Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart set the fast time in qualifying and won his heat race during the opening night of the Rumble in Fort Wayne on Dec. 28. However, he was involved in a multi-car accident on Lap 2 and could not continue.
Stewart was credited with 13th in the final rundown. He did not participate in the Dec. 29 finale due to mechanical issues suffered the previous night.
One year after illness kept him out of competition at the Rumble in Fort Wayne, Justin Peck came back with a vengeance and proved he still has what it takes to succeed inside the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 29.
Peck started from the pole and led from start to finish en route to capturing the Dec. 29 50-lap midget feature, his third victory in Rumble competition and first since the final night in 2014.
Once a fresh-faced teenager, the now 20-year-old Monrovia hotshot noted that he’s matured and grown greatly since the last time he stood in the Winner’s Circle and celebrated at the Rumble.
National Midget A-Feature (50 laps) 1. Justin Peck; 2. Jim Anderson; 3. Joe Liguori; 4. Geoff Kaiser; 5. Nick Hamilton; 6. Travis Welpott; 7. Cory Setser; 8. Kody Swanson; 9. Billy Wease; 10. Bryan Nuckles; 11. Derek Bischak; 12. Kyle Hamilton; 13. Cap Henry; 14. Cooper Clouse.
One of the hometown heroes of the Rumble in Fort Wayne finally cracked the code to Victory Lane on Dec. 28 during the 21st edition of the indoor midget-car classic.
Fort Wayne native Geoff Kaiser, making his 19th A-main start inside the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, led all 50 laps of the headlining National Midget feature to score his first-ever Rumble victory. However, Kaiser’s path to victory was anything but as easy as the box score made it look.
Kaiser had to hold off a hard-charging Jim Anderson during the first half of the race, then survived a late tussle with Peck, a two-time Rumble winner, in the closing stages before parking his No. 10 Don Moore-owned Beast/AutoCraft on the frontstretch and climbing on top of the roll cage in jubilation.
“That was a great race, right there,” Kaiser said. “The track was totally different from what we expected. Our car totally lost it, and I was just hanging on. I knew there were a lot of fast guys back there and just did everything I could to keep it going out front.”
Chili Bowl entries exceed 300
Exceeding 300 entries for the fifth consecutive event, a melting pot of talent is set to converge on Tulsa, Oklahoma, with tens of thousands of fans from all walks of life set to file into the River Spirit Expo Center from nearly every corner of the globe for the 33rd Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire, happening Jan. 14-19.
“When the Chili Bowl started, we had just a few over 50 cars that showed up and maybe a couple thousand people that came out to watch. I think back to those days and look at what it has become, and I’m amazed,” said Chili Bowl co-founder Emmett Hahn.
On the mix of drivers, Hahn explained that the early days it was all Sprint Car and Midget racers. The talent of NASCAR, Indy and beyond hadn’t found the Chili Bowl yet.
“It was a deal where the Sprint Car guys were coming in and challenging the Midget drivers, and you could go through that entry list and pick them out. Of course, Sammy Swindell he was an Outlaw guy and guys like Kevin Doty, they were the Midget guys. Then we had the non-wing racers in there like Jimmy Sills, and eventually, this kid named Tony Stewart started coming around,” Hahn said. “Now, I look at the list of drivers, and it’s everything from the Street Stock guy to NHRA, NASCAR, Indy, Outlaws, Late Models, Modifieds and even Off-Road Trucks drivers, and it isn’t any dog-and-pony show. Every one of them is serious about trying to win the Chili Bowl.”
Currently north of 320 entries, the mix of talent is drawn from over 30 states and five countries. Among those entered is the reigning back-to-back Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Champion Christopher Bell. Wheeling the Columbus-based Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian No. 71w, the car will be the same one that Bell drove to victory in the 2018 event.
While Bell goes for the hat trick, he is not the only past champion in the field, or for that matter, on the same team.
Rico Abreu, who topped the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in 2015 and 2016, will seek his third title in the KKM/Curb-Agajanian No. 97. While both will be trying to earn that third Golden Driller for their Trophy Case, a win by any of the 11 entries under the KKM banner, which includes Kyle Larson, Logan Seavey, Holley Hollan, Jesse Colwell, Tanner Carrick, Sam Johnson, Spencer Bayston, and another to be announced soon, would bring Kunz his eighth victory as a car owner.
Also among the list of Chili Bowl Champions is Sammy Swindell. The man with the most wins as a driver, Swindell’s five victories was nearly matched by his son Kevin, who was the first to win back-to-back Chili Bowls before creating a dynasty of four running from 2010 to 2013 before an accident in a Sprint Car in 2015 took him out of competition. While no longer behind the seat, Kevin will field his No. 39 machine with California’s Ryan Bernal behind the wheel.
In all, seven drivers entered have held the Golden Driller. Damion Gardner will look to regain the glory he had in 2008 when he again takes the wheel for Klatt Motorsports. Moving into a Jim Neuman-baked machine for the 2019 event, 2018 World 100 Champion Tim McCreadie will bring a throwback design dedicated to his father. Joining with Wilke-Pac Motorsports, Tracy Hines will look to claim a second Golden Driller for the team he parked in Victory Lane in 2005. Winning in 1990, John Heydenreich will also be in the field.
The 33rd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire takes place Jan. 14 to 19 at the Tulsa Expo Raceway, located inside the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa. Jan. 15 and 15 tickets are on sale, with reserved seats $54 each. The Pit Pass is sold at the event and includes a General Admission pass good for seating on the backstretch. Pit Passes are $45 on weekdays and $60 on Jan. 19.
For continued updates on the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire, fans can follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with @CBNationals. All official press, updates and results on the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire can be found online at chilibowl.com.
James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected].
