Boat’s Third Leads Toyota In Friday’s Chili Bowl Feature

TRD

Chad Boat climbed from eighth to third to lead three Toyota drivers into the top 10 in Friday night’s Vacuworx Qualifying Night feature event at the 33rd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Raceway. Tucker Klaasmeyer finished fifth, while Spencer Bayston placed ninth. 

After winning his opening heat race from the eighth starting position, Boat then climbed from sixth to second in his qualifying race only to make a slight error on the penultimate lap that resulted in him spinning and then having to re-start from the back of the field. He climbed back up to sixth, but that result pushed him back to the eighth starting position in Friday’s A Main.

“We had a good Kristine Auction/KC Drywall Spike Toyota tonight,” said Boat, who will start at the front of a B Main on Saturday. “We made one slight mistake in our qualifier going for the lead and I think that’s what ultimately relegated us to a third-place finish tonight. When you’re racing on a track that fast against racers that are as good as they are, you have to start up front. Tonight, we were probably one or two rows too far back. I definitely think we were the fastest car out there over the last 15 laps. We’ll take what we learned tonight and apply it tomorrow in the B Main and make sure that we finish our job and put it in the show.  Then we’ll go after it in the A Main and have a good 55 laps.”

Klaasmeyer’s fifth-place finish will give him a spot in tomorrow’s B Mains. Bayston may have registered the drive of the night after starting from the 24th starting position and climbing all the way to ninth. After an incident ended his heat race prematurely, Bayston was forced to start the night in the back of the C Main. He then raced into the B and then followed with another impressive run into the feature. Between the A, B and C Mains, Bayston passed 34 cars on the night.

Toyota Chili Bowl Notes:

– Toyota drivers won four of this year’s five preliminary night feature events at the Chili Bowl.

– Seven of the 10 drivers who advanced directly to Saturday’s feature were Toyota-powered. In addition, five Toyota drivers will begin from the B Mains.

– The Toyota driver line-up for Saturday’s Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals includes three Chili Bowl champions and nine drivers that have previously won open-wheel national championships. The list includes two-time defending champion Christopher Bell, Rico Abreu (2015 and 2016 Chili Bowl champ), reigning national midget car champs Logan Seavey (USAC) and Tucker Klaasmeyer (POWRi), three-time POWRi champion Zach Daum, 2017 USAC midget champion Spencer Bayston, USAC Triple Crown champions J.J. Yeley (the 2005 Chili Bowl winner) and Jerry Coons, as well two-time USAC Sprint Car champion Brady Bacon.

– Twelve of the 38 Toyota drivers won at least one national midget feature event in 2018. 

Toyota Friday ResultsFinished
84X Chad BoatA Main – 3rd
27 Tucker KlaasmeyerA Main – 5th
97K Spencer BaystonA Main – 9th
2G Steve BuckwalterA Main – 19th
1S A.J. FlickB Main – 16th
5S Jimmy ElledgeC Main – 11th

Toyota Powered Drivers Saturday Qualifying Positions   

Car #DriverHometown 
01Kyle LarsonElk Grove, CAA Main
5DZach DaumPocahontas, ILA Main
67Logan SeaveySutter, CAA Main
97Rico AbreuRutherford, CAA Main
71WChristopher BellNorman, OKA Main
76GDavid GravelWatertown, CTA Main
76MBrady BaconBroken Arrow, OKA Main
84XChad BoatPhoenix, AZB Main
27Tucker KlaasmeyerPaola, KSB Main
08Cannon McIntoshBroken Arrow, OKB Main
87Colby CopelandRoseville, CAB Main
71Jesse ColwellCottonwood, CAB Main
89Tanner BerryhillBixby, OKC Main
97KSpencer BaystonLebanon, INC Main
2GSteve BuckwalterRoyersford, PAD Main
9XPaul NienhiserChapin, ILC Main
52Blake HahnSapulpa, OKC Main
67KHolley HollanTulsa, OKD Main
71KTanner CarrickLincoln, CAD Main
25Jerry Coons Jr. Tucson, AZD Main
5PKyle CrakerLewisberry, PAE Main
15MJason McDougalBroken Arrow, OKE Main
91TTyler ThomasCollinsville, OKE Main
91WHayden WilliamsAuckland, NZE Main
5RRyan FosterAnderson, CAF Main
1LLandon SimonBrownsburg, INF Main
72KSam JohnsonSt. Peters, MOF Main
56XMark ChisholmCheyenne, WYG Main
71XMcKenna HaaseDes Moines, IAH Main
83Karsyn ElledgeMooresville, NCH Main
35Sterling ClingTempe, AZH Main
13MDennis GileGlendale, AZI Main
91AChris AndrewsSandusky, OHI Main
1SA.J. FlickApollo, PAJ Main
5TPresley TruedsonKennedy, MNM Main
5SJimmy ElledgeMooresville, NCN Main
2JJ.J. YeleyCharlotte, NCO Main
27ZZane HendricksStillwater, OKO Main

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