Swindell prevails at Chili Bowl prelim, McCreadie hurt

J.J. Yeley passed Jon Stanbrough for second on Lap 5 and chased hard, but there was no catching Sammy Swindell, who won Wednesday night's qualifying feature to close in on a record fifth Chili Bowl Midget Nationals championship.

Tulsaworld.com reported that Yeley was able to make up ground on Swindell in lapped traffic late in the race, but couldn't make a pass. Swindell, Yeley and Stanbrough all advance to Saturday's finale.

Swindell is the Chili Bowl's only four-time champion.

The World of Outlaws veteran started setting the stage for a possible record run with the Race of Champions victory on Tuesday, the Tulsa newspaper site reported, then won a heat race on Wednesday to secure the pole in the night's feature.

Earlier Wednesday, 2006 Chili Bowl champion Tim McCreadie was injured in a crash during a preliminary event.

McCreadie, 34, was leading a qualifying semifinal when something broke in his car's rear end. The car flipped violently and went over a fence.

Examinations at a Tulsa hospital showed a fractured T3 vertebra and other damage. He was fitted for neck and back brace Thursday and was expected to consult with Dr. Terry Trammell, the renowned Indianapolis orthopedic surgeon.