1/7/2004
Chili Bowl Nationals
Lasoski Romps in Chili Bowl Opener
Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 7, 2004) - Danny Lasoski kicked off the 18th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals by romping to victory lane in Wednesday night's 25-lap preliminary feature at Tulsa Expo Raceway.
Lasoski survived several cautions to lead 11th-starter Davey Ray and 20th-starter Dan Boorse to the checkered flag. Steve Buckwalter edged Ray Bull at the stripe for the fourth and final transfer position to Saturday night's O'Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals finale.
Asked if any victory would mean more than a Chili Bowl title, Lasoski responded with, “Absolutely not! The Knoxville Nationals ranks right up there with it, but really a Chili Bowl win would mean everything.”
California’s Thomas Meseraul earned the pole position for Wednesday night’s feature by charging from sixth to win the first of nine heat races, with Lasoski, who duplicated Meseraul’s passing feat in the next heat race, alongside.
After the initial start was waved off for a multi-car tangle in turn four, Lasoski outgunned Meseraul to snare the early lead. Meseraul’s fine outing would come to a premature end following a lap two incident that sent him pitside for the evening.
The only thing that slowed Lasoski’s lightning-quick pace aboard Jerry Russell’s Esslinger-powered Eagle were four more cautions over the remainder of the race, including the final stoppage after 17 rounds when Josh Lakatos smacked the turn one wall.
Lasoski slipped away from the field following each caution, racing to the checkered flag unabated with nearly a straightaway advantage when the checkered flag flew. With a pair of Chili Bowl runner-up showings in 1997 and 2001, Lasoski moved a step closer to his first Chili Bowl crown with the qualifying victory.
After starting sixth, Joey Montgomery had charged into second by the second circuit. Montgomery held the runner-up slot until making his exit to the pit area with mechanical woes after the lap 17 caution.
Upon Montgomery’s exit, 11th-starter Davey Ray assumed command of the runner-up slot and held it to the finish. Two-time Chili Bowl champion Dan Boorse advanced from his 20th starting position after transferring from a B Feature to claim the show position behind Lasoski and the 2003 BMARA champion.
After starting 17th, four-time ARDC Midget champion Ray Bull took over fourth on the 18th round, only to have 16th-starter Steve Buckwalter dash by in the final corner to snatch the fourth and final transfer position to Saturday’s main event by the narrowest of margins.
Bull settled for fifth, with Joe Boyles, R.J. Johnson, 15th-starter Garrett Hansen, 22nd-starter Justin Allgaier and Tim Siner completing the top ten.
Meseraul, Lasoski, Siner, Boyles, Ray, Donnie Lehmann, Buckwalter, Teddy Beach and Don Droud, Jr., snared heat race victories for Wednesday night’s 63-car field. Harley Slotten and Toby Brown topped the twin 12-lap C Features, with Bull and Boston Reid winning the twin 15-lap B Mains.
Jim Doyle, Nick Lundgreen, Paul White, Don Hammer and Craig Carey were all heat race flip victims. Lundgreen took an even wilder ride in the first C Feature, while Mike Kertscher, John Giffin and Derek Mungor all took B Feature tumbles. All drivers emerged unscathed.
Wednesday’s 18th Annual O’Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals Results:
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #13 Thomas Meseraul, San Jose, CA; 2. #3T Tracy Miller, Reading, PA; 3. #51J R.J. Johnson, Phoenix, AZ; 4. #4 Brian Terry, Cottage Grove, WI; 5. #69 A.J. Fike, Galesburg, IL; 6. #71B Chad Branson, Sherman, IL; 7. #5MA Mallory Armfield, St. Joseph, MO; 8. #79. Jim Doyle, Ft. Lupton, CO.
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #20 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO; 2. #34 Tyler Brown, Norco, CA; 3. #D20 Derek Mungor, Walnut, IL; 4. #51S Chris Sheil, Lakewood, CO; 5. #2D Mark Bush, Cumming, GA; 6. #19X Terry Holliman, Hamburg, IA; 7. #1W Paul White, Temple, TX; 8. #40 Nick Lundgreen, Indianapolis, IN.
Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #15S Tim Siner, Waterloo, IL; 2. #19W Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA; 3. #22B Ray Bull, Bloomsburg, PA; 4. #50X Danny Stratton, Fontana, CA; 5. #71H Keith Rauch, Edgewater, CO; 6. #33 Wally McDuffey, St. Louis, MO; 7. #45H Don Hammer, Clinton, IL.
Heat 4 (10 Laps): 1. #7B Joe Boyles, Greenwood, MO; 2. #67 Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA; 3. #71L Mike Leslie, Peoria, AZ; 4. #67N Butch Zuniga, Brighton, CO; 5. #00 John Giffin, San Jose, CA; 6. #15H Donnie Kratzberg, Fort Smith, AR; 7. #7S Chris Shoulders, Dallas, TX.
Heat 5 (10 Laps): 1. #5 Davey Ray, Davenport, IA; 2. #85A Justin Allgaier, Riverton, IL; 3. #29 Scott Sawyer, Broken Arrow, OK; 4. #4P Josh Lakatos, Pasadena, CA; 5. #63 Rex Norris, III, Knightstown, IN; 6. #50 Roland Ayo, Houston, TX; 7. #51N Mike Nigh, Brownsburg, IN.
Heat 6 (10 Laps): 1. #31 Donnie Lehmann, Springfield, IL; 2. #26 Glenn Carson, Newark, CA; 3. #88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee, WI; 4. #2I Luke Icke, Littleton, CO; 5. #94C Kevin Crowder, Decatur, IL.
Heat 7 (10 Laps): 1. #2M Steve Buckwalter, Royersford, PA; 2. #5C Joey Montgomery, Fredericktown, MO; 3. #94 Brian Gerster, Noblesville, IN; 4. #12 Billy Wease, Noblesville, IN; 5. #14C Tony Rossi, Arvada, CO; 6. #58 Cameron Beard, Turlock, CA; 7. #33A Stephen Arnold, Seymour, IN.
Heat 8 (10 Laps): 1. #125 Teddy Beach, Donnelsville, OH; 2. #16 Chad Farmer, Colorado Springs, CO; 3. #25X Boston Reid, Kokomo, IN; 4. #39 Mike Kertscher, Fredonia, WI; 5. #42C Chris Pearce, Broken Arrow, OK; 6. #61A Toby Brown, Carthage, MO; 7. #31C Derrick Crasi, Indianapolis, IN.
Heat 9 (10 Laps):1. #4X Don Droud, Jr., Lincoln, NE; 2. #99W Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL; 3. #70 Garrett Hansen, Manhattan Beach, CA; 4. #21K Kurt Mayhew, Demotte, IN; 5. #87S Harley Slotten, Menasha, WI; 6. #5K Kenny Lewis, Wheatridge, CO; 7. #30 Craig Carey, Springfield, IL
C Features - top 2 to Twin B features
First C Main (12 Laps): 1. #87S Harley Slotten, Menasha, WI; 2. #5K Kenny Lewis, Wheatridge, CO; 3. #71B Chad Branson, Sherman, IL; 4. #33A Stephen Arnold, Seymour, IN; 5. #7S Chris Shoulders, Dallas, TX; 6. #40 Nick Lundgreen, Indianapolis, IN; 7. #58 Cameron Beard, Turlock, CA; 8. #33 Wally McDuffey, St. Louis, MO. DNS - #1W Paul White, Temple, TX.
Second C Main (12 Laps): 1. #61A Toby Brown, Carthage, MO; 2. #30 Craig Carey, Springfield, IL; 3. #50 Roland Ayo, Houston, TX; 4. #51N Mike Nigh, Brownsburg, IN; 5. #45H Don Hammer, Clinton, IL; 6. #15H Donnie Kratzberg, Fort Smith, AR; 7. #31C Derrick Crasi, Indianapolis, IN; 8. #5MA Mallory Armfield, St. Joseph, MO. DNS - #19X Terry Holliman, Hamburg, IA; #79 Jim Doyle, Ft. Lupton, CO.
B Features - top 3 in each to A Feature
First B Main (15 Laps): 1. #22B Ray Bull, Bloomsburg, PA; 2. #67 Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA; 3. #4P Josh Lakatos, Pasadena, CA; 4. #94 Brian Gerster, Noblesville, IN; 5. #2I Luke Icke, Littleton, CO; 6. #71L Mike Leslie, Peoria, AZ; 7. #5K Kenny Lewis, Wheatridge, CO; 8. #99W Korey Weyant, Springfield, IL; 9. #63 Rex Norris III, Knightstown, IN; 10. #67N Butch Zuniga, Brighton, CO; 11. #14C Tony Rossi, Arvada, CO; 12. #87S Harley Slotten, Menasha, WI; 13. #2D Mark Bush, Cumming, GA; 14. #3T Tracy Miller, Reading, PA; 15. #00 John Giffin, San Jose, CA; 16. #39 Mike Kertscher, Fredonia, WI.
Second B Main (15 Laps): 1. #25X Boston Reid, Kokomo, IN; 2. #88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee, WI; 3. #85A Justin Allgaier; 4. #12 Billy Wease, Noblesville, IN; 5. #29 Scott Sawyer, Broken Arrow, Ok; 6. #50X Danny Stratton, Fontana, CA; 7. #4 Brian Terry, Cottage Grove, WI; 8. #71H Keith Rauch, Edgewater, CO; 9. #21K Kurt Mayhew, Demotte, IN; 10. #D20 Derek Mungor, Walnut, IL; 11. #42C Chris Pearce, Broken Arrow, OK; 12. #94C Kevin Crowder, Decatur, IL; 13. #51S Chris Sheil, Lakewood, CO; 14. #69 A.J. Fike, Galesburg, IL; 15. #61A Toby Brown, Carthage, MO; 16. Craig Carey, Springfield, IL.
A Feature - top 4 transfer to Saturday A feature; others to Saturday B & C features
A Main (25 Laps): 1. #20 Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO; 2. #5 Davey Ray, Davenport, IA; 3. #88 Dan Boorse, Milwaukee, WI; 4. #2M Steve Buckwalter, Royersford, PA; 5. #22B Ray Bull, Bloomsburg, PA; 6. #7B Joe Boyles, Greenwood, MO; 7. #51J R.J. Johnson, Phoenix, AZ; 8. #70 Garrett Hansen, Manhattan Beach, CA; 9. #85A Justin Allgaier, Riverton, IL; 10. #15S Tim Siner, Waterloo, IL; 11. #19W Bud Kaeding, Campbell, CA; 12. #31 Donnie Lehmann, Springfield, IL; 13. #67 Jay Drake, Val Verde, CA; 14. #34 Tyler Brown, Norco, CA; 15. #4X Don Droud, Jr., Lincoln, NE; 16. #5C Joey Montgomery, Fredericktown, MO; 17. #4P Josh Lakatos, Pasadena, CA; 18. #26 Glenn Carson, Newark, CA; 19. #25X Boston Reid, Kokomo, IN; 20. #125 Teddy Beach, Donnelsville, OH; 21. #13 Thomas Meseraul, San Jose, CA; 22. #16 Chad Farmer, Colorado Springs, CO.
Submitted By: Admin Account
