The Chili Bowl Nationals was a massive event Jan. 13-18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma where Santa Rosa Junior College’s Chase Johnson raced to win the famed trophy the “Golden Driller.”
To most people, the first thing that comes to mind at the phrase “Chili Bowl” is an actual chili bowl, but when it comes to motor sports it’s the biggest midget race of the year.
Its nickname is the “Super Bowl of midget racing” and Emmett Hahn and Larry Edward have run it since its inception in 1987.
The Tulsa Expo Center can hold 200 rigs, 15,000 fans and a trade show all at once.
The event ran from Tuesday through Saturday, with Monday being a practice day. The rest of the days were preliminary events leading up to the big 50-lap race Saturday night. Every night they had preliminary races for drivers to get another shot to get into the A-main by having them race D, C and B mains depending on how many cars were competing.
One driver who looked to be in the main event was SRJC’s own Chase Johnson.
As a third-generation driver from Penngrove, this was his first Chili Bowl event, driving for Cole Wood’s Racing’s midget number 17J.
On Johnson’s qualifying night, Thursday, he transferred out of the C-main into the B-main, but couldn’t make enough positions to race on into the A-main. Saturday night he started in the first E-main but couldn’t grab a transfer spot, ending his Chili Bowl dreams this year.
“I’ve wanted to race this event since I was a little boy at 8 years old. I feel like I performed well, but could have done better but I am my own biggest critic,” Johnson said. “I gave my 100 percent and was just a honor and accomplishment to go and compete at the event.”
Johnson’s partner for the event, Dominic Scelzi, is from Fresno and drove the Elk Grove no. 17S in his first Chili Bowl.
Scelzi finished 14th in the A-main Thursday night. On Saturday night he was running seventh when another driver made contact with him, taking him out.
“I’ve wanted to race this event since I can remember. It’s such a prestigious event. The experience is unexplainable, fun and laid back, yet intense and serious all in one. It’s race you have to see to believe,” Scelzi said.
One of the veterans of the event, Shannon McQueen, from Bakersfield, drove the McQueen Racing no. 7 in her 10th Chili Bowl event.
Thursday night, McQueen’s night ended after transferring out of her B-main. That finish put her in the H feature for Saturday night. She transferred out of her feature into the G-main but didn’t transfer out of that main, ending her night.
“Chili Bowl is always a great experience. No matter how you do it, it’s always fun as you get to meet a lot of new fans and make new friends as well as see old friends. You look forward to going the next year” McQueen said.
Bryan Clauson from Indiana, in the Dooling Machine 63, won his first Chili Bowl event, taking home the Golden Driller, and ending Kevin Swindell’s four-year win streak.
