Demon Possesses Golden Driller with Chili Bowl Triumph!
Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 12, 2008) - Damion Gardner picked perhaps the largest dirt track stage in history to shine upon by racing to victory lane in Saturday night's 50-lap championship main event at Tulsa Expo Raceway's 22nd Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
After winning Friday night's Qualifying feature, "The Demon" raced into the lead on the eleventh lap and led the rest of the way to become the 16th different winner in event history in front of a packed house at Tulsa's QuikTrip Center and before a worldwide television audience on HBO Pay-Per-View courtesy of Lucas Oil.
Piloting Jason Leffler's Pace Electronics/Team ASE No. 71g entry, the winningest driver in USAC/CRA history and the series' 2005 champion bested a record Chili Bowl Nationals field of 274 competitors from 29 different states as well as Canada and Australia as he made his first Chili Bowl main event since finishing tenth in 2003.
"I was just trying to keep the nerves down the whole time, and even during the race at the end it was tough to keep the nerves down and to put in the good laps," Gardner commented afterward.
Dave Darland, who finished a close second, responded that, "I was trying to keep his nerves up there a few times, it didn't work."
Gardner went on to say, "The car was really good when it was pretty tacky all the way across, but it was getting really slick to a curb. And it was right after a yellow, I got in a little too hot and caught the edge of it and spiked it up. I just tried to keep it straight, and when we landed Dave (Darland) was alongside me but he was on the slick and probably gonna get no traction. From then on, I just entered a little lower and tried to put in good smooth laps rather than fast ones."
It was an approach that paid huge dividends in the end for the California native that now resides in Pittsboro, IN.
Saturday's Bass Pro Shops slate of 21 feature events culminated with the 50-lap finale, with Wednesday night's Creek Nation Casino Qualifying Showdown winner Josh Ford on the pole with Friday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts Qualifying event winner Gardner alongside.
After Brady Bacon, the lone Oklahoma representative in the main event, was shuffled atop the inside berm in turn one to negate the original start, Ford got the edge on Gardner as the pack raced through the opening pair of corners.
Ford, Gardner and Thursday's Warren CAT Qualifier winner Brad Kuhn led the way in the early stages and began to separate themselves from the rest of the 24-car feature field after a handful of laps.
Working his preferred top groove, Gardner began working on Ford for the lead after six laps, only to jump the cushion on the eighth round and lose several car-lengths. Gardner wasted little time reeling Ford back in though, closing to his tail tank by the time they reached lapped traffic on lap ten with the lead trio of Ford, Gardner and Kuhn nearly a straightaway ahead of fourth-running Dave Darland.
A lap later, Gardner charged past Ford for the lead with Kuhn following suit by taking second upon the completion of the eleventh round.
Lap thirteen proved to be unlucky for Kuhn when the lapped car of Terry McCarl got loose in turns one and two and collected the two-time National Midget Driver of the Year. Ford made contact in the melee as well, but somehow managed to squeeze by to reclaim second as the caution flew.
Gardner quickly opened up a half straightaway lead over Ford on the restart, with Darland another half straightaway back in third, only to have the pace interrupted after 16 laps when Kasey Kahne come to a stop in turn three. With smoke billowing from the NASCAR Sprint Cup star's machine over the previous two laps, Kahne retired to the infield.
At the same time, Kuhn reported to the work area and was unable to rejoin the chase, settling for a 22nd place finish in his third career Chili Bowl championship main event.
Ensuing cautions included one after 19 laps for Cole Whitt, who spun in turn four, and then one after 22 laps for a four-car tangle in turn four that included McCarl, Bobby Michnowicz, Nathan High and Billy Wease. Michnowicz and Wease, both making their first career Chili Bowl main event start, were done for the night.
Two laps later, McCarl spun to a stop on the backstretch to bring out another caution. At the same time, Ford jumped the turn two cushion and bicycled before coming to a stop and surrendering the second position.
Darland and fellow Indiana shoe Shane Cottle closed in on Gardner's rear nerf bar on the restart, but Gardner was once again able to open up an advantage of a half dozen car-lengths.
Gardner survived two more cautions over the duration of the race, including the final one after 42 laps when 2007 USAC Midget champion and National Midget Driver of the Year Jerry Coons, Jr., got upside down in a turn four tangle that also involved Whitt and Levi Jones, who had come to an earlier stop on lap 34.
Darland and Cottle gave chase over the final eight-lap charge to Roger Slack's checkered flag, but despite one Gardner bobble in turn four with the white flag in sight, no one was up to the task of overtaking "The Demon" on this night.
Gardner flashed across the finish line to lay claim to the Golden Driller trophy. "Jason (Leffler) is really excited, three weeks ago we weren't even going to do this and hopefully we can take this momentum and continue on through the year. He got his first car owner trophy, so not too bad."
Darland settled for second in Steve Lewis' Ed Pink Toyota-powered Team ASE/Performance Racing Industry No. 9x Spike.
Cottle claimed the show position in Daryl Saucier's Chevy-powered DSR Fuel Systems No. 1st Beast, giving Saucier two cars among the top three finishers as Saucier also wrenched Gardner's winning mount.
After starting twelfth, Bryan Clauson outdueled Jon Stanbrough over the final rounds to claim fourth in the Keith Kunz Motorsports Esslinger-powered No. 67 Bullet.
Stanbrough rounded out the top five in the Loyet Motorsports Esslinger Ford-powered Loyet Landscape Maintenance No. 05s Spike.
After starting 14th, Kevin Swindell climbed to seventh by the midway point and diced with Clauson and Stanbrough over the last half of the race before settling for sixth.
Relegated to the tail after originally starting 21st, the 17-year-old Bacon climbed to eighth by the midway point before falling back several positions after jumping the turn four cushion before the lap 33 caution. Bacon remounted his forward charge and got back up to seventh by the time the checkered flag flew, posting the top passing performance in the feature event by officially gaining 14 positions.
Two-time and defending race winner Tony Stewart crossed the stripe eighth after starting 13th, with TSR teammate and 2005 race winner Tracy Hines advancing from 16th to ninth. Nathan High, the 2007 AMRA champion, charged from 24th to tenth in his first career Chili Bowl championship main event.
Bubba Altig's feature ended before it started. After advancing to the main event by virtue of a fourth-place finish in the second "B" Main, last year's Cinderella Story of the Chili Bowl Nationals smacked the turn one wall as the field warmed up and was unable to take the green flag.
Eight drivers among Saturday night's finale were making their initial championship feature event start, including Swindell, Bacon, High, Levi Jones (eleventh), Jesse Hockett (12th), McCarl (19th), Michnowicz (20th) and Wease (21st).
Saturday's Bass Pro Shops feature action started off with twin "K" Mains, with Steve Davis wiring the first one and then Larry Campbell overtaking Dan Mecum on the fourth round en route to topping the second one.
Joey Fabozzi wired the field in the First "J" Main, with opening lap leader Samantha Taylor regaining the lead for keeps on the seventh round of the Second "J" Main when leader Derrick Myers exited with mechanical problems.
Jonathan Hendrick took over on lap two to top the First "I" Main, with Wayne Johnson and Garry Lee Maier checked out on the field in the non-stop Second "I" Main,
Andy Martin wrestled the lead from David Cardey on the sixth lap of the First "H" Main, with Justin Henderson leading all the way in the Second "H" Main.
Thomas Meseraull blasted past Glenn Carson on the fourth circuit on the way to winning the First "G" Main, while 14-year-old Coleman Gulick battled past tee shirt clad veteran Kevin Olson on the eighth lap to win the Second "G" Main.
Casey Shuman wired the field in "F" Main one, with Dustin Morgan sweeping past Justin Melton on the seventh lap to top the Second "F" Main.
J.J. Yeley raced from 12th to overtake Josh Richards on the seventh round for the win in the First "E" Main, with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., checking out on the field to win the Second "E" Main.
Scott Pierovich led wire-to-wire in the First "D" Main, as Yeley's past alphabet heroics couldn't be repeated after hitting the cone and then later spinning out of contention. P.J. Jones led all the way in the Second "D" Main, fending off several challenges from Brad Sweet.
Don Droud, Jr., won the First "C" Main after escaping a twelve-car melee opening lap melee. Donnie Ray Crawford paced the opening five circuits of the second "C" Main before Levi Jones took command. But Jones was relegated to second when Terry McCarl raced by and waved "good-bye" on the 13th of 15 laps.
Davey Ray and Tony Stewart battled for the lead in the early laps of the First "B" Main before Stewart took command, while Kevin Swindell dominated the Second "B" Main.
FULL RESULTS
Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 12, 2008) - Damion Gardner picked perhaps the largest dirt track stage in history to shine upon by racing to victory lane in Saturday night's 50-lap championship main event at Tulsa Expo Raceway's 22nd Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
After winning Friday night's Qualifying feature, "The Demon" raced into the lead on the eleventh lap and led the rest of the way to become the 16th different winner in event history in front of a packed house at Tulsa's QuikTrip Center and before a worldwide television audience on HBO Pay-Per-View courtesy of Lucas Oil.
Piloting Jason Leffler's Pace Electronics/Team ASE No. 71g entry, the winningest driver in USAC/CRA history and the series' 2005 champion bested a record Chili Bowl Nationals field of 274 competitors from 29 different states as well as Canada and Australia as he made his first Chili Bowl main event since finishing tenth in 2003.
"I was just trying to keep the nerves down the whole time, and even during the race at the end it was tough to keep the nerves down and to put in the good laps," Gardner commented afterward.
Dave Darland, who finished a close second, responded that, "I was trying to keep his nerves up there a few times, it didn't work."
Gardner went on to say, "The car was really good when it was pretty tacky all the way across, but it was getting really slick to a curb. And it was right after a yellow, I got in a little too hot and caught the edge of it and spiked it up. I just tried to keep it straight, and when we landed Dave (Darland) was alongside me but he was on the slick and probably gonna get no traction. From then on, I just entered a little lower and tried to put in good smooth laps rather than fast ones."
It was an approach that paid huge dividends in the end for the California native that now resides in Pittsboro, IN.
Saturday's Bass Pro Shops slate of 21 feature events culminated with the 50-lap finale, with Wednesday night's Creek Nation Casino Qualifying Showdown winner Josh Ford on the pole with Friday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts Qualifying event winner Gardner alongside.
After Brady Bacon, the lone Oklahoma representative in the main event, was shuffled atop the inside berm in turn one to negate the original start, Ford got the edge on Gardner as the pack raced through the opening pair of corners.
Ford, Gardner and Thursday's Warren CAT Qualifier winner Brad Kuhn led the way in the early stages and began to separate themselves from the rest of the 24-car feature field after a handful of laps.
Working his preferred top groove, Gardner began working on Ford for the lead after six laps, only to jump the cushion on the eighth round and lose several car-lengths. Gardner wasted little time reeling Ford back in though, closing to his tail tank by the time they reached lapped traffic on lap ten with the lead trio of Ford, Gardner and Kuhn nearly a straightaway ahead of fourth-running Dave Darland.
A lap later, Gardner charged past Ford for the lead with Kuhn following suit by taking second upon the completion of the eleventh round.
Lap thirteen proved to be unlucky for Kuhn when the lapped car of Terry McCarl got loose in turns one and two and collected the two-time National Midget Driver of the Year. Ford made contact in the melee as well, but somehow managed to squeeze by to reclaim second as the caution flew.
Gardner quickly opened up a half straightaway lead over Ford on the restart, with Darland another half straightaway back in third, only to have the pace interrupted after 16 laps when Kasey Kahne come to a stop in turn three. With smoke billowing from the NASCAR Sprint Cup star's machine over the previous two laps, Kahne retired to the infield.
At the same time, Kuhn reported to the work area and was unable to rejoin the chase, settling for a 22nd place finish in his third career Chili Bowl championship main event.
Ensuing cautions included one after 19 laps for Cole Whitt, who spun in turn four, and then one after 22 laps for a four-car tangle in turn four that included McCarl, Bobby Michnowicz, Nathan High and Billy Wease. Michnowicz and Wease, both making their first career Chili Bowl main event start, were done for the night.
Two laps later, McCarl spun to a stop on the backstretch to bring out another caution. At the same time, Ford jumped the turn two cushion and bicycled before coming to a stop and surrendering the second position.
Darland and fellow Indiana shoe Shane Cottle closed in on Gardner's rear nerf bar on the restart, but Gardner was once again able to open up an advantage of a half dozen car-lengths.
Gardner survived two more cautions over the duration of the race, including the final one after 42 laps when 2007 USAC Midget champion and National Midget Driver of the Year Jerry Coons, Jr., got upside down in a turn four tangle that also involved Whitt and Levi Jones, who had come to an earlier stop on lap 34.
Darland and Cottle gave chase over the final eight-lap charge to Roger Slack's checkered flag, but despite one Gardner bobble in turn four with the white flag in sight, no one was up to the task of overtaking "The Demon" on this night.
Gardner flashed across the finish line to lay claim to the Golden Driller trophy. "Jason (Leffler) is really excited, three weeks ago we weren't even going to do this and hopefully we can take this momentum and continue on through the year. He got his first car owner trophy, so not too bad."
Darland settled for second in Steve Lewis' Ed Pink Toyota-powered Team ASE/Performance Racing Industry No. 9x Spike.
Cottle claimed the show position in Daryl Saucier's Chevy-powered DSR Fuel Systems No. 1st Beast, giving Saucier two cars among the top three finishers as Saucier also wrenched Gardner's winning mount.
After starting twelfth, Bryan Clauson outdueled Jon Stanbrough over the final rounds to claim fourth in the Keith Kunz Motorsports Esslinger-powered No. 67 Bullet.
Stanbrough rounded out the top five in the Loyet Motorsports Esslinger Ford-powered Loyet Landscape Maintenance No. 05s Spike.
After starting 14th, Kevin Swindell climbed to seventh by the midway point and diced with Clauson and Stanbrough over the last half of the race before settling for sixth.
Relegated to the tail after originally starting 21st, the 17-year-old Bacon climbed to eighth by the midway point before falling back several positions after jumping the turn four cushion before the lap 33 caution. Bacon remounted his forward charge and got back up to seventh by the time the checkered flag flew, posting the top passing performance in the feature event by officially gaining 14 positions.
Two-time and defending race winner Tony Stewart crossed the stripe eighth after starting 13th, with TSR teammate and 2005 race winner Tracy Hines advancing from 16th to ninth. Nathan High, the 2007 AMRA champion, charged from 24th to tenth in his first career Chili Bowl championship main event.
Bubba Altig's feature ended before it started. After advancing to the main event by virtue of a fourth-place finish in the second "B" Main, last year's Cinderella Story of the Chili Bowl Nationals smacked the turn one wall as the field warmed up and was unable to take the green flag.
Eight drivers among Saturday night's finale were making their initial championship feature event start, including Swindell, Bacon, High, Levi Jones (eleventh), Jesse Hockett (12th), McCarl (19th), Michnowicz (20th) and Wease (21st).
Saturday's Bass Pro Shops feature action started off with twin "K" Mains, with Steve Davis wiring the first one and then Larry Campbell overtaking Dan Mecum on the fourth round en route to topping the second one.
Joey Fabozzi wired the field in the First "J" Main, with opening lap leader Samantha Taylor regaining the lead for keeps on the seventh round of the Second "J" Main when leader Derrick Myers exited with mechanical problems.
Jonathan Hendrick took over on lap two to top the First "I" Main, with Wayne Johnson and Garry Lee Maier checked out on the field in the non-stop Second "I" Main,
Andy Martin wrestled the lead from David Cardey on the sixth lap of the First "H" Main, with Justin Henderson leading all the way in the Second "H" Main.
Thomas Meseraull blasted past Glenn Carson on the fourth circuit on the way to winning the First "G" Main, while 14-year-old Coleman Gulick battled past tee shirt clad veteran Kevin Olson on the eighth lap to win the Second "G" Main.
Casey Shuman wired the field in "F" Main one, with Dustin Morgan sweeping past Justin Melton on the seventh lap to top the Second "F" Main.
J.J. Yeley raced from 12th to overtake Josh Richards on the seventh round for the win in the First "E" Main, with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., checking out on the field to win the Second "E" Main.
Scott Pierovich led wire-to-wire in the First "D" Main, as Yeley's past alphabet heroics couldn't be repeated after hitting the cone and then later spinning out of contention. P.J. Jones led all the way in the Second "D" Main, fending off several challenges from Brad Sweet.
Don Droud, Jr., won the First "C" Main after escaping a twelve-car melee opening lap melee. Donnie Ray Crawford paced the opening five circuits of the second "C" Main before Levi Jones took command. But Jones was relegated to second when Terry McCarl raced by and waved "good-bye" on the 13th of 15 laps.
Davey Ray and Tony Stewart battled for the lead in the early laps of the First "B" Main before Stewart took command, while Kevin Swindell dominated the Second "B" Main.
FULL RESULTS