Christopher Bell took top honors in Thursday’s Chili Bowl qualifying night A-Feature. Photo by Joe Orth
Christopher Bell went uncontested for his second career Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals Midget car preliminary night score, topping Thursday’s John Christner Trucking Qualifying night at the Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, OK.
“If you give me one race a year, it’s this race,” said Bell. “It’s something I want to win so badly and I promise, I want to win it more than anyone else in here. I’m glad to be in this position and hopefully can carry this momentum into Saturday.”
Earning the pole through heat and qualifier points, Bell made quick work of fellow front row starter Sheldon Haudenschild following two attempts at the start. Following a caution on lap seven, the restart was short lived after Haudenschild struck the restart, sending him to the rear of the field.
Back under green, Bell worked out to an advantage of over a half straightaway over the field before the caution flew again on lap 10, when Danny Stratton had an issue in turn three.
At speed once again, Bell pulled out to a nearly two second advantage before lap 15. While Bell pulled away, the race within the top five began picking up as Jerry Coons, Jr. began challenging. After moving to fourth on lap 14, Coons, Jr. began working on Tracy Hines for third as the leaders moved into slower traffic on lap 18.
As the race approached the 20th lap, a three car battle for second developed between C.J. Leary, Hines and Coons. When Leary crossed his car up thorough turns one and two, Coons managed to slip past both he and Hines to take second before the caution flew on lap 21 for a tangle off turn two.
With a clear racetrack ahead, Bell drove out to a 2.360 second advantage by the time he reached checkered flag.
Coons, Jr. crossed the finish line in second, marking the 13th time in as many years that the Arizona veteran has locked into Saturday’s A-Feature.
Asked about the magic that he seems to have at the Tulsa Expo Raceway, Coons replied, “It’s just being with car owners and good cars. Things have changed over the years, set up and so forth, it’s just staying up with what’s changing. We had a couple of years where we struggled a bit and kind of caught up on some better setups.”
Shane Cottle put on a show on the closing lap, passing Leary for third on the final lap to lock himself into Saturday’s main event.
“In the heat race, we had too much left rear drive,” Cottle said. “In the feature, we were a lot better and able to rotate the corners a lot better and keep it down low. Those guys wash out and I could get underneath them.”
Leary held on to finish in fourth, with Tracy Hines coming home in fifth.
NASCAR ace Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Justin Peck, Justin Grant, Joe B. Miller and Harli White rounded out the top ten.
Thursday’s John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night saw 84 drivers drawn in to bring the week’s total to 250 competitors. Action continues on Friday with Vacuworx Qualifying night, where 88 drivers are scheduled to begin. If all 88 check in, it will mark a record setting 338 drivers in attendance.
For more information, visit ChiliBowl.com.
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Tulsa Expo Raceway – Tulsa, OK
Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals – Jan. 14, 2016
John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night
1. 71-Christopher Bell
2. 5-Jerry Coons, Jr.
3. 71X-Shane Cottle
4. 2A-C.J. Leary
5. 24-Tracy Hines
6. 17R-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
7. 5X-Justin Peck
8. 38-Justin Grant
9. 3B-Joe B. Miller
10. 17H-Harli White
11. 15D-Andrew Deal
12. 76M-Brady Bacon
13. 29S-Anthony Nocella
14. 05S-Dominic Scelzi
15. 17M-Paul McMahan
16. 27H-Tanner Berryhill
17. 47-Danny Stratton
18. 7JA-Justin Allgaier
19. 37B-Jake Blackhurst
20. 37-Seth Bergman
21. 7A-Scott Weir
22. 56J-Sheldon Haudenschild
23. 7XX-Gage Walker
24. 91K-Kevin Bayer
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