Welcome to the new year and with the Chili Bowl only a few days away, it’s time for a Happy New Year edition of the Friday Heat Race.
Here are some thoughts regarding the coming season.
Qualifying: Can Larson Win Indy?
Kyle Larson is arguably the most talented racer of his generation, but he’s never run an Indy car race. This year he’ll run a McLaren entry at the Indianapolis 500 in an effort to win the world’s most famous race. Can he do it?
My answer is yes. It will be excellent equipment and with Larson’s ability to adapt to different race cars, there’s no reason he won’t be in contention when the final round of pit stops come around during The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Hot Laps: Big Losses
Let’s hope for a break from losing our legends for a while. The December deaths of Don Schumacher, Roland Leong, Gil de Ferran, Rick Ferkel and Cale Yarborough were felt throughout the motorsports world.
Let’s appreciate our heroes while they’re still around.
First Heat: Smoke Signals
While I am very interested to see how Tony Stewart performs in a Top Fuel dragster this season, it would sure be nice to see him back in a midget at the Chili Bowl. Those days are gone, but in his prime, he was as thrilling to watch at Tulsa Expo Raceway as anyone, including Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu.
Second Heat: Andretti At Daytona?
It’s been a few years since an Andretti drove a stock car at Daytona Int’l Speedway. But it appears third-generation driver Marco Andretti will end that streak in February. Andretti is scheduled to participate in an upcoming practice session for the ARCA Menards Series at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
The IndyCar Series veteran and SRX champion ran three NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races last season and has one Xfinity Series start to his credit.
It would sure be nice to see Marco in the Daytona 500 one day soon. His grandfather, Mario, won the Great American Race in 1967 driving for Holman-Moody. Marco’s uncle, John, won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona in 1997.
Third Heat: Florida Speedweeks
The traditional race lineup will be slightly shuffled this year, but there are more opportunities than ever for late model, winged sprint car, non-winged sprint car and UMP-type modified racers to hit the race track during a monthlong preview of the coming season.
It will be fun to see the contenders, the pretenders and those seeking a return to previous glory all vying for winning starts to the new campaign.
Fourth Heat: Winging It
In recent years, more and more non-winged sprint car racers have been converting to winged sprint car racing.
With the creation of the High Limit Racing Series and the Maverick Winged Sprint Car Series and POWRi 410 sprint car series in the Midwest, there are more and more opportunities for winged racers, and with higher purses, that means more chances at solid paydays.
This year Thomas Meseraull will be joining the likes of Tyler Courtney, Chris Windom, Hunter Schuerenberg and others. It also won’t be surprising to see C.J. Leary and Kevin Thomas Jr. continue to test the waters in winged racing after finding success in limited events in the past.
Dash: Three Predictions
Three predictions for the new year: 1. The NASCAR Cup Series champion will be Ross Chastain; 2. The IndyCar Series champion will be Josef Newgarden; 3. Despite the confusion of many sprint car racing fans, High Limit Racing and the World of Outlaws will have successful seasons.
B Main: The Chili Bowl
With nearly 370 entries set for the 38th running of the Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway, the field may be as wide open as it’s been in quite some time.
Keith Kunz Motorsports may have 13 quality entries — with nearly all capable of winning — there will be plenty of competition from throughout the field. With only four (Logan Seavey, Tanner Thorson, Tim McCreadie and Sammy Swindell) Chili Bowl winners in the field, the chances are great of a first-time winner.
Among the top candidates to break down the door are Justin Grant, who has been close on many occasions, Buddy Kofoid, Jade Avedisian, Cannon McIntosh, Tyler Courtney, Ryan Timms, Chris Windom and Daison Pursley.
But there are plenty of others to watch.
Feature: Crown Jewels
High Limit Racing and the World of Outlaws have each assembled stellar lineups for the upcoming sprint car season and the bodes well for the season’s crown jewel events that will bring the two national sprint car tours together.
With 16 drivers on the High Limit log and at least 11 traveling with the World of Outlaws that means a lot of top-notch drivers will be at the best when the High Bank Nationals, Kings Royal and Knoxville Nationals roll around in mid-summer.
Imagine the cream of the crop of both series with a half of season of touring events under their belts. David Gravel, Donny Schatz, Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild and Gio Scelzi facing off against Brad Sweet, Rico Abreu, Kyle Larson, Brent Marks, Corey Day, Tyler Courtney and Zeb Wise.
That will be great fun and something every sprint car fan should want to see.