As the 2021 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire rapidly approaches, the event continues to navigate the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Although the sights of the fans packed around the Tulsa Expo Raceway for one of the greatest motorsports events in the world, the organizers want to ensure the fans are as safe as possible.
Currently, grandstands and pits have been placed at a 25 percent capacity. With these restrictions, if you do not wish to attend the 2021 Chili Bowl Nationals, you need to request notification by Friday.
After notification is received, you will not be charged, and the tickets will be reserved for renewal prior to the 2022 event. If you have paid by check or cash and do not choose to attend, they will process a refund.
Requests to defer your seats until the 2022 event must be made before 5 p.m. Friday. To contact the office, call 918-838-3777 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST (9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CST) Monday through Friday.
In an attempt to add another layer of safety to the 2021 Chili Bowl Nationals, anyone entering the River Spirit Expo Center will be required to wear a mask and have their temperature checked.
Masks must be worn in such a manner as to completely cover the individual’s nose and mouth. Any attendee with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher will not be allowed into the River Spirit Expo Center. Attendees with a temperature of 100.3 or below will be allowed to enter and should follow all other facility guidelines.
COVID-19 Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, cough, headache, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, chills or repeated shaking with chills. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please do not attend.
Sweet takes Outlaws title
Brad Sweet and Logan Schuchart closed out the 2020 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season the same way they opened it.
Schuchart won the DIRTcar Nationals finale in February, while Sweet claimed the event’s title Nov. 7 during the World of Outlaws Last Call season finale at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Schuchart won the race, while Sweet was officially crowned the 2020 champion.
“We overcame a lot of adversity to have four DNFs and to still win the points,” said Sweet, of Grass Valley, California, about his 2020 season. “I thought we showed our resilience this week, and we came here and executed, I thought, perfectly. We did everything we needed to do to win the points and get Kasey Kahne Racing the team championship. Hats off to our competitors. Logan (Schuchart) gave me a good run for my money all season long, and the 41 (Jason Johnson Racing) bunch… nothing but respect from all of us here. Obviously, we want to win and stay on top of the mountain.”
“We came into this weekend saying we just wanted to end strong,” said Schuchart, of Hanover, Pennsylvania. “We knew certain things were out of our control. Last (week) was a challenge, but we made up for it a little bit. To end the World of Outlaws season with a win is awesome. We weren’t able to get the championship, but fifth last year and second this year (in points). This Shark Racing team is coming. We’re going to continue to try and get better and move forward.”
Sweet was the early contender for the win, claiming the pole for the feature, and led the three opening laps. But Schuchart had the NAPA Auto Parts No. 49 in sight the entire time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. With a run down the front stretch, Schuchart pulled the trigger and shot a slide job underneath Sweet into Turn 1 and cleared him for the lead by Turn 2.
From then on, the Drydene No. 1S held command out front. Sweet closed on him in traffic, but could never get close enough to attempt a pass.
In the feature, David Gravel stole third on the first lap and kept Sweet in sight throughout the entire event. Gravel could close on him after a restart, but Sweet pulled away over time in clean air. To have any shot at bringing JJR the team title, he needed to beat Sweet and hope that “The Big Cat” fell at least 11 positions behind him. He came up short on that goal and ended the season with a third-place finish.
The race was also Gravel’s final drive behind the wheel of the JJR No. 41 car. He’ll join Big Game Motorsports in 2021 for a championship run.
Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz ended the night with a sixth-place finish and ended the year third in the championship standings. That breaks his 14-year streak of finishing first or second in points. Schatz drives for Tony Stewart Racing
Sheldon Haudenschild had a career-best season, finishing fourth in points with a career-high seven wins in a single season. Carson Macedo also had a new career achievement by finishing fifth in points with Kyle Larson Racing. Macedo will join Jason Johnson Racing in 2021 as KLR closes this year
Former Stewart crew chief dies
Scott Gerkin, a longtime sprint car crew chief passed away on Nov. 8. He was 62. In 2010 he joined Tony Stewart Racing as the crew chief for Steve Kinser, staying there with Kinser until the end of the 2014 season.
Gerkin a 2018 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee got the racing bug watching his uncle and a friend’s father race stock cars at Brownstown Speedway. He was introduced to the Kinser clan through Larry Kinser’s instruction in auto mechanics. He was a frequent visitor to Dizz Wilson’s garage, and there, he learned maintenance skills that would last a lifetime. Traveling to events with legends like Dick Gaines was valuable experience.
When he joined Richard Briscoe’s team with driver Chuck Amati, things really took off. There was more traveling, and the wins came quickly. They would continue with Randy Kinser behind the wheel, and in 1984, Karl Kinser offered Scott an opportunity to go on the World of Outlaws trail with Mark Kinser. Mark Kinser grabbed his first win at Knoxville that season and shared Rookie of the Year honors with Greg Wooley.
In mid-1986, Gerkin moved to the Gohr Racing No. 56 owned by Dick Hammond and operated by Galen Fox. Kenny Jacobs drove to double-digit wins, including an Eldora Nationals prelim. Gerkin was really getting in the engine game now, constructing them with Fox and Chuck Snyder. That led to Karl Kinser calling Gerkin to oversee his engine program. Karl’s work ethic clicked with Gerkin and with Steve Kinser driving, the era saw six World of Outlaw titles, two USA titles, five Knoxville Nationals and two King’s Royal wins between 1988 and 1994.
When Steve Kinser returned from NASCAR in 1995 and formed his own team, Gerkin went with him. Working in the shop with Randy Kinser, they supplied engines that won 18 times, including the Knoxville Nationals, the Historical Big One and Syracuse. With Gerkin as full-time crew chief in 2000, the team won another WoO championship. Four consecutive titles came from 2002 to 2005, and even Kraig Kinser’s Knoxville Nationals win in 2005 came with power supplied by the team.
After moving to the Tony Stewart Racing banner with Steve Kinser in 2010, Gerkin was honored as “Crew Chief of the Year.” In 2014, following Steve’s farewell tour, Gerkin was honored with the “Ted Johnson Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Sprint Car Racing.”
James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected].
