Bell Qualifies, Swindell to B-Main Saturday

Another Oklahoman was victorious on a qualifying night while the current Prince of Tulsa had some work to do.

2013 USAC National Midget Dirt champion, Norman, Oklahoma's Christopher Bell won Thursday night's A-Main and has directly qualified for championship feature Saturday. Bell won his heat and finished second in his A-Main qualifier which gave him pole for the feature. He never looked back holding off 2008 Chili Bowl winner Damion Gardner who took second place and also qualified for Saturday's championship feature.

Kevin Swindell faced an up hill battle all night. Entered in the same heat as Bell, Swindell suffered a flat tire that led to his retirement from that race and forced him to Thursday night's C-Main where he started thirteenth. Swindell made his way through the field and won the C-Main. He started thirteenth again for the B-Main and once again made his way through the field and took victory. The four-time Chili Bowl winner had a little more work to do in the A-Main as he was starting seventeenth. He made his way to fourth but was not able to get by the New Zealander Michael Pickens for the final qualifying positions. Swindell will have to race his way into the championship feature from the B-Main on Saturday.

Another past Chili Bowl winner needing to qualify Saturday is Tracy Hines. Hines won both his heat and qualifier but finished eighth in the A-Main. Drivers who failed to make it past the B-Main on Thursday night include Indy Lights driver Kyle O'Gara, NASCAR Rookie of the Year Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Dakoda Armstrong and AJ Fike. Just like Swindell, Stenhouse, Jr. retired from his heat race and had to go to the second C-Main where he started third and won. In the B-Main, he could only manage a fifth place finish.

The final night of Chili Bowl qualifying features a star-studded list including two-time winner Cory Kruseman, 2006 winner Tim McCreadie, Dave Darland, Bryan Clauson, Kasey Kahne, Chad Boat, Daryn Pittman, Darren Hagen, Cody Swanson, Jon Stanbrough and Dillon Welch to name a few.