YORK, Pa. — The Tulsa shootout in the rearview mirror, six more nights of racing at the Tulsa Expo for the 36th Chili Bowl Nationals. Nearly 400 drivers take to the dirt, five qualifying nights all leading up to who locks in and who makes their way through the alphabet soup on Saturday.
A headlining story was the young driver by the name of Kaylee Bryson.
In the second B-main, Bryson left it all on the track and jet to the front. She won the B and became the first woman in history to make the A-main at the Chili Bowl.
The Pennsylvania Posse was represented by one lone driver in the feature. Tim Buckwalter made his first ever Chili Bowl A-main.
But, who starts 2022 off right? The last five years, the Chili Bowl bragging rights have gone to NASCAR drivers, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson. Bell started on the pole with Tanner Thorson to his outside for the 55-lap feature.
Ten laps in, Thorson literally knocking on Bell’s door. He's making his presents known. After starting seventh, Kyle Larson tries to slide Justin Grant for fifth but the Friday night winner went for a flip after getting too close to the cushion.
Thorson took the lead with 19 to go and with five left, Bell tries to make a move. The leaders get extremely lucky as Brady Bacon launches down the backstretch and brought the the final flip count to 66.
Thorson pulled away from the field and for the first time in 11-years the Chili Bowl champ doesn’t win a prelim night as Thorson wins his first golden driller. Buckwalter finished 19th in his first Chili Bowl A-main.
Switch gears, for the sixth consecutive year Port Royal promoter Steve O'Neal, and the crew that helps him day in and day out at the Speed Palace, have been named the 410 promoter of the year award from the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.
In that same release, three Pa Posse drivers also made the Top-10 Drivers of the Year.
Outlaw Logan Schuchart voted seventh. The shark is going to catch a break one of these seasons and when he does, he’ll be vying for his first Outlaw championship. He tied his grandfather Bobby Allen for career Outlaw wins and notches his third consecutive Devils Bowl, back-to-back Jackson Nationals and scores his first ever Gold Cup.
Voted eight is the Myerstown Mistle, Brent Marks. 2021 was the story book season that the Marks hopes to continue into this year. He had a career high of 14 wins in a single season; most notable wins at Eldora and the finale at the World Finals.
Lance Dewease rounded out the top ten. Dewease captured his seventh track championship at Williams Grove, finishing on the podium 15 of the 20 410 races, with his worst finish 7th. Dewease currently has at 104 wins at the paperclip.
Anthony Macri (12th), Danny Dietrich (T-13th) and Logan Wagner (19th) make up the Top 20.