Chilli Bowl: Rico Rocks It On Hard Rock Casino Qualifying Night

Rico Abreu
Rico Abreu

Rico Abreu was the class of the field in Wednesday’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa Qualifying Night at the 33rd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire; winning for the fourth time since 2015 aboard the Safelite AutoGlass/Keith Kunz Motorsports No. 97.

Asked if he felt his comfort level at the Chili Bowl was back to where it was a few years ago, Rico replied, “Yeah, I think so. I won those back to back years and I kind of had a slump year and came back to be competitive. Last year I felt I wasn’t as good as the top two but if the roles were reversed, I think if I was in a little better position I think where they could chase me instead of me chasing them. Because those two boys [Bell and Larson], they don’t too many mistakes when they get out front. I think this year was a matter of just minimizing the mistakes"

Rolling to the green from the right of the front row, Abreu gave chase from third the opening pair of laps before working past Blake Hahn for second. Caution on Lap 3 for Matt Westfall who came to a stop in turn one, Rico worked the hub of the Tulsa Expo Raceway on the restart with the move for the lead coming on Lap 7. With a run off the bottom of the second turn, Rico secured the point with the slide through turn four.

Slowed again on the ninth circuit when Alex Bright and Sammy Swindell tangled, Abreu pulled away on the restart as the race for second went three deep as Bodine, Gravel, and McCreadie traded top to bottom for the runner-up spot with David Gravel wheeling the FMR/Mobil 1 No. 76g to second.

Holding off David Gravel on a Lap 14 restart, Rico quickly rolled away on the cushion. Picking up steam on the berm of the Tulsa Expo Raceway, Gravel closed the gap until Rico adjusted his line to the bottom of three and four while running the top of turns one and two.

“Keith (Kunz) was kind of giving me a few signals that I needed to pick up the pace a little bit and said they were making up some time on me on the bottom in three and four. All night, I kind of struggled around the bottom, but I feel like I hit some good laps there at the end of the race."

Putting time between himself and the No. 76g, traffic entered the picture just at Abreu found the back of the field. Unphased by the backmarkers, Rico crossed the stripe 1.794 seconds to the good.

Locking into his first career championship feature event, David Gravel in second was trailed by Cole Bodine who held off the challenge of 17th starting Jake Swanson in the closing laps. Able to keep his No. 08 ahead of Tim McCreadie, the top five rounded out with Chili Bowl Rookie, Cannon McIntosh.

McCreadie would settle for sixth with Colby Copeland seventh. Having to race out of a B-Feature, Ryan Smith was the night’s Hard Charger with a run from 23rd to eighth. Robert Dalby from 15th grabbed ninth with Daniel Robinson making it three drivers in the top-ten to advance 10 positions or more.

With three nights of competition in the books, the 33rd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire, 204 drivers have checked in so far with 73 taking part in Wednesday’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa Qualifying Night. Currently, the Chili Bowl Flip Count standing at 22. All drivers have been able to walk away.

The 33rd Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire continues Thursday, January 17, 2019, with John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night. A roster of 75 drivers is expected to be on hand for the Thursday affair. The River Spirit Expo Center will open at 9:00 A.M. with Pit Pass sales starting at 11:00 A.M. Hot Laps will get underway at 4:00 P.M. with racing at 5:00 P.M. (CT). A field of 74 drivers is expected to take to the track.

Results:

Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire
Tulsa Expo Raceway – Tulsa, Okla.
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Hard Rock Casino Tulsa Night

Car Count: 73
Event Count: 204

Midgets

A Feature

25 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 2 Rico Abreu Rutherford, CA 97
2 4 David Gravel Watertown, CT 76G
3 1 Cole Bodine Rossville, IN 57C
4 17 Jake Swanson Anaheim, CA 68W
5 7 Cannon McIntosh Bixby, OK 08
6 6 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY 9
7 11 Colby Copeland Roseville, CA 87
8 23 Ryan Smith Kunkletown, PA 67R
9 15 Robert Dalby Anaheim, CA 4D
10 20 Daniel Robinson Ewing, IL 57D
11 3 Blake Hahn Sapulpa, OK 52
12 19 Justin Peck Monrovia, IN 43
13 10 Aaron Reutzel Clute, TX 92
14 12 Alex Bright Collegeville, PA 47
15 5 Sammy Swindell Germantown, TN 1
16 24 Tom Harris Banbury, OXF 9P
17 18 Matt Westfall Pleasant Hill, OH 54W
18 22 Tristan Guardino Fremont, CA 16K
19 14 Jason McDougal Broken Arrow, OK 15M
20 13 Holley Hollan Tulsa, OK 67K
21 16 Geoff Ensign Sebastopol, CA 3F
22 (DNF) 9 Tyler Thomas Collinsville, OK 91T
23 (DNF) 8 Chris Windom St Louis, MO 17
24 (DNF) 21 Davey Ray Indianapolis, IN 29A

B Feature 1

15 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 1 Jake Swanson Anaheim, CA 68W
2 7 Justin Peck Monrovia, IN 43
3 9 Davey Ray Indianapolis, IN 29A
4 2 Ryan Smith Kunkletown, PA 67R
5 6 Billy VanInwegen Jr Sparrow Bush, NY 0B
6 4 Joe Stornetta Jr Napa, CA 2X
7 13 Tyler Edwards Salina, OK 73K
8 8 Brandon Waelti Sun Prairie, WI 3W
9 14 Cody Brewer Choctaw, OK 96
10 16 Clinton Boyles Greenwood, MO 14S
11 10 Frankie Guerrini San Rafael, CA 9F
12 15 Chett Gehrke Shepherdsville, KY 11C
13 5 Dennis Gile Glendale, AZ 13M
14 11 Shawn Jackson Bear, DE 7J
15 3 Kory Schudy Springfield, MO 28
16 (DNF) 12 Michael Koontz Bloomington, IN 17K

B Feature 2

15 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 1 Matt Westfall Pleasant Hill, OH 54W
2 3 Daniel Robinson Ewing, IL 57D
3 2 Tristan Guardino Fremont, CA 16K
4 14 Tom Harris Banbury, OXF 9P
5 6 Travis Berryhill American Canyon, CA 31
6 13 Shane Stewart Bixby, OK 22E
7 4 Jeff Stasa Kingman, KS 91
8 9 Landon Simon Indianapolis, IN 1L
9 8 Daniel Adler St. Louis, MO 50
10 15 Jeb Sessums Burleson, TX 2ND
11 7 Zachary Madrid Tucson, AZ 51A
12 16 Billy Wease Noblesville, IN 12
13 11 Matt Streeter Galt, CA 19S
14 12 Andrew Prather Martinsville, IN 37X
15 10 J.J. Ercse Lakewood, CA 4M
16 (DNF) 5 Steven Shebester Mustang, OK 22X

C Feature 1

12 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 1 Tyler Edwards Salina, OK 73K
2 7 Cody Brewer Choctaw, OK 96
3 2 Chett Gehrke Shepherdsville, KY 11C
4 9 Clinton Boyles Greenwood, MO 14S
5 3 Garet Williamson Columbia, MO 51G
6 8 Conor Daly Indianapolis, IN 22C
7 16 Robert Spino Wallingford, CT 8K
8 15 Tyler Robbins Collinsville, IL 35X
9 4 Johnny Kent Kiefer, OK 87F
10 13 John Klabunde Ft. Calhoun, NE 77J
11 6 Randy Sterling Morrisdale, PA 00S
12 (DNF) 5 John Dyson Chicago, IL 52K
13 (DNF) 10 Brian Beebe Oak Grove, MO 44S
14 (DNF) 14 Mike Griffiths Melbourne, VIC 75X
15 (DNF) 12 Rob Caho Sr. Mound, MN 78
DNS Brian Jones Eddyville, KY 50J

C Feature 2

12 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 6 Shane Stewart Bixby, OK 22E
2 9 Tom Harris Banbury, OXF 9P
3 1 Jeb Sessums Burleson, TX 2ND
4 4 Billy Wease Noblesville, IN 12
5 13 Joey Parker Plainfield, IN 16
6 11 Jake Neal Omaha, NE 14E
7 10 David Camfield III Decatur, IL 16C
8 8 Landon Cassill Charlotte, NC 21X
9 5 Jim Gardner Anaheim, CA 49J
10 16 Presley Truedson Kennedy, MN 5T
11 3 Jarrett Soares Gilroy, CA 3JR
12 7 Tyler Shoemaker Bloomington, IN 9T
13 2 Anthony Pope Roseburg, OR 45H
14 12 Patrick Lawson Edwardsville, IL 23P
15 (DNF) 14 J.J. Yeley Charlotte, NC 2J
DNS Heath Murry Tonganoxie, KS 7HM

Qualifier 1

10 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 1 Aaron Reutzel Clute, TX 92
2 3 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY 9
3 5 Sammy Swindell Germantown, TN 1
4 4 Jason McDougal Broken Arrow, OK 15M
5 7 Jake Swanson Anaheim, CA 68W
6 8 Daniel Robinson Ewing, IL 57D
7 2 Billy VanInwegen Jr Sparrow Bush, NY 0B
8 10 Brandon Waelti Sun Prairie, WI 3W
9 6 Kory Schudy Springfield, MO 28
10 9 Shawn Jackson Bear, DE 7J

Qualifier 2

10 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 3 Rico Abreu Rutherford, CA 97
2 2 Colby Copeland Roseville, CA 87
3 5 Cannon McIntosh Bixby, OK 08
4 6 Chris Windom St Louis, MO 17
5 1 Jeff Stasa Kingman, KS 91
6 4 Tristan Guardino Fremont, CA 16K
7 8 Justin Peck Monrovia, IN 43
8 10 Davey Ray Indianapolis, IN 29A
9 7 Frankie Guerrini San Rafael, CA 9F
10 9 Michael Koontz Bloomington, IN 17K

Qualifier 3

10 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 3 Blake Hahn Sapulpa, OK 52
2 2 Alex Bright Collegeville, PA 47
3 10 Tyler Thomas Collinsville, OK 91T
4 1 Ryan Smith Kunkletown, PA 67R
5 4 Geoff Ensign Sebastopol, CA 3F
6 6 Matt Westfall Pleasant Hill, OH 54W
7 5 Joe Stornetta Jr Napa, CA 2X
8 9 Daniel Adler St. Louis, MO 50
9 7 J.J. Ercse Lakewood, CA 4M
10 8 Matt Streeter Galt, CA 19S

Qualifier 4

10 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 4 Cole Bodine Rossville, IN 57C
2 2 Holley Hollan Tulsa, OK 67K
3 6 David Gravel Watertown, CT 76G
4 3 Robert Dalby Anaheim, CA 4D
5 1 Dennis Gile Glendale, AZ 13M
6 7 Steven Shebester Mustang, OK 22X
7 9 Travis Berryhill American Canyon, CA 31
8 8 Landon Simon Indianapolis, IN 1L
9 5 Zachary Madrid Tucson, AZ 51A
10 10 Andrew Prather Martinsville, IN 37X

Heat 1

8 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 2 Jason McDougal Broken Arrow, OK 15M
2 4 Blake Hahn Sapulpa, OK 52
3 6 Robert Dalby Anaheim, CA 4D
4 1 Tyler Thomas Collinsville, OK 91T
5 3 Anthony Pope Roseburg, OR 45H
6 7 Chett Gehrke Shepherdsville, KY 11C
7 5 David Camfield III Decatur, IL 16C
DNS Heath Murry Tonganoxie, KS 7HM
DNS Marvin Mitchell Madera, CA 10K

Heat 2

8 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 2 Tristan Guardino Fremont, CA 16K
2 5 Matt Westfall Pleasant Hill, OH 54W
3 3 Landon Simon Indianapolis, IN 1L
4 7 Aaron Reutzel Clute, TX 92
5 1 Jarrett Soares Gilroy, CA 3JR
6 6 Johnny Kent Kiefer, OK 87F
7 4 Rob Caho Sr. Mound, MN 78
DNS Tyler Robbins Collinsville, IL 35X

Heat 3

8 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 2 Geoff Ensign Sebastopol, CA 3F
2 8 Kory Schudy Springfield, MO 28
3 1 Travis Berryhill American Canyon, CA 31
4 7 Jeff Stasa Kingman, KS 91
5 6 Davey Ray Indianapolis, IN 29A
6 4 Shane Stewart Bixby, OK 22E
7 5 Robert Spino Wallingford, CT 8K
8 3 Mike Griffiths Melbourne, VIC 75X

Heat 4

8 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 2 Cole Bodine Rossville, IN 57C
2 1 Jake Swanson Anaheim, CA 68W
3 7 Cannon McIntosh Bixby, OK 08
4 4 Brandon Waelti Sun Prairie, WI 3W
5 8 Daniel Robinson Ewing, IL 57D
6 5 John Dyson Chicago, IL 52K
7 (DNF) 6 Tom Harris Banbury, OXF 9P
DQ 3 J.J. Yeley Charlotte, NC 2J
***No. 2J, Yeley, Disqualified for not allowing officials to tech fuel.

Heat 5

8 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 2 Tim McCreadie Watertown, NY 9
2 5 David Gravel Watertown, CT 76G
3 7 Joe Stornetta Jr Napa, CA 2X
4 6 J.J. Ercse Lakewood, CA 4M
5 3 Garet Williamson Columbia, MO 51G
6 4 Cody Brewer Choctaw, OK 96
7 8 Randy Sterling Morrisdale, PA 00S
8 1 John Klabunde Ft. Calhoun, NE 77J

Heat 6

8 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 1 Colby Copeland Roseville, CA 87
2 2 Ryan Smith Kunkletown, PA 67R
3 6 Billy VanInwegen Jr Sparrow Bush, NY 0B
4 5 Daniel Adler St. Louis, MO 50
5 8 Justin Peck Monrovia, IN 43
6 3 Tyler Shoemaker Bloomington, IN 9T
7 7 Landon Cassill Charlotte, NC 21X
8 (DNF) 4 Brian Jones Eddyville, KY 50J

Heat 7

8 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 2 Rico Abreu Rutherford, CA 97
2 1 Frankie Guerrini San Rafael, CA 9F
3 3 Shawn Jackson Bear, DE 7J
4 8 Holley Hollan Tulsa, OK 67K
5 4 Tyler Edwards Salina, OK 73K
6 6 Billy Wease Noblesville, IN 12
7 5 Jake Neal Omaha, NE 14E
8 7 Patrick Lawson Edwardsville, IL 23P

Heat 8

8 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 3 Chris Windom St Louis, MO 17
2 2 Dennis Gile Glendale, AZ 13M
3 7 Zachary Madrid Tucson, AZ 51A
4 1 Andrew Prather Martinsville, IN 37X
5 8 Matt Streeter Galt, CA 19S
6 5 Jim Gardner Anaheim, CA 49J
7 (DNF) 6 Brian Beebe Oak Grove, MO 44S
8 (DNF) 4 Joey Parker Plainfield, IN 16

Heat 9

8 laps | 00:00:00

Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 1 Alex Bright Collegeville, PA 47
2 5 Sammy Swindell Germantown, TN 1
3 2 Michael Koontz Bloomington, IN 17K
4 6 Steven Shebester Mustang, OK 22X
5 4 Jeb Sessums Burleson, TX 2ND
6 3 Conor Daly Indianapolis, IN 22C
7 7 Clinton Boyles Greenwood, MO 14S
DNS Presley Truedson Kennedy, MN 5T
Click here for printable results.
  • 2018 – Christopher Bell
  • 2017 – Christopher Bell
  • 2016 – Rico Abreu
  • 2015 – Rico Abreu
  • 2014 – Bryan Clauson
  • 2013 – Kevin Swindell
  • 2012 – Kevin Swindell
  • 2011 – Kevin Swindell
  • 2010 – Kevin Swindell
  • 2009 – Sammy Swindell
  • 2008 – Damion Gardner
  • 2007 – Tony Stewart
  • 2006 – Tim McCreadie
  • 2005 – Tracy Hines
  • 2004 – Cory Kruseman
  • 2003 – Dan Boorse
  • 2002 – Tony Stewart
  • 2001 – Jay Drake
  • 2000 – Cory Kruseman
  • 1999 – Dan Boorse
  • 1998 – Sammy Swindell
  • 1997 – Billy Boat
  • 1996 – Sammy Swindell
  • 1995 – Donnie Beechler
    • 1994 – Andy Hillenburg
    • 1993 – Dave Blaney
    • 1992 – Sammy Swindell
    • 1991 – L. McSpadden
    • 1990 – John Heydenreich
    • 1989 – Sammy Swindell
    • 1988 – Scott Hatton