Inside Line Promotions
TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 20, 2014) – For the fifth straight year Andrew Felker advanced to at least a B Main during the famed Chili Bowl last weekend.
Felker scored a top 10 during his qualifying night on Thursday, which propelled him into a B Main during Saturday’s finale at the 28th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire at Tulsa Expo Raceway.
“Any time you get to the B Mains and C Mains, those are like A Mains on a regular night,” he said.
Felker opened the premier midget event last Thursday by leading all eight laps of his heat race after starting on the outside of the front row. He then lined up fifth in a qualifier, but quickly maneuvered toward the front.
“We were quick enough to run second,” he said. “I went to the bottom and followed too long. I should have popped back to the top.”
Felker ended his qualifier in third place, which garnered him the eighth-most points to start the main event on the outside of the fourth row.
“By the time we got to turn one we were 10th or 11th,” he said. “The outside line got shuffled back.”
Felker hovered around that position for most of the 25-lap feature before picking up a few positions in the closing laps to earn a seventh-place result.
“The car kept getting better as the race went on,” he said. “I just never had any yellows to make any small adjustments.”
After the points of the nearly 300 drivers spread throughout four qualifying nights were calculated, Felker started the finale on Saturday – which was broadcast live on MAVTV – from inside the fourth row of a B Main. From the drop of the green flag, Felker stayed within striking distance of a transfer position.
“We were all right there real close,” he said. “I was right at the transfer spot at one point and kinda got moved out of the way by Jerry Coons Jr. and lost a couple of spots. The car was a bit tight and we needed a yellow. Finally at one point under green I grabbed the nozzle and tried to loosen the car up.”
Felker finished with a ninth-place result, which was only three positions away from transferring to the main event for the second straight year.
“I think overall it was a good weekend,” he said. “I definitely would have liked to put it in the show. Being that close to the transfer spot, I felt like we were quick enough to put it in a transfer spot. It’s definitely bittersweet.”
Felker is now headed to Australia to compete for the next couple of weeks.
QUICK RESULTS –
Jan. 16 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – Heat race: 1 (2); Qualifier: 3 (5); Feature: 7 (8).
Jan. 18 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – B Main: 9 (7).
SEASON STATS –
2 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10, 1 top 15, 1 top 20
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.AndrewFelkerRacing.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – MelMark Pipe & Supply
Located in El Reno, Okla., MelMark Pipe & Supply provides industry leading pipe throughout the Midwest. For more information, visit http://www.MelMarkPipe.com.
“I teamed up with MelMark Pipe & Supply a few years back and it’s been great working with them,” Felker said. “I really appreciate having them on board for the Chili Bowl.”
Felker would also like to thank Auto Xpress, Momo’s Racing Engines, Engler Machine & Tool, Inc., 66 Truck & Foreign Salvage, Fontana Automotive, CSI Shocks, Schluckebier Farms, Pro Powder Coating, All-Pro Auto Interiors, Aggressive Graphics, KBR Performance, Weld Wheels, KMK Enterprises, Heath II, Wilwood, Maxim Racewear and Leading Edge Composites for their continued support.