1/14/2010
Derrik Ortega
Chili Bowl Night 3
picture(Jason Grady races with Jesse Hockett in the Heat race)
Thursday night is over now too, it was a shocking night of racing and possibly the best so far this week. Shane Cottle won the first heat race from 6th place, and Kyle Larson came from last to 2nd. Defending champion Sammy Swindell struggled in his heat race starting 5th and running 4th behind previous Chili Bowl Champion Jay Drake. Kasey Kahne and Brad Molsen put on a great show in their heat race with a side by side finish. Farmington New Mexico’s Jason Grady was close to taking the lead from Michelle Decker when Jesse Hockett almost drove around them both. Grady ended up 3rd behind Decker and Hockett.
The qualifier races saw some unexpected success with Terry McCarl, Kasey Kahne, and Tony Roney, who hadn’t won at the chili bowl before, winning 3 of the qualifiers. Sammy Swindell came from 8th place to win the 4th qualifier in exciting fashion. Swindell moved into 2nd in turn one and passed Thomas Messaraull in turn 4, both wheelied across the stripe, but Swindell took the win.
The first B-Main saw Shane Hollingsworth, Billy Pauch Jr., Jimmy Light, and Jonathan Hendrick make the transfer spots. Jimmy light came from last to 2nd to make it from the C to the B to the A. Caleb Armstrong led most of the second B-main over a hard charging Garrett Hansen. Donnie Ray Crawford made contact with Steve Knepper to take the transfer spot and bring out a late race caution. Hansen, Drake, Armstrong and Crawford ended up taking the last transfer spots to the A-main.
Tracy Hines and Shane Cottle led the field to the green in the A-main, Swindell jumped right from third to 2nd on the start. A few laps into the race defending Champion Sammy Swindell took the lead from Tracy Hines. Darren Hagen came from the 7th starting spot to 2nd in a hurry but couldn’t keep pace with Slammin’ Sammy Swindell. With three laps to go two lapped cars got together right in front of the leader and Swindell could not avoid the crash. Darren Hagen inherited the lead for a 3 lap shootout in front of Tracy Hines, and New Zealand’s Brad Mosen. In the last 3 laps Missouri’s Tony Roney made his way from 5th to 2nd hugging the pole. The biggest surprise of the week so far has been the cars locked into Saturday Night’s A-main. So far Zach Daum, Michael Pickens, Shane Golobic, Kevin Swindell, Cole Whitt, Brad Kuhn, Darren Hagen, Tony Roney and Brad Mosen are locked into Saturday Night’s A. The last 3 spots will be filled tonight, who will it be?
