West Coast Chili Bowl Tuesday Qualifying Night Results

By Robert Haugh

The West Coast was well represented in Tuesday’s Chili Bowl Midget Nationals qualifying night one, with Elk Grove, CA’s Kyle Larson taking home the victory aboard the Keith Kunz Motorsports’ #67 Advanced Racing-Kwik Change-IWX-Hoosier Bullet/TRD-Toyota. Larson started outside of Row 2 and quickly took the lead in the opening laps of the 25-lap qualifier. With his win, Larson is guaranteed a spot in Saturday’s 50-lap Chili Bowl finale. Larson began the evening by placing third in Heat 5 and placing second, from seventh in A-Qualifier 4. In all, the West Coast has nine drivers in the A-main lineup, six from California and three from Arizona. West Coast entries claimed five of the eight Heat race wins,

In addition to Larson eight other West Coast entries making it into Tuesday’s A-Main, including 2004 BCRA Midget champion and three-time (2009-2011) A-main qualifier Thomas “T-Mez” Meseraull (San Jose, CA) in Mark Bush’s #2T EF-65 Hand Cleaner-markbushassociates.com Spike/Esslinger, who advanced as high as seventh in the opening laps before catching the inside burm, flipping and ending his night in 24^th. Meseraull won Heat 1 and claimed third in A-Qualifier 3. "It's the Chili Bowl. If you're not going for it, go home," said Meseraull in a post-flip interview with AMy Loyet on the racinboys.com audio broadcast.


Three-time A-main qualifier Casey Shuman of Rattlesnake Bend, AZ placed sixth, advancing six spots from his 12^th starting position aboard Hans Lein’s #2H Lein Acres-Midstate Equipment-Blue River Ag Spike/Esslinger. Shuman claimed second in Heat 1 and second in A-Qualifier 3.

Multiple-time open wheel champion and 13-time Chili Bowl A-main qualifier Jerry Coons, Jr. of Tuscon, AZ ralied from 17^th to finish ninth in Danny Lendich’s #3NZ Lucal Oil-Impact-Wendy’s-Hoosier Tire Spike/Esslinger. Coons placed second in Heat 6 and sixth in A-Qualifier 4, then transferred to the A-main by winning B-Main 1.

Riverside, CA’s Darren Hagen started third and fell back early, but bounced back to place tenth in RFMS Racing’s #3 RFMS-Liberty Village-McGaladrey & Pullen Spike/Esslinger. Hagen claimed second in Heat 2 and won A-Qualifier 1.

Three-time Arizona Midget racing champion R.J. Johnson (Phoenix, AZ) claimed 11^th aboard Bobby Martin’s #51J Weiler Farms-Fontana Engines-Pecon Builders-G.T. Trucking-BG Chemicals Spike/Fontana. Johnson claimed the win in Heat 5 and fourth in A-Qualifier 2.

2007 BCRA champion Justin Grant (Ione, CA) claimed 14^th chauffeuring Larry Gardner’s #35 CB Fabrication-Ancient Element Massage Therapy-Ultra-Shield Seats-Hinchman Race Suits Stealth/Frampton Gaerte. Grant won Heat 8 then placed fourth in A-Qualifier 3.

Jonathan Henry (Stockton, CA) claimed 19^th aboard Graunstadt Enterprises’ #88H Ellis/Fontana. After winning Heat 2. Henry claimed fifth in A-Qualifier 4, then transferred to the A-main by placing third in B-Main 1.

2009 A-main qualifier Bobby Michonowicz (Lomita, CA) started fourth in B-Main 2, and after being shuffled around claimed 12^th aboard Ron Bach’s #49JR Ron Bach Construction-T-Shirts by Timeless-Fabozzi Metal Works-Doug’s Auto Body-Drake Spike/Esslinger.

7-time BCRA champion “Ageless Wonder” Floyd Alvis (San Carlos, CA) claimed tenth in B-Main 2 in his Champion Automotive #18 Stealth/Wesmar and

Kody Swanson (Kingburg, CA) was fighting fuel-related gremlins aboard Mountain View, CA car owner Cliff Blackwell’s #27 Stealth/Yates Ford, settling for seventh in Heat 3. Swanson advanced the Blackwell mount as high as third from ninth in C-Main 1, then fell out when he spun, again fighting gremlins that caused the car not to run through the corners.

Britton Bock (Angwin, CA) will be running the alphabet soup on Saturday in his #67X McNamara Electric-Mike Bock Driveline Service of Santa Rosa-Pete’s Tractor Service Spike/Esslinger after getting tangled up in someone else’s mess in both Heat2 and C-Main 2. Bock was running in a transfer spot in C-Main 2 before getting tangled up.

T.J. Smith (Fresno, CA) just couldn’t get any luck going his way aboard the Neverlift Motorsports #15N Crysalli-Manitowoc-Fruitful Juice-Prickett’s Dist.-David Prickett Spike/Van Dyne Chevy, first bending a front axle in A-Qualifier 4 after a spin occurred in front of him, then cutting a left rear tire in B-Main 1.

Kyle Smith (Moorpark, CA), the West Coast’s lone rookie entry on Tuesday did not get any rookie luck aboard his own #55 Agromin-Open Range Petroleum-Waste Management-Roy’s Towing-Unicor Spike/Chevy, involved in early Heat race and C-Main tangle-ups resulting in a DNF in C-Main 2.

FULL WEST COAST RESULTS
Heat 1: 1. #2T Thomas Meseraull, San Jose, CA; 2. #2H Casey Shuman, Rattlesnake Bend, AZ; 6. #55 Kyle Smith, Moorpark, CA
Heat 2: 1. #88H Johnathon Henry; 2. #3 Darren Hagen, Riverside, CA; 6. #67X Britton Bock, Angwin, CA; 8. #9B Harris Brooks, Houston, TX
Heat 3: 2. #9D Sean Dodenhoff, Bakersfield, CA; 4. #49JR Bobby Michnowicz, Lomita, CA; 7. #27 Kody Swanson, Kingsburg, CA
Heat 4: 1. #05R Ryan Pace, Brownsburg, IN; 7. #73F Greg Edenholm, Malibu, CA; 8. #11XC Steve Newman, Steamboat Springs, CO
Heat 5: 1. #51J R.J. Johnson, Phoenix, AZ; 3. #67 Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA; 5. #8B Bob Ream Jr., Glendale, AZ
Heat 6: 2. #3NZ Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, AZ; 3. #15N T.J. Smith, Fresno, CA
Heat 7: 3. #18A Floyd Alvis, San Carlos, CA
Heat 8: 1. #35 Justin Grant, Ione, CA; 6. #77D Dalten Gabbard, Peoria, AZ
C Main 1: 6. Edenholm,; 9. Gabbard; 11. K. Swanson; DNS Newman
C Main 2: 5. Brooks; 8. Bock; 10. K. Smith
A Qualifier 1: 1. Hagen
A Qualifier 2: 4. R.J. Johnson; 7. Ream Jr.; 8. Dodenhoff; 10. Alvis
A Qualifier 3: 2. Shuman; 3. Meseraull; 4. Grant, 6. Bobby Michnowicz
A Qualifier 4: 2. Larson; 5. Henry; 6. Coons, Jr.; 10. T.J. Smith
B Main 1: 1. Coons Jr; 3. Henry; 12. Michnowicz; 14. T.J. Smith
B Main 2: 10. Alvis; 11. Ream Jr; 15. Dodenhoff
 “A” Main: 1. Larson; 6. Shuman; 9. Coons, Jr; 10. Hagen; 11. R.J. Johnson, 14. Grant,; 19. Henry; 24. Meseraull
Vacuworx International Race of Champions (20 laps)
VIROC IV: 4. #05G Damion Gardner, Concord, CA; 6. #39C Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN; 9. Larson; 12. #71 Jason Leffler, Long Beach, CA; 13. #21K Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA

Visit www.chilibowl.com for more information on the 26^th Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.