Chili Bowl West Coast Friday Preliminary Night Results

By Robert Haugh

Leading the Friday evening West Coast Chili Bowl qualifiers was 10-time A-Main starter and two-time Chili Bowl winner Cory Kruseman (Ventura, CA) coming home with the victory aboard the Kruseman Motorsports  #21K Lucas Oil Spike/Esslinger. Kruseman joins Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson as West Coasters having won their prelim A-Mains – the other two wins are shared by the Swindell’s.

Two-time A-main starter Bryan Clauson (CA native, residing in Noblesville, IN) came home third in the CTR-BCI-Curb #39C NOS Energy Drink-Curb Records-Keizer Wheels Spike/Esslinger, while three-time A-main starter Bud Kaeding (Campbell, CA) finished ninth in the Buster & Ziggy Ent. #2 Bullet/Esslinger, Ronnie Gardner (Corona, CA) cracked the Top 10 after transferring from B-Main action aboard Keith Ford’s #71S Everhart Construction-Esslinger-Reedy Electronics-JFM Spike/Esslinger, Levi Roberts (Broomfield, CO) finished 13^th in the Steve Lewis-Nine Racing #9 Majestic Metals-Performance Racing-K&N-Earle's-Eibach Spike/Esslinger, the “Flyin’ Finn” Markus Niemela (Rauma, LS [Finland])   17^th in Californian Steve Watts’ #81 Polly Gallimore-Lost Reality-Rock Star-SWE-Maxwell Industries Stealth/Sala Chevy and one-time A-Main starter Brad Mosen of New Zealand in Californian Andy Bondio’s #47 Barnes Oil Pumps-Advanced Suspension-Kenny's Components-Brown & Miller Bondio/Barnes came home 19^th.

2011 BCRA Midgets Dirt champion Shannon McQueen (Bakersfield, CA) was involved in multiple-car tangles in Heat 7, relegating her to C-Main 1, in which she placed third, transferring her to B-Main 1, where she missed transferring by two spots in sixth aboard her #7 Murf Dogg Racing-R.C. 4 Less-American Waste Control-Simpson Race Products-K&N Filters Spike/Esslinger.

USAC/CRA hardcharger and multiple-time Midget victor Gregg Bragg (Visalia, CA) in Dave LaMott’s #0G Hot Head Headers-Special Things Sheet Metal-Power Up Concrete Stealth/Esslinger and 2009 USAC-Western States Midget champion Alex Schutte (Rohnert Park, CA) in Calvin Martens’ #28 Woodworks Unlimited-Ryno Mfg-Jim's Towing-Aircraft Electrical Components-Ontario West TCR/Mopar both were running in transfer positions in B-Main 2, Schutte even stretching to a sizeable lead, however, both experienced mechanical gremlins, Bragg’s being a faulty electrical wire.

Additional Friday West Coast entries included Steve Stasa (West Hills, CA) in his #22S Eurick Law Center-Stasa Motorsports-SBR Motorsports TCR/Chevy V4, Mike Boesel (Bennett, CO) in his #77B Boesel Enterprises Inc.-Jordan Carstar Auto Body-Lost Creek Farms-High Plains Diner-Strasburg NAPA Stealth/Esslinger, Jake Swanson (Anaheim, CA) in the Swanson Motorsports #05H Goodwine Glass-Lucas Oil-Crower Performance-PHB Indy-Orange County Tank Testing Stealth/Honda,  Vinny Villeggiante (Gresham, OR) in his #6Y Pyle Family-Sam Villeggiante-Villeggiante Concrete Spike/Gaerte, Cole Wood (Auburn, CA) in Matt Wood’s #17W Elk Grove Ford-Spike Chassis-Keizer Wheels-Quick Lane Spike/Esslinger and Mike Visser (Cottonwood, AZ) in Dave Burkhart’s #21AZ Kaiser Alexco Aluminum-Black Hills Auto Electric-Ultimate Imports-Beadle Bug Patrol, Die Cast Cars Now Eagle/Gaerte.

Complete West Coast results from Friday’s Chili Bowl qualifying night:

Heat 1: 7. #22S Steve Stasa, West Hills, CA

Heat 2: 2. #21K Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA; 5. #28 Alex Schutte, Rohnert Park, CA

Heat 3: 3. #81 Markus Niemela, Rauma, Finland; 5. #71S Ronnie Gardner, Corona, CA

Heat 4: 5. #17W Cole Wood, Auburn, CA; 7. #05H Jake Swanson, Anaheim, CA

Heat 5: 2. #2 Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA; 6. #191 Chase Barber, Brownsburg, IN (via CA)

Heat 6: 3. #0G Greg Bragg, Visalia, CA, 5. #47 Brad Mosen, Auckland, NZ (Bondio) 7. #21AZ Mike Visser, Cottonwood, AZ

Heat 7: 1. #9 Levi Roberts, Broomfield, CO, 6. #7 Shannon McQueen, Bakersfield, CA; 7. #77B Mike Boesel, Bennett, CO

Heat 8: 2. #39C Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN; DNS - #6Y Vinny Villeggiante, Gresham, OR

C Main 1: 2. Barber, 3. McQueen 4. Boesel,  DNS - Visser

C Main 2: 6. Stasa, DNS - Jake Swanson, Villeggiante

A Qualifier 1: 5. Niemela, 7. Schutte, 8. Mosen

A Qualifier 2: 1. Kaeding 2. Kruseman, 8. Ronnie Gardner

A Qualifier 3: 4. Roberts, 8. Wood, Auburn

A Qualifier 4: 1. Clauson, 5. Bragg

B Main 1: 2. Mosen, 4. Ronnie Gardner,  6. McQueen, 8. Barber, 13. Boesel

B Main 2: 13. Bragg, 14. Schutte, 15. Wood

“A” Main: 1. Kruseman, 3. Clauson, 9. Kaeding, 10. Ronnie Gardner,  13. Roberts, 17. Niemela,  19. Mosen

For full results and additional information on the 26^th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, visit www.chilibowl.com for the entire entry list.