By Lonnie
Wheatley, TULSA, Okla.
Two-time Chili Bowl champion Cory Kruseman made his way back to the QuikTrip Center’s Tulsa Expo Raceway victory lane by topping Friday night’s 25-lap Vacuworx International qualifying feature at the 26th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.
Kruseman battled past Indy 500-bound Bryan Clauson for the lead on the high side en route to a Chili Bowl record seventh career preliminary feature win aboard his Esslinger-powered MavTV/Lucas Oil No. 21k Esslinger, with runner-up Levi Jones and third-place Clauson also locking into Saturday night’s 50-lap Chili Bowl championship finale.
With Kruseman, who has claimed Golden Driller trophies in 2000 and 2004, gridding the feature field inside the second row, Clauson led the way to the green flag with Jac Haudenschild alongside. Clauson gunned into the lead at the drop of Roger Slack’s green flag, with Kruseman working into second in the initial rounds before the race’s only caution flew after six rounds for turn one chaos that sent Kevin Bayer and Brad Loyet pitside for the night.
With Clauson working the bottom of the track Esslinger-powered Indy Car/Indy 500 No. 39c Spike, Kruseman began challenging on the top side and finally surged into the lead exiting the fourth corner on the ninth circuit.
“We got the momentum going around the top and obviously momentum is always faster when the track is gonna get drier and drier,” Kruseman explained afterward.
Clauson wasn’t done yet though, keeping the pressure on and pulling alongside several times until a slight bobble in turns three and four on the 15th round opened the door for fifth-starter Levi Jones to race into second aboard the RW56 Esslinger-powered Three Wide Life No. 56 Esslinger.
Kruseman kept Jones and Clauson at bay over the final ten circuits despite lapped traffic in the final handful of rounds that forced him to the low side for a couple of rounds to maintain command.
Kruseman crossed the stripe with a 0.574-second advantage, locking into his 11th career Chili Bowl championship finale and third in a row after a three-year dry spell from 2007 to 2009.
Jones, who topped Septembers Gold Crown Midget Nationals, secured a starting berth in his third career Chili Bowl finale and first since 2009 by virtue of his runner-up finish while Clauson landed in his third finale as well by taking the show position after claiming fifth in last year’s 50-lapper.
Haudenschild brought Bernie Stuebgen’s Toyota-powered Indy Race Parts No. 71b Triple-X home fourth, with Gary “Bubba” Altig advancing a handful of positions to round out the top five in Esslinger-powered A.J. Felker Racing No. 37 FSC.
Daryn Pittman was sixth, with Nick Knepper, Ryan Smith, Bud Kaeding and 23rd starter Ronnie Gardner completing the top ten.
Finland’s Markus Niemela and Connecticut’s David Gravel were the only Chili Bowl rookie contenders to make Friday’s feature cut, finishing 17th and 18th, respectively.
Bayer, Davey Ray, Brent Beauchamp, Knepper, Derrick Myers, Haudenschild, Levi Roberts and Dave Darland topped heat race action for Friday night’s 60-car field, with Ryan Smith, Kaeding, Jones and Clauson winning the qualifying races.
After getting caught up in an opening lap tangle and flipping, Brad Loyet bounced back to win the first “C “Main and then climbed to third behind Joey Saldana and Brad Mosen in the first “B” Main to transfer to the feature event.
Bill Balog chased Rick Eckert to the line in the second “C” Main and then earned a transfer to the “A” as well behind Beauchamp, Bayer and Shane Hollingsworth in the second “B” Main.
Sixty Friday night competitors brought this year’s Chili Bowl Nationals competitor total to 259, three more than the total of 256 over each of the past two years.
"A" Main (25 laps – Top 3 advance to Saturday Night's Main Event)
“A” Main: 1. #21k Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA; 2. #56 Levi Jones, Olney, IL; 3. #39c Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN; 4. #71b Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH; 5. #37 Bubba Altig, Mechanicsburg, IL; 6. #21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK; 7. #63 Nick Knepper, Belleville, IL; 8. #0 Ryan Smith, Kunkletown, PA; 9. #2 Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA; 10. #71s Ronnie Gardner, Corona, CA; 11. #35s Hunter Schuerenberg, Sikeston, MO; 12. #5 Dave Darland, Lincoln, IN; 13. #9 Levi Roberts, Broomfield, CO; 14. #4 Bobby East, Brownsburg, IN; 15. #5h Mike Hess, Springfield, IL; 16. #67z Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN; 17. #81 Markus Niemela, Rauma, FIN; 18. #71k David Gravel, Watertown, CT; 19. #47 Brad Mosen, Auckland, NZ; 20. #43 Brent Beauchamp, Indianapolis, IN; 21. #57b Bill Balog, Brookfield, WI; 22. #85 Shane Hollingsworth, Lafayette, IN; 23. #91b Kevin Bayer, Bixby, OK; 24. #05 Brad Loyet, Sunset Hills, MO.
Two-time Chili Bowl champion Cory Kruseman made his way back to the QuikTrip Center’s Tulsa Expo Raceway victory lane by topping Friday night’s 25-lap Vacuworx International qualifying feature at the 26th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.
Kruseman battled past Indy 500-bound Bryan Clauson for the lead on the high side en route to a Chili Bowl record seventh career preliminary feature win aboard his Esslinger-powered MavTV/Lucas Oil No. 21k Esslinger, with runner-up Levi Jones and third-place Clauson also locking into Saturday night’s 50-lap Chili Bowl championship finale.
With Kruseman, who has claimed Golden Driller trophies in 2000 and 2004, gridding the feature field inside the second row, Clauson led the way to the green flag with Jac Haudenschild alongside. Clauson gunned into the lead at the drop of Roger Slack’s green flag, with Kruseman working into second in the initial rounds before the race’s only caution flew after six rounds for turn one chaos that sent Kevin Bayer and Brad Loyet pitside for the night.
With Clauson working the bottom of the track Esslinger-powered Indy Car/Indy 500 No. 39c Spike, Kruseman began challenging on the top side and finally surged into the lead exiting the fourth corner on the ninth circuit.
“We got the momentum going around the top and obviously momentum is always faster when the track is gonna get drier and drier,” Kruseman explained afterward.
Clauson wasn’t done yet though, keeping the pressure on and pulling alongside several times until a slight bobble in turns three and four on the 15th round opened the door for fifth-starter Levi Jones to race into second aboard the RW56 Esslinger-powered Three Wide Life No. 56 Esslinger.
Kruseman kept Jones and Clauson at bay over the final ten circuits despite lapped traffic in the final handful of rounds that forced him to the low side for a couple of rounds to maintain command.
Kruseman crossed the stripe with a 0.574-second advantage, locking into his 11th career Chili Bowl championship finale and third in a row after a three-year dry spell from 2007 to 2009.
Jones, who topped Septembers Gold Crown Midget Nationals, secured a starting berth in his third career Chili Bowl finale and first since 2009 by virtue of his runner-up finish while Clauson landed in his third finale as well by taking the show position after claiming fifth in last year’s 50-lapper.
Haudenschild brought Bernie Stuebgen’s Toyota-powered Indy Race Parts No. 71b Triple-X home fourth, with Gary “Bubba” Altig advancing a handful of positions to round out the top five in Esslinger-powered A.J. Felker Racing No. 37 FSC.
Daryn Pittman was sixth, with Nick Knepper, Ryan Smith, Bud Kaeding and 23rd starter Ronnie Gardner completing the top ten.
Finland’s Markus Niemela and Connecticut’s David Gravel were the only Chili Bowl rookie contenders to make Friday’s feature cut, finishing 17th and 18th, respectively.
Bayer, Davey Ray, Brent Beauchamp, Knepper, Derrick Myers, Haudenschild, Levi Roberts and Dave Darland topped heat race action for Friday night’s 60-car field, with Ryan Smith, Kaeding, Jones and Clauson winning the qualifying races.
After getting caught up in an opening lap tangle and flipping, Brad Loyet bounced back to win the first “C “Main and then climbed to third behind Joey Saldana and Brad Mosen in the first “B” Main to transfer to the feature event.
Bill Balog chased Rick Eckert to the line in the second “C” Main and then earned a transfer to the “A” as well behind Beauchamp, Bayer and Shane Hollingsworth in the second “B” Main.
Sixty Friday night competitors brought this year’s Chili Bowl Nationals competitor total to 259, three more than the total of 256 over each of the past two years.
"A" Main (25 laps – Top 3 advance to Saturday Night's Main Event)
“A” Main: 1. #21k Cory Kruseman, Ventura, CA; 2. #56 Levi Jones, Olney, IL; 3. #39c Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, IN; 4. #71b Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH; 5. #37 Bubba Altig, Mechanicsburg, IL; 6. #21 Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK; 7. #63 Nick Knepper, Belleville, IL; 8. #0 Ryan Smith, Kunkletown, PA; 9. #2 Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA; 10. #71s Ronnie Gardner, Corona, CA; 11. #35s Hunter Schuerenberg, Sikeston, MO; 12. #5 Dave Darland, Lincoln, IN; 13. #9 Levi Roberts, Broomfield, CO; 14. #4 Bobby East, Brownsburg, IN; 15. #5h Mike Hess, Springfield, IL; 16. #67z Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN; 17. #81 Markus Niemela, Rauma, FIN; 18. #71k David Gravel, Watertown, CT; 19. #47 Brad Mosen, Auckland, NZ; 20. #43 Brent Beauchamp, Indianapolis, IN; 21. #57b Bill Balog, Brookfield, WI; 22. #85 Shane Hollingsworth, Lafayette, IN; 23. #91b Kevin Bayer, Bixby, OK; 24. #05 Brad Loyet, Sunset Hills, MO.