From Bryan Hulbert
TULSA, Okla. (December 26, 2017) — The 30th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire set the mark at 349 entries, but the 31st edition just smashed that record as 358 entries have been turned in for the annual “Mecca of Midgets”.
With the 31st annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire slated for January 10-14, 2017 inside the River Spirit Expo Center, there is still time to further that record as entries can be accepted all the way up until the final preliminary night on January 13.
The question now, is can the attendance record of 335 be broken? The mark was also set during the 30th annual event.
Among the latest round of entries includes some of Sprint Car racing’s royalty like Wooster, Ohio’s Jac Haudenschild. The three time A-Feature starter is known for his over the top, win or wear it driving style and is scheduled to pilot the JFM No. 73x again in 2017. Jac is also among the few Father/Son combination in this year’s Chili Bowl as Sheldon Haudenschild will wheel a ride for Mike Larson/Keith Kunz Motorsports.
Jac Haudenschild is one of 57 past A-Feature starters that currently populate the list of 2017 Golden Driller hopefuls.
Of the 358 entries, 19 of those are still looking for shoe. One of the most notable is Loyet Motorsports who found the original driver of one of their No. o5 machines was not going to be able to make the trip. Also on the that list is Clauson-Marshall Racing, Frank Manafort, Fisher-Hartman, Swindell, Mounce, RayPro Motorsports, and Felker just to name a few.
While the list of Chili Bowl veterans continues to read like a Hall of Fame induction, the list of Rookies is grown at a rapid pace as well as 71 drivers will take their first swing at mastering the Tulsa Expo Raceway. Added recently was Georgia’s Jonathan Davenport. A product of the world of Late Models, Davenport is a true Midget rookie, though that doesn’t seem to be stopping the 2015 Lucas Oil Late Model Champion. In 2016, Davenport racked up 10 wins with the Lucas Oil backed series, including the $40,000 to win Silver Dollar Nationals at I-80 Speedway in Greenwood, Neb.
Davenport will be racing for Zach Daum who, along with racing himself, is again providing the Tony Elliott Memorial car that was awarded to David Gravel for the 2017 edition.
Officials are working on breaking the entry list down into Qualifying nights. That list is scheduled to be released late on December 27, 2016.
The entire list of Chili Bowl entrants can be found online at http://www.chilibowl.com/entries/manual.aspx.
Tickets for the opening night on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 are still available. The opening night will also include the eight edition of the Vacuworx Invitational Race of Champion, otherwise known as the VIROC. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (918) 838-3777 or by stopping by the River Spirit Expo Center. Pit Passes are sold at the event and double as a General Admission pass. Pit Passes never sell out.
The 31st annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire takes place January 10-14, 2017 inside the River Spirit Expo Center. For continued updates on the 31st annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire, log onto http://www.chilibowl.com.