]; 3. 7N-D.J. Netto[4]; 4. 47X-Tim McCreadie[7]; 9. 26X-John Golobic[9]
A-Feature Qualifier #3 (10 Laps): 2. 67X-Brad Sweet[4]; 7. 12F-Nic Faas[3]
A-Feature Qualifier #4 (10 Laps): 2. 05K-Bud Kaeding[3]; 5. 11R-Troy Rutherford[5]; 6. 19S-Richard VanderWeerd[9]
C Feature 1 (12 Laps): 4. 2B-Tyler Reddick[12]
C Feature 2 (12 Laps): 1. 3F-Tanner Swanson[10]; 8. 27C-Kip Hughes[8]; 9. 51X-Matt Lundy[4]; 10. 6C-Michael Heberling[11]; DNF 73X-Greg Edenholm[9]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 4. 67-Rico Abreu[4]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 1ST-J.J. Yeley[1]; 2. 11R-Troy Rutherford[5]; 3. 7N-D.J. Netto[7]; 4. 47X-Tim McCreadie[6]; DNF 2B-Tyler Reddick[8]; DNF 3F-Tanner Swanson[4]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 67X-Brad Sweet[2]; 4. 19S-Richard VanderWeerd[3]; 8. 73X-Greg Edenholm[7]
Heat 4 (8 Laps): 3. 7D-Michelle Decker[3]; 4. 15D-Andrew Deal[8]
Heat 6 (8 Laps): 4. 05K-Bud Kaeding[8]
Heat 7 (8 Laps): 1. 12F-Nic Faas[1]; 3. 5-Cole Whitt[8]; 4. 56P-Jason Leffler[2]; 6. 51X-Matt Lundy[3];
Heat 8 (8 Laps): 1. 63-Jerry Coons Jr[5]; 2. 115-Conner Kassik[6]; 4. 62-Dennis Howell[8]; 5. 26X-John Golobic[7]; 7. 27C-Kip Hughes[4]; DNF 6C-Michael Heberling[3]
Friday west Coast Chili Bowl Entries

2R            Levi Roberts                        Broomfield, CO                        David Roberts Spike/Esslinger
3T            Tim Barber                        Fairfield, CA                        Chuck Cline Bullet/Chevrolet
6R            Joe Ramaker                        Boise, ID                        Jody Rosenboom DRC/Fontana
7            Shannon McQueen            Bakersfield, CA                        McQueen Racing Spike/Esslinger by McQueen
9E            Alex Schutte                        Rohnert Park, CA            Sean Dodenhoff EMC/Fontana
11XC            Steve Newman                        Steamboat Springs, CO            Mountain High BRE/BRE Ford
15X            Chad Boat                        Phoenix, AZ                        John Lawson Spike/Esslinger
21K            Cory Kruseman                        Ventura, CA                        Kruseman Motorsports Spike/Esslinger
27B            Johnny Scott                        Las Cruces, NM            Cliff Blackwell Stealth/Yates Ford
35D            Brett Felkins                        Lodi, CA                        Felkins Spike/Fontana
38K            Rick Hendrix                        Palmdale, CA                        Kruseman Motorsports Spike/Esslinger
55S            Trey Starks                        Puyallup, WA                        Jim Ferns Spike/Mopar
62S            Taylor Simas                        Orland, CA                        Douglas Bock Spike/Esslinger
68            Ronnie Gardner                        Corona, CA                        Six 8 Motorsports Stewart/Esslinger
71K            Jason Meyers                        Clovis, CA                        Keith Kunz Bullet/Speedway Toyota
73            Ryan Bernal                        Hollister, CA                        JFM Inc. Ellis/Bob Wirth Fontana
77            Mike Boesel                        Bennett, CO                        Mike Boesel Motorsports Stealth/Esslinger
84            Joey Fabozzi                                                            Fabozzi Racing Spike/Esslinger
88            Dustin Weland                        Parker, CO                        Buzzard/Fontana
151            Jesse Frazier                        Tulsa, OK                        Neverlift Motorsports Spike/Chevrolet
191            Chase Barber                        Brownsburg, IN                        Bret Barber Beast/Fontana

Thursday, January 10, 2013

West Coast Chili Bowl Results - Wednesday Night


By Robert Haugh

Though West Coast entries comprised 13 of the 24 A-Main starters in Wednesday’s Chili Bowl qualifying feature, it was the Swindell show, with Tennessee’s Sammy Swindell, the five-time Chili Bowl champion cruising to the win from the pole position.

Swindell was briefly challenged by California’s Damion “The Demon” Gardner in Andy Bondio’s #47 Bondio/Barnes Chevy and Washington’s Gary Taylor in the Loyet Motorsports #05T Spike/Esslinger, but Sammy was simply dominant in taking the Wednesday’s US Fleet Tracking A-Main.
Gardner claimed second, securing himself into Saturday’s A-main, while Taylor claimed fourth after a late-race pass by “Wild Child” Jac Haudenschild who was third. “Fremont Flier” Shane Golobic (Fremont, CA) rounded out the Top five, claiming fifth aboard the AutoNet Mobile retro-Leader Card-themed Wilke-Pak #11 Stealth/Toyota.

California native Darren Hagen, the 2012 USAC-National Midget champion claimed sixth in the RFMS Racing #3 DCR/Esslinger, having narrowly edged California native Bryan Clauson at the line, who claimed seventh from thirteenth in the CTR-Curb Agajanian #39 Spike/Esslinger. Five-time USAC-CRA Sprint Car champion Mike Spencer took eighth aboard the Proflyer Enterprises #51S Spike/Proflyer with Indiana’s Brad Kuhn rounding out the Top 10 in Mason Cook’s Willit’s Towing & Recovery #10 Beast/Fontana.

Former BCRA champion Matt Streeter was having a strong run in his #14JR Spike/S&S Automotive Chevrolet before getting involved in an incident and flipping.

Former BCRA champion “T-Mez” Thomas Meseraull, Tyler Edwards (JFM entry), Jace VanderWeerd, David Prickett, Streeter and Stratton also made Wednesday’s A-main.

Arizona’s Stevie Sussex III, Taylor, Golobic, Meseraull and Hagen each recorded Heat race wins while Washington native and NASCAR star Kasey Kahne claimed a C-Main aboard the Darrah Motorsports #89 Spike/Chevy. Californian Jace VanderWeerd claimed a B-Main aboard Ron VanderWeerd’s #8v Spike/Stanton Mopar while Taylor and Hagen each recorded an A-Qualifier triumph.
After getting derailed in an incident-marred Heat 2, “Spirit of American Canyon” Travis Berryhill avoided multiple incidents to take the final transfer in C-Main 1 aboard the Manic Racing #11x Stealth/Fontana, finishing fourth after starting sixth in a race won by Kahne. Berryhill then fell short in B-Main 1, coming home 11th after starting 16th.
Chili Bowl rookie, 21-year-old Trey Marcham of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma learned first hand how much luck plays into the Chili Bowl. Pioloting the McQueen Racing #7 Spike/Esslinger by Duane McQueen, Marcham made one mistake in his Heat race, entering into a spin while running a strong second, getting collected by other cars, breaking a rear arm, bending a wheel and suffering a flat left front tire among other items, relegating Marcham to a disappointing eighth-place Heat finish, finishing with the flat tire. 

Marcham started nearly last in C-Main1. While moving foward the front, Marcham slowed for a spinning car ahead of him, getting plowed from behind, ripping off a shock mount, ending his evening.

Wednesday’s River Spirit Casino Qualifying Night West Coast Results
A Feature (25 Laps): 2. 47-Damion Gardner[3]; 4. 05T-Gary Taylor[2]; 5. 11-Shane Golobic[6]; 6. 3-Darren Hagen[7]; 7. 39B-Bryan Clauson[13]; 8. 51S-Mike Spencer[5]; 10. 10-Brad Kuhn[14]; 15. 57-Thomas Meseraull[16]; 17. 72-Tyler Edwards[22]; 18. 8V-Jace VanderWeerd[18]; 20. 015-David Prickett[24]; DNF 14JR-Matt Streeter[9]; DNF 2S-Danny Stratton[20]

B Feature 1 (15 Laps): 11. 11J-Travis Berryhill[16]; DNF 89-Kasey Kahne[13]; DNF 1AZ-Steve Sussex Jr[2]; DNF 3B-Jayme Barnes[3]
B Feature 2 (15 Laps): 1. 8V-Jace VanderWeerd[1]; 2. 2S-Danny Stratton[6]; 3. 72-Tyler Edwards[2]; 4. 015-David Prickett[5]; 11. 12JR-Josh Pelkey[8]; DNF 44S-Clint Schubert[16]
A-Feature Qualifier #1 (10 Laps): 1. 05T-Gary Taylor[4]; 3. 14JR-Matt Streeter[7]; 5. 8V-Jace VanderWeerd[9]; 6. 72-Tyler Edwards[3]; 8. 12JR-Josh Pelkey[8]; 9. 1AZ-Steve Sussex Jr[6]
A-Feature Qualifier #2 (10 Laps): 1. 3-Darren Hagen[2]; 2. 11-Shane Golobic[4]; 5. 39B-Bryan Clauson[6]; 7. 015-David Prickett[3]
A-Feature Qualifier #3 (10 Laps): 2. 47-Damion Gardner[5]; 3. 51S-Mike Spencer[6]
A-Feature Qualifier #4 (10 Laps): 2. 10-Brad Kuhn[1]; 4. 57-Thomas Meseraull[3]; 5. 3B-Jayme Barnes[2]; 8. 2S-Danny Stratton[4]
C Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 89-Kasey Kahne[2]; 4. 11J-Travis Berryhill[6]; DNF 7T-Trey Marcham[12]
C Feature 2 (12 Laps): 4. 44S-Clint Schubert[8]; DNS 9F-Jared Carpenter
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 3. 12JR-Josh Pelkey[3]; DNS 9F-Jared Carpenter
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 1AZ-Steve Sussex Jr[6]; DNF 11J-Travis Berryhill[7]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 05T-Gary Taylor[2]; 2. 51S-Mike Spencer[5]; 6. 89-Kasey Kahne[6]
Heat 4 (8 Laps): 2. 2S-Danny Stratton[4]; 3. 015-David Prickett[6]; 4. 3B-Jayme Barnes[7]; 8. 7T-Trey Marcham[3]
Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 11-Shane Golobic[2]; 2. 10-Brad Kuhn[1]; 7. 44S-Clint Schubert[4];
Heat 6 (8 Laps): 1. 57-Thomas Meseraull[1]; 2. 1-Sammy Swindell[5]
Heat 7 (8 Laps): 3. 47-Damion Gardner[7]; 4. 8V-Jace VanderWeerd[4];
Heat 8 (8 Laps): 1. 3-Darren Hagen[1]; 2. 72-Tyler Edwards[4]; 3. 39B-Bryan Clauson[8]; 4. 14JR-Matt Streeter[6]
Visit www.chilibowl.com for full results and entries.
Chili Bowl Thursday West Coast entries
1ST            J.J. Yeley                        Charlotte, NC                        McKinnie Motorsports Hacked/Toyota
2B            Tyler Reddick                        Corning, CA                        2B Racing Beast/Gaerte
3F            Tanner Swanson            Kingsburg, CA                        Ted Finkenbinder Bullet/Chevrolet
05K            Bud Kaeding                        Campbell, CA                        Loyet Motorsports Spike/Esslinger
5            Cole Whitt                        Alpine, CA                        Wilke-Pak Stealth/Toyota
6C            Michael Heberling            Centennial, CO                        Heberling Stealth/Hybrid GM
7D            Michelle Decker            Guthrie, OK                        McQueen Racing Spike/Esslinger by McQueen
7N            D.J. Netto                        Hanford, CA                        Frank Netto Stealth/Chevrolet
11R            Troy Rutherford            Ojai, CA                        Calvin Martens TCR/Esslinger
12F            Nic Faas                        Huntington Beach, CA            ABC Motorsports Spike/Esslinger
19S            Richard VanderWeerd            Visalia, CA                        Mike Sala Spike/Sala Chevrolet
26X            John Golobic                        Mountain View, CA            Douglas Bock Spike/Esslinger
27C            Kip Hughes                        Enid, OK                        Cliff Blackwell Stealth/Gaerte
47X            Tim McCreadie                                                     Andy Bondio Bondio/Barnes
56P              Jason Leffler                          Long Beach, CA            56 Inc. Beast/Esslinger 3-Wide Life
51X            Matt Lundy                          Phoenix, AZ                        Bobby Martin Ellis/Proflyer
62            Dennis Howell                         Rancho Palos Verdes, CA            Stealth/Salsa Chevrolet
63            Jerry Coons Jr.                        Tucson, AZ                        Dooling Machine Spike/Esslinger
67            Rico Abreu                        Rutherford, CA                        Keith Kunz Bullet/Speedway Toyota
67X            Brad Sweet                        Grass Valley, CA            Gary Zarounian Stealth/Toyota
73X            Greg Edenholm                        Malibu, CA               JFM Inc. Ellis/Esslinger King Racing Products
115            Conner Kassik                        Lake Havasu, AZ            Neverlift Motorsports Spike/Chevrolet 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Kyle Larson Brings West Coast Tuesday Night Chili Bowl Triumph


Kyle Larson Brings West Coast Tuesday Night Chili Bowl Triumph
By Robert Haugh
Claiming his ninth consecutive Midget win, Elk Grove, CA’s Kyle Larson claimed Tuesday’s Warren CAT qualifying feature at the 27th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, fending off some of the best, including three-time NASCAR champ and two-time Chili Bowl winner Tony Stewart. Larson, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon and Smoke claimed the podium, locking them into Saturday’s 55-lap A-Main.
Manning the Keith Kunz #71 Bullet/Speedway Toyota from the pole, Larson battled early with bacon and fended challenged from Bacon and Smoke before taking the eventual win, celebrating with donuts on the front stretch.
Arizonan Casey Shuman claimed fourth aboard the Hans Lein #2H Spike/Esslinger, with fellow Arizonan R.J. Johnson claiming seventh aboard Bobby Martin’s #51J Spike/Fontana, though having dropped a valve in the waning laps, with The Flyin’ Finn Markus Niemela claming eighth in Steve Watt’s #81 Stealth/Sala Chevy.
“Old School” Cameron Beard (Atwater, CA) who made the cross-country trek to Tulsa from California with an open trailer qualified for the A-main via points opened eyes chauffeuring Dave LaMott’s #0Z HotHead Engine Heaters/Special Things Sheetmetal/Power Up Concrete Pumping/Bob Roza Motorsports Stealth/Honda to an A-main start – having lost an oil pump drive early in the A-main. Beard excited many in an ultra competitive Heat 5 which saw him move from fourth to second, holding off heavy challenges from eventual third-place A-main finisher Brady Bacon. Beard also looked sharp in A-Qualifier 4, finishing fifth, despite running as high as third, having experience electric gremlins.
California’s P.J. Jones transferred from B-Main 2 to claim 14th from 22nd in the A-Main aboard the RFMS racing #98 Spike/Esslinger while Yorba Linda, CA’s Matt Mitchell made his return to racing, making the A-Main in Mike Sala’s #19w Spike/Sala Chevy after transferring from B-Main 1. Josh Lakatos (also known as “Jamal”) made the A-main after making an amazing A-Qualifier run form the back after starting in the rear after getting “chili bowled” in an early race incident.
Shuman, Sean Dodenhoff (Bakersfield, CA, Dodenhoff #9d Spike/Fontana), Johnson, and Arizona’s Shon Deskins (Calvin Martens #11t TCR/Esslinger) all claimed Heat wins, while Niemela claimed the win in A-Qualifier 1.
West Coast native Don O’Keefe, now residing in Indianapolis, took a wild ride in A-Qualifier 4 aboard his #0K LOK Enterprises Spike/Esslinger. O’Keefe was apparently shaken up and taken to the hospital by car.
During Tuesday’s festivities, David Prickett (Fresno, CA) announced that the hoods of the three Neverlift Motorsports/Western Performance Parts/David Prickett Racing Spike/Chevy cars, as well as U.S. Army veteran Joey Fabozzi’s #84 Spike/Esslinger were going to have their hoods signed by there-time NASCAR champ Stewart and NASCAR star Kasey Kahne. The hoods, all honoring the Armed Forces will be auctioned with the proceeds benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/.
Of the 17 West Coast entries on Tuesday, eight qualified for the A-main, with four of the Top 10 spots going to West Coast entries.
Tuesday’s Qualifying Night West Coast Results:
US Fleet Tracking A-Feature (25 Laps): 1. 71-Kyle Larson[1]; 4. 2H-Casey Shuman[2]; 7. 51J-R.J. Johnson[6]; 8. 81-Markus Niemela[10]; 14. 98-P.J. Jones[22]; 18. 89K-Josh Lakatos[15]; 19. 19W-Matt Mitchell[23]; DNF 0Z-Cameron Beard[16]
B Feature 1 (15 Laps): 4. 19W-Matt Mitchell[4]; DNF 11T-Shon Deskins[3]; DNF 9D-Sean Dodenhoff[7]
B Feature 2 (15 Laps): 3. 98-P.J. Jones[9]; 7. 73F-Tyler Walker[16]; DNF 28K-Justin Hendricks[5]
C Feature 1 (12 Laps): 8. 33R-Joe Stornetta[7]; DNF 22AZ-Rick Shuman[13]
C Feature 2 (12 Laps): 4. 73F-Tyler Walker[9]; 5. 49JR-Bobby Michnowicz[7]; 6. 17W-Cole Wood[2]; DNF 22-Mike Goodman[8]
A-Feature Qualifier #1 (10 Laps): 1. 81-Markus Niemela[1]; 6. 11T-Shon Deskins[3]; 7. 28K-Justin Hendricks[2]
A-Feature Qualifier #2 (10 Laps): 2. 71-Kyle Larson[6]
A-Feature Qualifier #3 (10 Laps): 4. 51J-R.J. Johnson[6]; 6. 19W-Matt Mitchell[9]; 9. 9D-Sean Dodenhoff[5]
A-Feature Qualifier #4 (10 Laps): 1. 2H-Casey Shuman[6]; 4. 89K-Josh Lakatos[3]; 5. 0Z-Cameron Beard[5]; 7. 98-P.J. Jones[4]; DNF 0K-Don O'Keefe Jr[8]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 2H-Casey Shuman[3];  8. 33R-Joe Stornetta[9]; 9. 22AZ-Rick Shuman[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 5. 0K-Don O'Keefe Jr[7]; DNF 49JR-Bobby Michnowicz[4]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 2. 81-Markus Niemela[1]; 6. 17W-Cole Wood[6]
Heat 4 (8 Laps): 2. 71-Kyle Larson[8]
Heat 5 (8 Laps): 1. 9D-Sean Dodenhoff[2]; 2. 0Z-Cameron Beard[4]; 4. 19W-Matt Mitchell[3]; DNF 22-Mike Goodman[8]
Heat 6 (8 Laps): 1. 51J-R.J. Johnson[4]
Heat 7 (8 Laps): 1. 98-P.J. Jones[1]; 2. 89K-Josh Lakatos[3]
Heat 8 (8 Laps): 1. 11T-Shon Deskins[1]; 3. 28K-Justin Hendricks[7]; DNF 73F-Tyler Walker[2]
Wednesday’s Chili bowl qualifying action features 20 West Coast entries include NASCAR star and Washington native Kasey Kahne aboard the Darrah Motorsports #89 Spike/Chevrolet,  2012 USAC-National midget champion and 2012 Chili Bowl A-main qualifier Darren Hagen (Riverside, CA) in the RFMS Racing #3 Spike/Esslinger, 2012 USAC-Western States Midgets Dirt champion and 2009 BCRA champion David Prickett (Fresno, CA) piloting the Neverlift Motorsports #015 Spike/Chevy, California native and multiple-time Sprint and Midget winner and 2012 Indy 500 starter Bryan Clauson in the CTR-Curb-Agajanian #39b Spike/Esslinger, 2004 BCRA champion and multi-time feature winner Thomas Meseraull (Waveland, IN via San Jose, CA) wheeling the Ecker-Reisdorf #57 Spike/Fontana, 2012 Chili bowl fifth-place finisher Danny Stratton (Riverside, CA) aboard the Hans Lein #2s Spike/Esslinger, former Chili Bowl winner and former USAC/CRA champion Damion Gardner (Concord, CA) in the multiple-time Chili Bowl car owner champion Andy Bondio’s #47 Bondio/Barnes Chevy,  1999 BCRA champion Matt Streeter (Galt, CA) in his #14jr S&S Automotive-T&T Trucking-ART Enterprises Spike/S&S, five-time USAC/CRA champion Mike Spencer (Temecula, CA) in the Proflyer Enterprises #51s Spike/Proflyer, multiple-time Midget and Sprint Car winner Shane Golobic (Fremont, CA) aboard the retro Wilke-Pak #11 Stealth/Toyota and Indiana’s Brad Kuhn in Mason Cook’s #10 Beast/Fontana.
Wednesday’s West coast entries:
2S            Danny Stratton                        Riverside, CA                        Hans Lein Spike/Esslinger
3            Darren Hagen                        Riverside, CA                        RFMS Racing DCR/Esslinger
3B            Jayme Barnes                        Everett, WA                        2B Racing Beast/Esslinger
05T            Gary Taylor                        Snohomish, WA                        Loyet Motorsports Spike/Esslinger
7T            Trey Marcham                        Oklahoma City, OK            McQueen Racing Spike /Esslinger
8OK            TBD Driver                        LOK Enterprises                         Spike/Esslinger
9F            Jared Carpenter                        Breezy Point, MN            Sean Dodenhoff Spike/Dart Chevrolet
10            Brad Kuhn                        Avon, IN                        Mason Cook Beast/Fontana
11            Shane Golobic                        Fremont, CA                        Wilke-Pak Stealth/Toyota
11X            Travis Berryhill                        American Canyon, CA            Manic Racing Stealth/Fontana
12JR            Josh Pelkey                        Peoria, AZ                        ABC Motorsports Spike/Esslinger
14JR            Matt Streeter                        Galt, CA                        Streeter Racing Spike/S&S Automotive Chevrolet
015            David Prickett                        Fresno, CA                        Neverlift Motorsports Spike/Chevrolet
39B            Bryan Clauson                        Noblesville, IN                        CTR-BCI-Curb Agajanian Spike/Esslinger
44G            George Schubert                        Calhan, CO                        Schubert Racing Spike/Pontiac
47            Damion Gardner                        Concord, CA                        Andy Bondio Bondio/Barnes
51S            Mike Spencer                        Temecula, CA                        Proflyer Enterprises Spike/Proflyer
57            Thomas Meseraull            Waveland, IN                        Ecker-Reisdorf Spike/Fontana
72            Tyler Edwards                        Salina, OK                        JFM Inc. Spike/Bob Wirth Fontana
89            Kasey Kahne                        Huntersville, NC              Darrah Motorsports Spike/Chevrolet
Visit www.chilibowl.com for full entries and results.