By T.J. Buffenbarger
TULSA, OK (January 15, 2025) – Emerson Axsom gave Keith Kunz Motorsports their first feature victory during York Plumbing Qualifying Night at the 39th Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink
Axsom, from Franklin, Indiana, took the lead from Daison Pursley on lap four and held on through multiple restarts with Pursley staying on his back bumper.
Pursley and Axsom made up the front row for the 30-lap feature event. Pursley leads while Time Buckwalter and Amsom raced for the second position.
After the opening lap multiple cars stacked up on the front stretch with Steven Snyder Jr, Jett Yantis and K.J. Snow stopping on the front stretch. All three drivers were able to join the tail of the field for the restart.
Pursley led after the restart, but Axsom used his momentum to dive under Pursley into turn one to take the lead on lap four. Pursley kept Axsom in his sites as the lead duo pulled away from the field.
On lap 13 Sammy Swindell and Chelby Hinton tangled between turns here and four to bring out the caution flag. Swindell was able to make the restart while Hinton was unable to change the right rear tire in time to make the restart.
Pursley was able to pull under Axsom after the restart while Corey Day and Buckwalter raced for third with Day taking over the position on lap 15.
The caution flag made another appearance for Taylor Reimer getting upside down in turn two with Alex Bright also involved. Bright was able to join the field after visiting the work area while Reimer was unable to return for the restart.
Axsom and Pursley continued to race side by side with Axsom able to maintain the lead.
Over the final 10 laps Axsom extended his lead while Pursley found himself under pressure from Day for the final transfer spot into Saturday’s main event. Slower traffic allowed Pursley to close with two laps to go, but Axsom was able to hold on for the victory.
Pursley maintained the second position and locked himself into Saturday’s finale. Day, Buckwalter, and Kale Drake rounded out the top five.
39th Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink
York Plumbing Qualifying Night
Tulsa Expo Raceway
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
OERB Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 41-Corey Day[2]
2. 83-Will Armitage[5]
3. 25K-Taylor Reimer[6]
4. 91X-Danny Wood[7]
5. 23T-Tristan Lee[1]
6. 35-Tyler Robbins[3]
7. 14G-Gordy Gundaker[4]
8. 111-Keith Zimmerman[8]
DNS: 715-Robert Bell
DNS: 70-Cade Cowles
OERB Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 97K-Kale Drake[2]
2. 3G-Kyle Cummins[6]
3. 55A-Jake Swanson[5]
4. 22X-Steven Shebester[4]
5. 75A-Todd Hobson[8]
6. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[9]
7. 17D-Gunnar Pike[7]
8. 80A-Steve Miller[1]
9. 57F-Blake Green[3]
OERB Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 3W-Brandon Waelti[3]
2. 1-Sammy Swindell[6]
3. 68K-Emerson Axsom[7]
4. 7B-Garrett Benson[4]
5. 7AU-Harry Stewart[5]
6. 14L-Luke Drotschie[1]
7. 75X-Leroy Boone[8]
8. 32J-Jason Tessier[9]
9. 22J-Zach Hampton[2]
OERB Heat Race #4 (8 Laps)
1. 29-Tim Buckwalter[4]
2. 3U-Rylan Gray[5]
3. 77-Joe Wirth[1]
4. 44B-Branigan Roark[7]
5. 3J-JJ Yeley[6]
6. 60-Landon Britt[9]
7. 11-Lane Goodman[2]
8. 4H-Steve Padgett[3]
9. 3N-Jake Neuman[8]
OERB Heat Race #5 (8 Laps)
1. 86-Daison Pursley[6]
2. 8K-KJ Snow[4]
3. 81C-Colten Cottle[2]
4. 32C-Alex Bright[3]
5. 96X-Logan Mitchell[1]
6. 7J-Shawn Jackson[5]
7. 26P-Preston Lattomus[7]
8. 2F-Casey Friedrichsen[8]
9. 21R-Myles Tomlinson[9]
OERB Heat Race #6 (8 Laps)
1. 4P-Kody Swanson[3]
2. 40X-Steven Snyder Jr[4]
3. 40-Max Adams[8]
4. 2B-Tanner Berryhill[9]
5. 22A-Lonnie Oliver[5]
6. 21C-Colby Stubblefield[7]
7. 42-Matt Carr[1]
8. 60M-Earl McDoulett Jr[6]
9. 14T-Connor Speir[2]
OERB Heat Race #7 (8 Laps)
1. 27W-Colby Copeland[2]
2. 4Y-Jett Yantis[7]
3. 37-Ayden Gatewood[1]
4. 52-Blake Hahn[9]
5. 25B-Steve Buckwalter[6]
6. 57H-Autumn Criste[3]
7. 5Z-Oliver Billingsley[8]
8. 5M-Donnie Steward[4]
9. 77K-Kevin Cook[5]
OERB Heat Race #8 (8 Laps)
1. 19T-Mitchel Moles[4]
2. 4D-Dustin Smith[2]
3. 4B-Chelby Hinton[3]
4. 16C-David Camfield Jr[7]
5. 10J-Gage Rucker[1]
6. 46X-Joe Kata[6]
7. 20C-CJ Sarna[5]
8. 77B-Bret Klabunde[9]
9. 251-Johnny Brown Jr[8]
C-Main #1 (12 Laps)
1. 26P-Preston Lattomus[6]
2. 7J-Shawn Jackson[3]
3. 10J-Gage Rucker[2]
4. 11-Lane Goodman[10]
5. 20C-CJ Sarna[8]
6. 23T-Tristan Lee[1]
7. 57H-Autumn Criste[5]
8. 111-Keith Zimmerman[9]
9. 80A-Steve Miller[14]
10. 32J-Jason Tessier[7]
11. 5Z-Oliver Billingsley[4]
12. 60M-Earl McDoulett Jr[11]
13. 14T-Connor Speir[16]
14. 21R-Myles Tomlinson[12]
15. 715-Robert Bell[15]
16. 3N-Jake Neuman[13]
DNS: 57F-Blake Green
C-Main #2 (12 Laps)
1. 96X-Logan Mitchell[1]
2. 14L-Luke Drotschie[6]
3. 46X-Joe Kata[2]
4. 2F-Casey Friedrichsen[9]
5. 35-Tyler Robbins[4]
6. 42-Matt Carr[10]
7. 251-Johnny Brown Jr[11]
8. 22J-Zach Hampton[13]
9. 17D-Gunnar Pike[5]
10. 77B-Bret Klabunde[7]
11. 77K-Kevin Cook[14]
12. 75X-Leroy Boone[3]
13. 14G-Gordy Gundaker[8]
14. 4H-Steve Padgett[12]
DNS: 5M-Donnie Steward
DNS: 70-Cade Cowles
Toyota Racing Development Qualifier #1 (10 Laps)
1. 55A-Jake Swanson[1]
2. 41-Corey Day[3]
3. 86-Daison Pursley[6]
4. 52-Blake Hahn[2]
5. 3G-Kyle Cummins[5]
6. 25B-Steve Buckwalter[10]
7. 4P-Kody Swanson[4]
8. 22X-Steven Shebester[9]
9. 77-Joe Wirth[8]
10. 4D-Dustin Smith[7]
Toyota Racing Development Qualifier #2 (10 Laps)
1. 8K-KJ Snow[2]
2. 97K-Kale Drake[3]
3. 91X-Danny Wood[1]
4. 4Y-Jett Yantis[6]
5. 1-Sammy Swindell[5]
6. 7AU-Harry Stewart[10]
7. 83-Will Armitage[4]
8. 7B-Garrett Benson[9]
9. 37-Ayden Gatewood[8]
10. 75A-Todd Hobson[7]
Toyota Racing Development Qualifier #3 (10 Laps)
1. 40X-Steven Snyder Jr[2]
2. 27W-Colby Copeland[3]
3. 29-Tim Buckwalter[6]
4. 32C-Alex Bright[9]
5. 4B-Chelby Hinton[7]
6. 3U-Rylan Gray[4]
7. 40-Max Adams[5]
8. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[8]
9. 44B-Branigan Roark[1]
10. 22A-Lonnie Oliver[10]
Toyota Racing Development Qualifier #4 (10 Laps)
1. 68K-Emerson Axsom[4]
2. 25K-Taylor Reimer[2]
3. 19T-Mitchel Moles[6]
4. 3J-JJ Yeley[9]
5. 16C-David Camfield Jr[1]
6. 81C-Colten Cottle[7]
7. 3W-Brandon Waelti[5]
8. 2B-Tanner Berryhill[3]
9. 60-Landon Britt[8]
10. 21C-Colby Stubblefield[10]
Ferguson Enterprises B-Main #1 (15 Laps)
1. 3U-Rylan Gray[2]
2. 52-Blake Hahn[1]
3. 4P-Kody Swanson[4]
4. 7AU-Harry Stewart[6]
5. 2B-Tanner Berryhill[7]
6. 83-Will Armitage[5]
7. 7B-Garrett Benson[8]
8. 40-Max Adams[3]
9. 4D-Dustin Smith[10]
10. 11-Lane Goodman[16]
11. 44B-Branigan Roark[9]
12. 60-Landon Britt[11]
13. 10J-Gage Rucker[15]
14. 7J-Shawn Jackson[14]
15. 22A-Lonnie Oliver[12]
16. 26P-Preston Lattomus[13]
Ferguson Enterprises B-Main #2 (15 Laps)
1. 4B-Chelby Hinton[2]
2. 91X-Danny Wood[1]
3. 16C-David Camfield Jr[5]
4. 22X-Steven Shebester[7]
5. 3W-Brandon Waelti[3]
6. 77-Joe Wirth[9]
7. 25B-Steve Buckwalter[4]
8. 96X-Logan Mitchell[11]
9. 21C-Colby Stubblefield[10]
10. 37-Ayden Gatewood[8]
11. 46X-Joe Kata[13]
12. 84Y-Alex Yankowski[6]
13. 14L-Luke Drotschie[12]
14. 2F-Casey Friedrichsen[14]
DNS: 75A-Todd Hobson
DNS: 81C-Colten Cottle
A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 68K-Emerson Axsom
2. 86-Daison Pursley
3. 41-Corey Day
4. 29-Tim Buckwalter
5. 97K-Kale Drake
6. 52-Blake Hahn
7. 19T-Mitchel Moles
8. 4Y-Jett Yantis
9. 3G-Kyle Cummins
10. 55A-Jake Swanson
11. 40X-Steven Snyder Jr.
12. 3J-J.J. Yeley
13. 27W-Colby Copeland
14. 3U-Rylan Gray
15. 7AU-Harry Stewart
16. 32C-Alex Bright
17. 1-Sammy Swindell
18. 91X-Danny Wood
19. 16C-David Camfield Jr.
20. 22X-Steven Shebester
21. 25K-Taylor Reimer
22. 4B-Chelby Hinton
23. 8J-K.J. Snow
24. 4P-Kody Swanson