By Bryan Gapinski
Wilke-PAK Motorsports will run a three-car effort with Dave Darland, Chris Windom and Brady Bacon in the 26th anniversary running of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, on Jan. 10-14 at the QuikTrip Center’s Tulsa Expo Raceway ¼-mile clay oval in Tulsa, Okla.
Wilke-PAK won the 2005 Chili Bowl Championship with Tracy Hines, while Darland placed third. The team has also recorded ten preliminary night feature wins with six different drivers. A total of 261 enteries for the five-day event have been filed.
Darland, who also has recorded preliminary night wins for the team in 2000, and ’07, will be looking for his thirteenth career Chili Bowl Championship feature start and will race in Friday night’s preliminary races. He was runner-up in 2008.
Windom, runner-up in USAC National Sprint Car points last year, will race on Thursday night, and hopes to improve upon his fifth place finish in the 2009 Chili Bowl. Windom returns to the team after a sucessful 2011 Indiana Midget Week campaign.
Bacon, the popular Oklahoma driver, will compete in Tuesday night’s events along with the Vacuworx Int’l Race of Champions. Bacon’s best Saturday night finish came in 2008, with a seventh place showing. Bacon recorded a pair of third place finishes with the team in 2011.
TEAM INFO
Team: Wilke-PAK Motorsports, Milwaukee,Wis.
Chassis: Spike
Engine: Toyota
Sponsors: Toyota, Toyota Racing Development, QTM, Autonet Mobile, Gary Stanton, Racing Optics, Speedway Motors, Hoosier Racing Tires, K & N Filters, Schoenfeld, Kwik Change, BMRS, Fuel Safe, Spike, Autometer, NOS Energy Drink, DMI, EFI Ignitions, Sanders, Kenny’s Components, Hepfner Racing Products, Behling Racing Equip, Joe Gibbs Racing Oil, Maxwell Industries, Scott Shop Towels, Butler Built, Engler, Afco, Xtreme Fuel Stick.