From Robert Haugh
With over 250 entries, it’s no wonder that the Silver Anniversary of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals is the Super Bowl of Midget racing.
Additionally, it’s no wonder that the event that annually attracts the best Midget racers from throughout the U.S. and beyond, as well as a myriad of racing stars from an array of series including NASCAR, NHRA, WOO, also sees the fabled Bay Cities Racing Association having ties to over three dozen of the entries.
This year’s 25th Annual Chili Bowl will feature an array of BCRA champions, feature winners, veterans, young guns and car owners having often competed in BCRA competition.
Here are highlights of some of the BCRA drivers and teams entered in this year’s prestigious Chili Bowl, all gunning at winning the 25th Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals and capturing the coveted Golden Driller trophy awarded on Saturday, January 15th.
With so many championships, feature wins and accolades amidst the field, we will start with two-time (2008, reigning 2010) BCRA Midget champion “Young Lion” Nick Foster, Jr., competing in the Walker Racing-Bay Muffler-Windows Unlimited-Dennis Foster #10f Stealth/Esslinger, 2009 BCRA champion and current BCRA President “Mr. Excitement” David Prickett of Fresno piloting the Neverlift Motorsports #15p Manitowoc-Prickett’s Distributing-Wunder Bar-Press Box-Elite Powder Spike/Van Dyne, 2007 BCRA champion Justin Grant chauffeuring the Dave & Wendy Thurston #17x TNT Racesports Jimmy Sills School of Open Wheel Racing-Bruce Thurston Enterprises TCR/Gaerte, BCRA’s “Ageless Wonder” Floyd Alvis, the 7-time BCRA champion, manning his Champion Automotive #18 Dick Slate Motorsports-A&D Welding-B&L Transport-Ackernar Fabrication Stealth/Esslinger, 2000 BCRA champion and multi-time feature winner Thomas Meseraull wheeling Mark Bush’s #2t Pro Shocks-Outlaw Disc Brakes Spike/Esslinger and 2002 BCRA champion Matt Streeter piloting his #14JR S&S Automotive-T&T Trucking-Chuck Cyport Racing-Bobby Brown Racing-ART Enterprises Spike/Chevy and National Sprint Car Hall of Famer and multiple-time feature winner Jimmy Sills of Elverta aboard Dave & Wendy Turston’s #17t TNT Racesports Jimmy Sills School of Open Wheel Racing-Bruce Thurston Enterprises Spike/Esslinger.
Other notable BCRA hard chargers entered include multiple-time 2010 BCRA feature winner and Southern California non-wing Sprint Car hot shoe Greg Bragg of Visalia aboard Bob Roza’s #28 Special Things Sheetmetal-Power Up Concrete Pumping-Dan Parker Fabrication-Hot Head Engine Heaters Stealth/Esslinger, American Canyon’s Travis Berryhill aboard Mark Bush’s #2a Vallejo Coin Exchange-Red Line Oil Spike/Esslinger, multiple-time BCRA feature winner Shannon McQueen gunning her own #7 American Waste Control-Dirt Divas Apparel-Simpson Race Products-Eibach Springs-Lucas Oil Spike/Esslinger, 19-year-old Shane Golobic piloting longtime BCRA car owner Doug Bock’s #26 Bicycle Inc. of Fort Worth-Pinder’s Welding Supply Spike/Esslinger, Pleasanton’s Pete Davis aboard his #00 Hothead Engine Heaters Stealth/Esslinger, Santa Claraita’s Robby Josett in Ron Josett’s #02 R&L & Sons Construction-Josett Heating & Cooling Spike/Esslinger, 2008 BCRA pavement champion and rookie-of-the-year “Nitro” Nick Chivello aboard veteran car owner Cliff Blackwell’s #27 Red Top Roofing-Arrowhead Water-Rod End Supply-Hayward Rubberstamp-Gaerte Engines Stealth/Ford. Chivello will be joined by two TBA drivers in the Blackwell #27c and #27d Stealth/Gaertes.
Joining the McQueen Racing stable will be Guthrie, Oklahoma’s Michelle Decker aboard Shannon McQueen’s #7d Simpson Race Products-American Southwest Mortgage-Waurika Truck & Tire-Quantum Consulting-Carter Custom Finishes Spike/Esslinger and Fresno’s T.J. Smith aboard McQueen’s #7s UHL Rubber-Simpson Race Products-Lucas Oil-Esslinger Engineering-Mud-X Spike/Esslinger. Joining the Neverlift Motorsports team will be Lake Havasu City, Arizona’s Connor Kassik piloting the Neverlift Motorsports #15n Manitowoc-Prickett’s Distributing-Wunder Bar-Press Box-Elite Powder TCR/Van Dyne.
Other entries with BCRA ties include past BCRA feature winner and Washington Midget Racing Association champion Evan Margeson of Tacoma, Washington aboard Bob East’s #4m Beast/Fontana, Atascadero’s Randi Pankratz aboard father Wally’s #8 HASA-Sta-Rite-Trench Shoring Edmunds/Fontana, Stockton’s Johnathon Henry piloting the Graunstadt Enterprises #88 Ellis/Fontana, former BCRA feature winner Garrett Hansen aboard Andy Bondio’s always-potent #47x Barnes Oil Pumps-Advanced Suspension-Kenny’s Components-Brown & Miller Bondio/Barnes Chevy, Bakersfield’s Sean Dodenhoff aboard his own #9d H.M. Holloway Inc.-World Wide Medical-Bakersfield Sports Injury-Brad Dodenhoff Spike/Fontana, Norco’s Joey Fabozzi aboard Fabozzi Motorsports’ #84 M&D Financial Spike/Fontana, Chino Hills’ Austin Smith aboard James Smith’s #33s Day Construction-R&S Floors Edmunds//Fontana, Angwin’s Britton Bock a board his #67x McNamara Electric-Driveline Service of Santa Rosa-Ken Bankson Painting-Pete’s Tractor Service TCR/Esslinger, Bakersfield’s Wink Schweitzer aboard Mike & Wink Schweitzer’s #60 Watkins Construction-MMI Services-Premier Services-M-P Environmental Stealth/Fontana,
Prunedale’s Justin Sanders mounts Dodenhoff’s #9s Soil Fume Inc.-Well Pict Berries-North County Plastering-B&K Trumpp Farms-Torco Oil-Bakersfield Sports Injury #9s Spike/Fontana. Orland’s B.J. Martin joins the Walker Racing stable manning the Walker Racing-Bay Muffler-National Tow-Napa Auto Parts of Orland-Farnham Farms #10m Stealth/Esslinger.
Last, but certainly not least include Kinsburg’s Swanson Brothers, who have dominated many BCRA events in the past two seasons. Kody Swanson will be competing in Wilke-Pak Motorsports #11 Speedway Motors/Toyota/BMRS/Autonet Mobile/Nos Energy Drink Spike/Toyota while brother Tanner will be manning Team 6R-TK Motorsports’ #19tk visaliasmiles.com/All Star Performance/K&N Filters/Simpson/FK Rod Ends Spike/Claxton Toyota.
We have tried to include every entry, whether owner, driver or team with BCRA ties in this report, however, we apologize for any errors or omissions from this article, as there are over 250 entries in the 25th annual Chili Bowl.
The 2011 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals revs up on Tuesday, January 11 and concludes with Saturday’s feature races on January 15.
If you cannot be there to see all of the exciting Midget action live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the race will be streamed live (audio only) online at www.racinboys.com for a fee.
Complete entries and nightly lineups can be found at www.chilibowl.com.
Visit www.bcraracing.com for more information on the Bay Cities Racing Association.