Bryan Clauson, seen here from an earlier win, picked up his first career Golden Digger trophy with a victory in the 28th annual Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa Saturday night. Photo by Patrick Grant / Courtesy Chili Bowl Media
Bryan Clauson felt good about his bid for victory in the 2014 edition of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, OK, and for good reason as the 2013 USAC National Champion finally broke through for his first Golden Driller.
“I’m just really relieved I didn’t throw it away because these guys are really good,” said Clauson. “I said it last night in the press conference that I felt like I had a car that could compete for the win tonight from the time we unloaded the car. It was really going to be a matter of not burying ourselves.”
Jumping to second on the start, Clauson pursued Caleb Armstrong for the lead early on.
Looking low on the fourth round with no success, Clauson regrouped with an inside line pass the following lap. Leaving Armstrong to contend with Christopher Bell, the driver of the Keith Kunz No. 97 continually worked the inside line, looking for a hole to squeeze through, but to no avail.
With the race going green until lap 13, the caution lights blinked on for Thomas Meseraull, who rolled to a stop after the engine gave up entering turn three. Damion Gardner forced the caution on the restart, going upside down through turn two. Both drivers were okay.
Racing to second on the restart, Christopher Bell began working high as the cushion began coming to life.
Losing third to Jonathan Beason on lap 18, Caleb Armstrong began feeling the pressure from Sammy Swindell. A four car race for the podium step between Beason, Armstrong, Swindell, and fifteenth starting Kyle Larson, things took a turn as the field worked on the 25th lap. Looking low on Swindell entering the back straightaway, Larson and Sammy came together with Larson’s No. 71k climbing the left side tires of Swindell, sending the California driver nose down on the left front, as Sammy’s car cut hard to the left, putting the No. 1 into the infield, and a lap down as Sammy re-entered just before turn one.
Holding sixth as Alex Schutte slid by for fifth in the mayhem, Larson’s night ended with his Toyota power running out on lap 29. Cracking the top ten on lap 17 after transferring from a B-Feature, Kevin Swindell moved to the top five as Larson’s engine expired.
Moving around the racing surface, Swindell worked by Armstrong for fourth on a lap 30 restart, and then third on lap 31 when Beason tripped over the right-front through turns one and two.
Rolling high on Bell for second, Swindell opened the inside line for Rico Abreu. Swapping the final podium step over the next few laps, Swindell gained the advantage over the Abreu Vineyards No. 67 who ended up spinning on lap 48.
Glued to Bell on the restart, it was slide jobs in every corner with Bell able to drive back under Swindell after every attempt.
After the caution flew again for Jerry Coons, Jr. who went upside down with seven to go, the restart saw Clauson pull away as the race for second continued.
Driving deep into the third turn on lap 48, Kevin pitched for the slide, with the two running out of real-estate and nearly stalling on the track before finally getting back to speed.
Given a sizable advantage with the laps going away, Bryan Clauson’s advantage at the line was 1.556 seconds. Swindell’s performance from fourteenth made him the Excel Therapy Hard Charger of the Week, advancing position 49 times. Christopher Bell crossing third marks his best performance in the Chili Bowl.
Pennsylvania’s Alex Bright advanced from 12th to fourth with 10th place starter Dave Darland completing the top five.
Meeting face-to-face with Keith Kunz in the infield, Swindell commented on the confrontation in the post-race press conference.
“It was nothing that bad,” Swindell said. “I think all the people, aside from me and Christopher made it a bigger deal than what it really was. I was just a little frustrated.”
“Everyone knew Kevin was a little frustrated with me,” said Bell. “There after the checkered, we were kind of swerving at each other. I didn’t know how frustrated he was with me but the people, like he said, made it a bigger deal.”
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Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. was Saturday’s overall Hard Charger with 23 passes to his credit. The 2014 Chili Bowl Rookie of the Year came down to the B-Features. Parker Price-Miller who finished eleventh in the second B-Feature earned the honor over Tanner Thorson who placed fourteenth in the first B-Feature.
The day’s K-Features were won by Domain Ramsay and Cole Wood. J-Feature winners were Dylan Peterson and Matt Johnson. I-Features went to Seth Motsinger and Critter Malone. Robby Parish and Brenden Bright topped the H-Features. Jason Johnson and Ryan Beechler each earned G-Feature wins with Mike Goodman and Kevin Thomas, Jr. splitting the F-Features.
Matt Westfall and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. topped the E-Features with Stenhouse being the only driver to earn two wins in the alphabet on Saturday, topping the second D-Feature. J.J. Yeley earned the win in the first D-Feature.
C-Features went to Brandon Waelti and Tim Crawley. B-Features went to Rico Abreu and Kevin Swindell.
Chili Bowl Nationals
Tulsa Expo Center – Tulsa, OK
Lucas Oil A Feature – Jan. 18, 2014
1. 63-Bryan Clauson
2. 39-Kevin Swindell
3. 97-Christopher Bell
4. 77-Alex Bright
5. 17R-Dave Darland
6. 47X-Tim McCreadie
7. 21-Daryn Pittman
8. 8J-Jonathan Beason
9. 3-Chris Windom
10. 15X-Chad Boat
11. 67K-Rico Abreu
12. 24-Tracy Hines
13. 5D-Zach Daum
14. 1-Sammy Swindell
15. 05-Brad Loyet
16. 7M-Kevin Ramey
17. 17K-Alex Schutte
18. 5-Jerry Coons, Jr.
19. 7C-Caleb Armstrong
20. 63NZ-Michael Pickens
21. 56L-Danny Stratton
22. 71K-Kyle Larson
23. 47-Damion Gardner
24. 16-Thomas Meseraull
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