TULSA, Okla. — Wednesday night at the 38th annual Chili Bowl Nationals undoubtedly belonged to Corey Day and the No. 41 Factory Kahne Racing entry.
In only his third year running a midget at the SageNet Center, the California teenager drove away from the field during the 30-lap York Plumbing Qualifying Night feature to capture his first preliminary victory at the Chili Bowl.
“Restarts are crucial on something like that. I kept heating my tires up, but I let them get down one time and got tight for a lap-and-a-half. I thought it was over at that point,” Day recalled. “To win a prelim night at Chili Bowl is crazy. I didn’t know if I’d ever achieve it — I’m not a midget guy and these are all the best guys in this building.”
After starting second, it only took Day one lap to get by polesitter Jake Swanson and secure the lead, though a wild battle for second raged on behind him.
Swanson rode the top in his No. 55a Alex Bowman Racing midget while Michael Faccinto committed to the bottom in his No. 5u Trifecta Motorsports entry and the two drivers dueled it out for a chance at finishing second and locking straight into Saturday’s A main.
At the line, it was Swanson who took the advantage.
“As a race car driver, you never want to run second, but you also have to understand that you’re at the Chili Bowl and the top two lock in — so second’s pretty dang good,” Swanson said. “If Corey (Day) would’ve made a couple mistakes, I might’ve been able to do something with him, but for the most part, we were just kind of fast on the top and there wasn’t much I could do to run him down.”
Faccinto slipped back to finish fourth while Briggs Danner snuck into third.
“That’s the best I’ve felt in this building in the three years that I’ve been here,” Danner said in the post-race press conference. “To come into Saturday, knowing we’re in the best spot to make the show in a B main is huge and it’s a win for us for sure.”
Meanwhile, Faccinto will live to fight another day in the B main on Saturday.
“Chili Bowl, you take it by steps. Get through the heat race, we did our job. Got through the qualifier, did our job. In the main event, I really thought we did our job — I just committed to the bottom,” Faccinto explained. “Trying to get locked in for my third time here.”
Colby Copeland completed the top five.
Feature Results (30 Laps)
1. Corey Day, 2. Jake Swanson, 3. Briggs Danner, 4. Michael Faccinto, 5. Colby Copeland, 6. Kale Drake, 7. Jade Avedisian, 8. Tyler Courtney, 9. Brent Crews, 10. Jerry Coons Jr., 11. Miachel Stewart, 12. Brandon Waelti, 13. Rylan Gray, 14. Kyle Cummins, 15. Blake Hahn, 16. Daison Pursley, 17. Alex Bright, 18. Garet Williamson, 19. Chelby Hinton, 20. Trey Osborne, 21. David Camfield Jr., 22. Jonathan Beason (DNF), 23. Caleb Stelzig (DNF), 24. Mitchel Moles (DNF)