Chili Bowl Nationals entry update 2007-12-06

Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals Pre-Entries Unveiled -- Current Count at 169

TULSA, Okla. (December 6, 2007) -- With the pre-entry deadline of December 15 still over a week away, the Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals office has been flooded with entries in recent weeks as the 22nd edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals approaches.

Currently, a total of 169 entries from 21 different states as well as Australia have filed entries for the 22nd Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals, which takes place atop the 1/4-mile Tulsa Expo Raceway inside the newly named QuikTrip Center on January 8-12, 2008.

The complete list of entries for the 22nd Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals is available at www.chilibowl.com/2008chilibowlentries.asp. Driver entry is just $150 if filed by December 15. After that time, entries are $200.

And while the list is filled with names familiar to long-time Chili Bowl fans, names such as Stewart, Yeley, Kahne, Swindell and Kruseman among others, there are also some new ones as top guns from all variety of motorsports prepare to descend upon the city of Tulsa in pursuit of the coveted Golden Driller trophy.

Among the new ones on the list, and perhaps unexpected, is NASCAR star Ryan Newman.

Making his way up through the ranks of open wheel racing just as Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and J.J. Yeley did en route to NASCAR, Newman is set to make his Chili Bowl debut aboard one of the three Corey Tucker-owned entries, teamed with DIRT Modified racer Jerry Higbie, Jr., and World of Outlaws shoe Randy Hannagan.

Newman, along with approximately 250 or so others, will try to do exactly what Tony Stewart did in January of 2007 -- win the Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.

Stewart enters the 2008 edition of the Chili Bowl as the defending champion after becoming just the fourth driver in event history to top the Chili Bowl on more than one occasion. Tony's first Chili Bowl win came in 2002.

Other past winners already entered include the event's only four-time winner, Sammy Swindell, along with two-time Chili Bowl kingpin Cory Kruseman (2000 and 2004) and 2005 winner Tracy Hines.

The talent already entered for the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals represents a multitude of racing disciplines, including NASCAR, ARCA, NHRA, Late Models, DIRT Modifieds, winged and wingless Sprint Car racing and Midgets among others.

The 22nd Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals kicks off on Tuesday night, January 8, with the Pre-Qualifying event. The top 15 finishers from Tuesday's Pre-Qualifier will advance to the Qualifying Night events, including Wednesday's Creek Nation Casino Qualifying Showdown, Thursday's Warren Cat Qualifying Event and Friday's O'Reilly Qualifying Night. Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Championship feature slate of events will culminate with the 22nd Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals 50-lap championship feature event.

The top four finishers from the Qualifying Night features will automatically lock into the Saturday night, January 12, Dodge Chili Bowl championship feature, with the balance of Saturday's Bass Pro Shops championship feature events lined up according to Qualifying Night finishes.

Originally a two-day event that attracted 52 entries in 1987, the Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals has evolved into a five-night extravaganza of indoor, dirt track midget racing, and ranks among the world's most prestigious auto racing events with the 2007 edition of the event attracting a record number of 267 competitors.

A limited number of reserved seats remain for Tuesday night's Pre-Qualifying event, with only pit passes available on Wednesday through Saturday as the supply of four-night tickets was depleted by the beginning of June.

Tickets for the Tuesday night, January 8, Pre-Qualifier may be purchased in advance for just $21 by calling the Chili Bowl ticket office at 918-838-3777.

Additional information regarding the Dodge Chili Bowl Midget Nationals is available at www.chilibowl.com.

Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals Pre-Entry Stats:

Most Chili Bowls Competed In (Among Pre-Entered Drivers): Donnie Lehmann 18, Sammy Swindell 17, Danny Lasoski 16, Critter Malone 15, Kevin Olson 15, Bill Allen 13, Tracy Hines 11, Jason Leffler 11, Tony Stewart 11, J.J. Yeley 11, P.J. Jones 10, Cory Kruseman 10, Nick O'Neal 10, Johnny Murdock 10.

Chili Bowl Championship Feature Starts (Among Pre-Entered Drivers):

Sammy Swindell 15, Danny Lasoski 14, Kevin Olson 10, Jason Leffler 9, Tony Stewart 9, Tracy Hines 9, Jerry Coons, Jr. 8, Cory Kruseman 8, P.J. Jones 6, J.J. Yeley 5, Matt Westfall 5, Kasey Kahne 4, Donnie Lehmann 4, Joe Boyles 3, Steve Buckwalter 3, Rick Hendrix 3, Davey Ray 3, Jon Stanbrough 3, Justin Allgaier 2, Chad DeSelle 2, Brad Kuhn 2, Critter Malone 2, Josh Wise 2, Bubba Altig 1, Ryan Durst 1, Danny Ebberts 1, A.J. Fike 1, Aaron Fiscus 1, Josh Ford 1, David Gough 1, Jonathan Hendrick 1, Shane Hollingsworth 1, Mat Neely 1, Johnny Rodriguez 1, Danny Stratton 1, Brandon Waelti 1, Tyler Walker 1, Paul White 1, Chris Windom 1

-credit: cbn/lw