He wasn‘t alone. Tanner Thorson also moved forward and finished in the runner-up position.
USAC sprint car star Kyle Cummins had a lot on his mind. He was on the pole, but his wife was back in Southern Indiana and due to give birth at any moment. Alongside was Justin Grant, with Damion and Ronnie Gardner occupying the second row. Grant got to the lead at the drop of the green and started hiding from the field. He knew he had a great car. “We had a good lead,” he recalled, “and then we had a yellow like five or eight laps in. I heard them say, ‘3g (Cummins) the leader is on the frontstretch. I was like, oh boy, we‘re killing them. Then I looked up at the board off of turn four and I couldn‘t see them after a restart. It was like, man we are good, don‘t mess this up.”
It is rarely so easy. First Justin had a tire going down around the mid-point of the race, and from there did everything that could be done to build the pressure back up. Then he hit a wall of traffic. “That lapped traffic was as bad as I have ever been in,” he said. “Honestly, it was gnarly. They were like two-wide for six rows. It seemed like the whole field was taking the green in front of me and I was being patient, being patient, being patient and then I could see Kyle on the board again. It was like holes weren‘t opening for me so I had to make them.
CHILI BOWL WINNERS
Monday, Jan. 11 –
Winner: Cannon McIntosh
Tuesday, Jan. 12 –
Winner: Kyle Larson
Wednesday, Jan. 13 –
Winner: Rico Abreu
Thursday, Jan. 14 –
Winner: Christopher Bell
Friday, Jan. 15 –
Winner: Justin Grant
Saturday, Jan. 16 –
Winner: Kyle Larson
“So, I made a few and I got a couple-car buffer. Then I got to that black car and he is like changing lanes every lap. He slid me back and I thought he was going to crash me coming out of four. I don‘t know if he knew I was the leader, but that‘s part of it. I‘m not mad at him; I‘ve got to beat him. He‘s not doing anything wrong, he is just out there racing like everybody else. But it is nerve wracking when you are leading the thing. There were no breaks tonight in lapped traffic. I hit right front to left rear with a guy, I think I bounced off a guy on the bottom, and I bounced over the cushion passing them. There were a few moments where I thought ‘I‘ve botched this.‘”
What he did was win his fourth Friday night feature in five years, and with three different teams. Grant was also quick to credit his teammate for the outcome. “I don‘t know if people know it,” he said, “but Thomas Meseraull works countless hours, not only on his car but my car as well. He is in the shop every day of the week, and I‘m not. He has as much credit due for this as anyone.”
For those who watch Grant perform regularly, he was unusually ecstatic. “All of the owners who have brought me here, they put their faith, their finances, their energy and efforts, and hearts and souls into me coming here and doing my job,” he said. “Last year I didn‘t do my job. My job is to get these guys in victory lane and get their picture taken. Last year I didn‘t, and that hurt. It hurt for me and all the people who ask me to handle that for them. So, it feels real good to get that done for them. You know, my life is the same whether I win here or I don‘t, but I feel deeply responsible for people who work for me.”
Kyle Cummins was in the show and was just pleased to get a chance to race a midget. J.J. Yeley had helped him get a shot with Glenn Styres, and he was naturally thrilled to be locked into the finale. That is if he was actually going to be on hand to race. With a baby girl on the way, Cummins had his priorities in perfect order. “I‘ve got a flight out in the morning, “he revealed, “and that‘s more important. I mean, this is cool, but I will skip this in a heartbeat.”
While Stenhouse rightfully got his share of applause for landing on the podium, Tanner Thorson improved 16 positions and was the night‘s hard charger. As for Stenhouse, he knew he could sleep in a bit longer but still had work to do on Saturday. “If I hadn‘t made it out of the B the confidence level wouldn‘t be very high,” he admitted. “But starting in the front of the B you have to put together another 20 or 25 laps together to get to the top six or seven. I have been that last transfer car and have been taken out. So, you are never comfortable or relieved until the checkered flag, but I think we have a really good shot at it.
One of the storylines of this Chili Bowl was simple. Heading into Saturday night, the drivers who had emerged on top each qualifying night had been there before. As a group, the five winners had combined for a total of 26 preliminary wins and six Golden Drillers.
SATURDAY
It had been a very long time since anyone had made a run through the alphabet soup of preliminary features worth a passing notice. It seemed as if the days of charges through the field like we witnessed with Danny Stratton and J.J. Yeley were now in the past.
Then came Jason McDougal.
McDougal is well known in these parts as a young man with off-the-chart talent. Nobody was surprised when he survived the I feature, or really the H or G. Then he just kept going.
Suddenly, those who were wandering the pits or working on cars, people who might routinely ignore the big screens projecting the action, were craning their necks to watch. A ripple went through the crowd and vendors were leaving their posts to get a closer look. When he made it to the D things were getting serious, and when he had moved into a transfer position again people were nearly giddy.
Then it all came undone. Ryan Bernal rapped him from behind and, in the blink of an eye, J-Mac was turned around. It was over. The response from the crowd, and even other drivers and teams, was immediate and loud. A similar roar echoed forth when it was announced that Ryan had been disqualified.
That all seemed appropriate enough. Everyone likes being a witness to history. Even the home team fans quietly hope an opposing pitcher closes out a no-hitter. However, the vitriol that continued on social media in the aftermath was well over the top, unnecessary, and too personal. A full highlight reel can be made at the conclusion of every Chili Bowl covering ambitious slide jobs, bump and run tactics, and full contact racing.
As the day progressed, drivers one might expect to matriculate to the grand finale did so. True, some may have been mildly surprised when Justin Grant emerged on top of the pole shuffle. Also of note, Kyle Cummins was still in town. There is little doubt that this race will be remembered for the track work that preceded the main event. Such tailoring is usually a part of every Saturday night at the Chili Bowl, but there is no doubt that this time it felt like it took an eternity. Suffice it to say, many saw all of this as foreplay for another Bell and Larson showdown.
Justin Grant got the jump at the start of the 55-lap feature, but Joe B. Hall flipped before a round had been completed. It was the last time Kyle Larson would be headed.
On the surface, it would seem that a feature without a single change in the lead would be dull. Hardly.