By T.J. Buffenbarger
TULSA, Ok. (January 14, 2018) — 2018 USAC National Midget Car champion Logan Seavey opened the 2019 edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals with a clean sweep of Monday’s preliminary program. Seavey from Sutter, California won his heat race, qualifying race, and led every lap of the main event to lock himself into Saturday’s finale driving for Keith Kunz Motorsports.
“This is pretty awesome. Just to be able to race this race is a huge honor for me,” said Seavey after his perfect night. “To be able to be in cars like this with Keith (Kunz) and Pete (Willoughby) and everybody that works on these things at the shop it’s just incredible for me to be here. It’s a dream come true. I know a lot of people say that, but it’s definitely real for me.”
Seavey started on the front row and pulled away while Chase Briscoe and Brad Sweet raced for the runner up position. Briscoe and Sweet were joined by Brady Bacon while Seavey built up a full straightaway lead. Bacon passed Briscoe for third on lap six and quickly closed in on Sweet. Just as Bacon and Sweet were closing in on Seavey for the lead the caution appeared on lap eight for Hayden Williams stopping on the track.
After the restart Seavey opened a comfortable lead. While Sweet and Bacon raced for second Jake Neuman moved up to fourth and challenged Briscoe for fourth. As the top five closed in on each other in slower traffic the red flag appeared for a four car pile up in turn one that included Seavey’s KKM teammate Tanner Carrick, David Camfield, Kyle Craker, and Williams.
Seavey drove away from the field while Sweet and Bacon continued to dice for the final transfer position. After trading lines with Sweet going to the top and Bacon moving to the bottom Sweet missed his entrance into turn one and on lap 23 and allowed Bacon to get a run down the backstretch and slide into the second and final spot to lock into the feature.
Seavey was never seriously challenged as he conservatively managed slower traffic over the final three laps for the victory. Bacon held on for second while Sweet rounded out the podium.
“We got the cautions just as we gained on the lapped cars every time,” said Seavey. “Right at the end we caught them with two laps to go and it made me a little bit nervous because one guy broke, said Seavey. “You just never know what’s going to happen with lapped traffic.”
For Seavey being locked into Saturday’s A-Main was a huge relief for the rest of the week but planned on doing plenty of homework throughout the other preliminary nights leading into Saturday’s finale.
“Its great to be able to sit here and watch know that we will be in the first couple of rows of the feature. Just be able to relax, watch the racing, and not worry about much. Just keep an eye on the race track and see what characteristics it is holding up to.”
33rd Annual Chili Bowl Nationals
Cummins Qualifying Night
Tulsa Expo Raceway
Tulsa, OK
Monday January 14, 2018
Heat Races (Top 40 in passing points transferred to the qualifiers)
Heat Race #1 (8 Laps):
1. 5X – Tyson Hall [1]
2. 3N – Jake Neuman [3]
3. 8M – Kade Morton [2]
4. 19P – Brandon Long [5]
5. 77 – Cameron Hagin [8]
6. 2BX – Brett Becker [7]
7. 11K – Gage Rucker [4]
8. 17J – Jeremy Dockery [6]
Heat Race #2 (8 Laps):
1. 21B – Chase Briscoe [2]
2. 76M – Brady Bacon [3]
3. 17W – Dustin Golobic [4]
4. 8 – Alex Sewell [5]
5. 15S – Sean McClelland [6]
6. 11J – Justin Melton [7]
7. 5V – Jesse Vermillion [1]
8. 8B – Colin Deming [8]
Heat Race #3 (8 Laps):
1. 1R – Brad Sweet [4]
2. 20D – Chris Dyson [5]
3. 74J – Bill Jackson [1]
4. 54 – Ray Seach [6]
5. 02 – Andy Gage [8]
6. 09 – Timmy Thrash [3]
7. 130 – Larry Bratti [2]
8. 9C – Cale Cozad [7]
Heat Race #4 (8 Laps):
1. 39B – Zeb Wise [4]
2. 74 – Luke Hall [3]
3. 20S – Shon Deskins [2]
4. 14X – Jody Rosenboom [6]
5. 81 – Colten Cottle [8]
6. 5F – Danny Frye III [1]
7. 4C – Riley Kreisel [5]
8. 7RS – Christopher Larson [7]
Heat Race #5 (8 Laps):
1. 71K – Tanner Carrick [2]
2. 32T – Trey Marcham [3]
3. 1B – Travis Rilat [4]
4. 29M – Joey Moughan [5]
5. 4W – Warren Johnson [1]
6. 8R – Anton Hernandez [7]
7. 22 – John Heydenreich [6]
DNS: 10T – Brandon Thomas
Heat Race #6 (8 Laps):
1. 86C – David Camfield [1]
2. P1 – Paul White [2]
3. 91W – Hayden Williams [3]
4. 2 – Ryan Hall [5]
5. 4S – Tyler Seavey [6]
6. 88V – Jace VanderWeerd [7]
7. 88W – Dustin Weland [8]
8. 56A – Travis Young [4]
Heat Race #7 (8 Laps):
1. 67 – Logan Seavey [6]
2. 55D – Nick Drake [1]
3. 5P – Kyle Craker [4]
4. 9X – Paul Nienhiser [7]
5. 1Z – Chris Roseland [5]
6. 57A – Austin Schaeffer [3]
7. (DNF) 7H – Roy Entze II [2]
DNS: 37X – Andrew Prather
Heat Race #8 (8 Laps):
1. 2WG – Weston Gorham [4]
2. 17Z – Zac Moody [3]
3. 3E – Blake Battles [6]
4. 99R – Brad Bowden [5]
5. 20C – Collin Rinehart [1]
6. 19N – Nick O’Neal [2]
7. (DNF) 74Z – Zach Merritt [7]
C-Mains (First four finishers transferred to the B-Mains)
C-Main #1 (12 Laps):
1. 8R – Anton Hernandez [1]
2. 4W – Warren Johnson [2]
3. 57A – Austin Schaeffer [4]
4. 11K – Gage Rucker [6]
5. 74Z – Zach Merritt [5]
6. 88W – Dustin Weland [3]
7. 9C – Cale Cozad [8]
8. 5V – Jesse Vermillion [9]
9. 56A – Travis Young [10]
10. 130 – Larry Bratti [7]
DNS: 22 – John Heydenreich
DNS: 37X – Andrew Prather
C-Main #2 (12 Laps):
1. 4C – Riley Kreisel [6]
2. 88V – Jace VanderWeerd [1]
3. 09 – Timmy Thrash [3]
4. 5F – Danny Frye III [5]
5. 7RS – Christopher Larson [9]
6. 7H – Roy Entze II [8]
7. 8B – Colin Deming [7]
8. 17J – Jeremy Dockery [10]
9. 19N – Nick O’Neal [4]
10. 20C – Collin Rinehart [2]
DNS: 10T – Brandon Thomas
Qualifiers (Top 16 in passing points from the heat races and qualifiers transfer to the A-Main)
Qualifier #1 (10 Laps):
1. 67 – Logan Seavey [6]
2. 5P – Kyle Craker [1]
3. P1 – Paul White [2]
4. 5X – Tyson Hall [4]
5. 20S – Shon Deskins [8]
6. 20D – Chris Dyson [5]
7. 4S – Tyler Seavey [10]
8. 2 – Ryan Hall [9]
9. 74 – Luke Hall [3]
10. 02 – Andy Gage [7]
Qualifier #2 (10 Laps):
1. 55D – Nick Drake [2]
2. 32T – Trey Marcham [3]
3. 21B – Chase Briscoe [5]
4. 1R – Brad Sweet [6]
5. 54 – Ray Seach [1]
6. 86C – David Camfield [4]
7. 81 – Colten Cottle [7]
8. 19P – Brandon Long [8]
9. 1Z – Chris Roseland [10]
10. 99R – Brad Bowden [9]
Qualifier #3 (10 Laps)
1. 17W – Dustin Golobic [2]
2. 3N – Jake Neuman [4]
3. 17Z – Zac Moody [3]
4. 8 – Alex Sewell [8]
5. 71K – Tanner Carrick [5]
6. 14X – Jody Rosenboom [1]
7. 91W – Hayden Williams [7]
8. 39B – Zeb Wise [6]
9. 74J – Bill Jackson [9]
10. 2BX – Brett Becker [10]
Qualifier #4 (10 Laps)
1. 1B – Travis Rilat [2]
2. 76M – Brady Bacon [4]
3. 9X – Paul Nienhiser [3]
4. 77 – Cameron Hagin [1]
5. 29M – Joey Moughan [8]
6. 2WG – Weston Gorham [6]
7. 15S – Sean McClelland [9]
8. 11J – Justin Melton [10]
9. 3E – Blake Battles [5]
10. 8M – Kade Morton [7]
B-Mains (First four finishers transferred to the A-Main)
B-Main #1 (15 Laps)
1. 71K – Tanner Carrick [1]
2. 91W – Hayden Williams [7]
3. 39B – Zeb Wise [3]
4. 81 – Colten Cottle [6]
5. 8R – Anton Hernandez [13]
6. 77 – Cameron Hagin [4]
7. 57A – Austin Schaeffer [15]
8. 4S – Tyler Seavey [5]
9. 74J – Bill Jackson [10]
10. 4W – Warren Johnson [14]
11. 8M – Kade Morton [12]
12. 02 – Andy Gage [11]
13. 74 – Luke Hall [9]
14. 3E – Blake Battles [8]
15. 11K – Gage Rucker [16]
16. 20D – Chris Dyson [2]
B-Main #2 (15 Laps)
1. 86C – David Camfield [3]
2. 15S – Sean McClelland [6]
3. 2 – Ryan Hall [7]
4. 20S – Shon Deskins [1]
5. 11J – Justin Melton [9]
6. 54 – Ray Seach [4]
7. 29M – Joey Moughan [2]
8. 14X – Jody Rosenboom [5]
9. 4C – Riley Kreisel [13]
10. 5F – Danny Frye III [16]
11. 88V – Jace VanderWeerd [14]
12. 99R – Brad Bowden [11]
13. 1Z – Chris Roseland [10]
14. 19P – Brandon Long [8]
15. 09 – Timmy Thrash [15]
16. 2BX – Brett Becker [12]
A-Main (25 Laps):
1. 67 – Logan Seavey [1]
2. 76M – Brady Bacon [5]
3. 1R – Brad Sweet [2]
4. 3N – Jake Neuman [4]
5. 21B – Chase Briscoe [3]
6. 32T – Trey Marcham [7]
7. 1B – Travis Rilat [9]
8. 39B – Zeb Wise [21]
9. 9X – Paul Nienhiser [13]
10. 15S – Sean McClelland [20]
11. 55D – Nick Drake [6]
12. P1 – Paul White [16]
13. 17W – Dustin Golobic [8]
14. 8 – Alex Sewell [11]
15. 5X – Tyson Hall [15]
16. 81 – Colten Cottle [23]
17. 2WG – Weston Gorham [14]
18. 20S – Shon Deskins [24]
19. 2 – Ryan Hall [22]
20. 71K – Tanner Carrick [17]
21. 17Z – Zac Moody [10]
22. 86C – David Camfield [18]
23. 91W – Hayden Williams [19]
24. 5P – Kyle Craker [12]