Christopher Bell successfully defended his Chili Bowl
Nationals victory from 2017 on Saturday night, January 13, picking up the lead
midway through the 55-lapper at the quarter-mile dirt oval at the Tulsa (Okla.)
Expo Center.
Bell became the seventh driver to win the Chili Bowl
Nationals multiple times, and the third to win the race in succession, joining
Kevin Swindell (four straight) and Rico Abreu (2015-2016). Bell also added another victory
for the Sooner State, represented with three Golden Drillers (Bell with two and
Andy Hillenburg with one). Bell also recently won the Tulsa Shootout race.
Here is a quick recap of the fifth night of action in the 32nd
annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire.
Chili Bowl
Statistics, Night Five (Saturday)
- - Car Count: 345 (out of 357 entries)
- - N-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 10 laps; top 4
advance to M-Features)
o
N-Feature Winners: Mike Griffiths, Matt Juhl
- - M-Features: 2 (each scheduled 10 laps; top 4
advance to L-Features)
o
M-Feature Winners: Anthony Nocella, Troy Betts
- - L-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 10 laps; top 4
advance to K-Features)
o
L-Feature Winners: Shane Stewart (8 laps),
Brandon Gray (4 laps)
- - K-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 10 laps; top 4
advance to J-Features)
o
K-Feature Winners: Nick Drake, Scottie McDonald
(2 laps)
- - J-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 10 laps; top 4
advance to I-Features)
o
J-Feature Winners: Holley Hollan (5 laps), Danny
Faria Jr.
- - I-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 10 laps; top 4
advance to H-Features)
o
I-Feature Winners: Kody Swanson, Wyatt Burks
- - H-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 10 laps; top 4
advance to G-Features)
o
H-Feature Winners: Paul Nienhiser, Dylan
Westbrook
- - G-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 10 laps; top 4
advance to F-Features)
o
G-Feature Winners: Landon Simon (8 laps), Korey
Weyant
- - F-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 10 laps; top 4
advance to E-Features)
o
F-Feature Winners: Tony Bruce Jr., Derek Hagar
- - E-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 10 laps; top 4
advance to D-Features)
o
E-Feature Winners: Harli White, Josh Most
- - D-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 15 laps; top 6
advance to C-Features)
o
D-Feature Winners: C.J. Leary, Daryn Pittman
- - C-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 15 laps; top 6
advance to B-Features)
o
C-Feature Winners: Tanner Thorson, David Gravel
- - B-Features: 2 (each scheduled for 20 laps; top 6
advance to A-Feature)
o
B-Feature Winners: Sammy Swindell, Caleb
Armstrong
- - #BCForever Pole Shuffle Powered by Pizza Express
(11 races)
o
Pole Shuffle Winner: Kyle Larson
- - A-Feature: 1 (totaling 55 laps)
o
A-Feature Winner: Christopher Bell
o
Hard Charger: Ryan Bernal +18
- - Number of Races Held (all heats/prelim
features/pole shuffles): 38 (127 through five nights)
- - Number of Laps Completed: 1260 (928 through five
nights; does not include laps in Pole Shuffle races)
- - Number of Flips: 70
- - Most Different Races: Shane Stewart (4 features,
L to I)
- - Home States Represented in A-Feature: California
(10); Indiana (4); Oklahoma (2); Nevada (1); Alabama (1); Arizona (1); Illinois
(1); New Jersey (1); Missouri (1); Tennessee (1); Oxfordshire, England (1)
Notes of Interest
Notes of Interest
-
Christopher Bell defended his Chili Bowl
Nationals title, earning his second consecutive victory in the Saturday night
A-Main. Bell is the third driver in the 32-year history of the Chili Bowl
Nationals to win the race at least twice in a row. Kevin Swindell was the
first, winning the race four consecutive years between 2010 and 2013. Rico
Abreu was the second, with victories in 2015 and 2016.
-
Bell is the seventh driver to win the Chili Bowl
Nationals Saturday night A-Main on multiple occasions. He joins Sammy Swindell
(five times), Kevin Swindell (four times), Rico Abreu (twice), Dan Boorse
(twice), Cory Kruseman (twice) and Tony Stewart (twice).
-
Keith Kunz has now won four consecutive Chili
Bowls as a car owner and seven career.
-
Abreu finished second in Saturday’s A-Main,
giving him first or second in three of his six appearances.
-
Spencer Bayston was third in only his second
career Saturday night A-Main. That gave Keith Kunz Motorsports and Toyota a
podium sweep.
-
Tanner Thorson finished fourth for the third
time in four Saturday night A-Mains.
-
Ryan Bernal, in his second career Saturday night
A-Main, finished fifth, advancing a race-high 18 positions from 23rd, on the
last row.
-
Each of the top five drivers was born in the
1990s. Brad Sweet, who finished sixth, ended that streak; he was born in 1985.
-
The A-Main featured four feature overall
champions – Bell, Abreu, Hines and Swindell. Swindell, who finished 23rd after
dropping out early, was making his record 24th Saturday night A-Main, after
winning the first B-Main, with Hines second.
-
The 24-car A-Main featured seven first-time
drivers – Chase Johnson, Kevin Thomas Jr., Ryan Robinson, Logan Seavey, Tom
Harris, Billy Pauch Jr. and Giovanni Scelzi. Johnson was the highest-finishing
driver – eighth.
-
Of the 24 competitors, four had fathers who have
competed in the race – Kevin Thomas Jr. (Kevin Thomas); Chad Boat (Billy Boat);
Billy Pauch Jr. (Billy Pauch) and Giovanni Scelzi (Gary Scelzi).
-
Jerry Coons Jr., who finished 10th in the first
B-Main, had his streak of 14 consecutive years with a Saturday night A-Main
start come to an end. He last missed the A in 2003. The 14 straight starts marks
a record for all competitors. Coons has competed in the A-Main on 18 occasions.
No comments:
Post a Comment