TULSA, Okla. - Kyle Larson grabbed the lead on lap 6 of Tuesday night’s A-Feature, then went unchallenged en route to the Warren CAT Qualifying Night victory at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals at Oklahoma’s Tulsa Expo Raceway.
The victory punched the NASCAR Cup Series driver’s ticket into his eighth Chili Bowl Saturday night A-Feature, and marked his fifth win in preliminary night competition.
Chasing Zach Daum for the first five laps, Larson tested top and bottom on the Tulsa Expo Raceway before rolling past the Illinois racer on the cushion exiting turn two. Daum as unable to keep pace as Larson reeled in slower traffic.
“That might be the second time I got Zach (Daum) in a prelim night,” Larson said. “They work the track before the feature so as the leader you just run the bottom until you hear somebody or see somebody. I was just able to get around him….It was just nice to get to the lead there and run a good pace, but I was hoping I would get a caution before I got close to traffic.”
Working lap traffic by lap 9, Larson’s advantage changed very little before the caution lights lit up working lap 16 as Kyle Jones spun almost directly in front of the leader. Able to avoid the trouble, Larson brought the field to speed with the lap count adjusted to the last fully completed lap.
With Daum battling for position with Sam Hafertepe, Jr. behind him, Larson was able to move away. He would see his advantage evaporate when the caution flew again with five laps to go after Larry Wight’s car billowed smoke,
But Larson was not to be denied, as he crossed the finish line some 1.087 seconds ahead of Daum.
Daum’s second place finish is good enough to lock him into Saturday night’s A-Feature for the seventh time, as the top two finishers move on to Saturday’s main event.
Jonathan Beason finished in third, followed by Michael Faccinto in fourth and Hafertepe Jr. in fifth.
Tyler Courtney, Dillon Welch, Jesse Colwell, Alex Bowman and Tanner Berryhill rounded out the top ten.
In other action, Tanner Thorson led all 20 laps en route to the win in the 11th annual Vacuworx Invitational Race of Champions. Larson finished in second, with Christopher Bell in third, Ryan Bernal in fourth and J.J. Yeley in fifth.
The 33rd Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals continues Wednesday, January 16, with Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tulsa Qualifying Night. For more information, visit ChiliBowl.com.
Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals
Tulsa Expo Raceway – Tulsa, OK
Warren CAT Qualifying Night – January 15, 2019
1. 01-Kyle Larson*
2. 5D-Zach Daum*
3. 8J-Jonathan Beason
4. 31B-Michael Faccinto
5. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.
6. 7C-Tyler Courtney
7. 99P-Dillon Welch
8. 71-Jesse Colwell
9. 55X-Alex Bowman
10. 89-Tanner Berryhill
11. 47B-Andrew Layser
12. 74M-Adam Pierson
13. 7M-Brody Roa
14. 29-Tim Buckwalter
15. 7U-Kyle Jones
16. 17E-Blake Edwards
17. 18-Tony Bruce Jr.
18. 25S-Frank Flud
19. 9JR-Derek Hagar
20. 84M-Alex DeCamp
21. 3S-Brian Shirley
22. F5-Tye Mihocko
23. (DNF) 99-Larry Wight
24. (DNF) 27J-Jake Bubak
*Locked Into Saturday’s A-Feature
VIROC XI
1. 3C-Tanner Thorson
2. 01-Kyle Larson
3. 71W-Christopher Bell
4. 39-Ryan Bernal
5. 2J-J.J. Yeley
6. 67-Logan Seavey
7. 47-Danny Stratton
8. 9-Tim McCreadie
9. 97-Rico Abreu
10. 67Z-Kasey Kahne
11. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer
12. 05-Brad Loyet
13. 1-Sammy Swindell
14. 84X-Chad Boat
15. 11-Tracy Hines
16. 36-Dave Darland
17. 92-Aaron Reutzel
18. 1R-Brad Sweet
19. 22-John Heydenreich
20. (DNF) 71G-Damion Gardner
