COLORADO SPRING, Colo. – Veteran Colorado open-wheel racer Chris Crowder is set to make his first appearance at the 36th running of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Okla., in January.
Crowder, who is a former member of the United States Marine Corps, will be one of more than 75 drivers attempting to become the Rookie of the Race.
For his initial effort in the annual event, he will be wheeling the Del Morris Motorsports No. 17R with support from Accelerated Services Auto Transporters, Morris Insurance Agency, Open Wheel Logistics, Champion Brands, Spike, Esslinger and RSI.
San Rafael and California’s Frankie Guerrini join Crowder as Del Morris Motorsports teammates.
“This is a great prestigious race,” Crowder said. “Just to be there amongst the Kyle Larsons, Rico Abreus and those guys … to be on the same stage as those guys is a unique opportunity that very few people get a chance to have.
“I have no expectations and Del has no expectations. The only thing he asks is if we can pass one car every time we hit the track. That is what we are shooting for. Other than that, we are going to go to have some fun and gain some experience.
“Del actually reached out to me,” the 47-year-old driver explained how he met Harris. “He said he had watched me drive at Bakersfield (Calif.) and Placerville (Calif.) and thought that I was a very clean driver, and I did not tear up a lot of equipment.
“I guess they had an open seat available, and they reached out to me through one of his crew guys asking if I would be interested. Obviously, the answer was ‘heck yeah.’”
Crowder has been in the trucking business for over 20 years and has owned Open Wheel Logistics Trucking for more than eight years. He has also maintained a race shop named Crowder Race Products since 2015.
Crowder’s foray into racing started with drag racing his 1966 Chevelle when he was in high school.
After high school, however, he joined the Marines, and that put racing on a hiatus until he got out of the military.
When he came back to racing in 2005, it was a far different discipline than his teen years. Instead of racing in one straight line, he started racing on two straight lines with turns on each end.
While he currently may be best known for lightning sprint cars, he also has driven competitively in winged and non-wing 305 sprint cars.
Over the years in lightning sprints, Crowder has won over 30 main events, including five in this past season.
He has also captured four lightning sprint car championships. Two of those titles came with the Rocky Mountain Lightning Sprint Car Association. Another was in the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series during its inaugural year in 2020.
In addition, he scored a title with the now defunct Colorado 1200 Outlaws.
Even though he won the 2020 SWLS crown, Crowder has taken his show on the road and has not raced for points the past four or five years.
His biggest victories this year came at the POWRi Midwest Lightning Sprint Car Nationals at the Central Missouri Speedway in May and on night two of the Hangtown 100 at Placerville Speedway on Nov. 19.
“I’m an open book right now,” Crowder said/ “I think the similarities are mostly cosmetic. Between the two of them, the chassis size is very similar, (as well as) wheel size and things like that.
“I am anticipating the horsepower difference and obviously having power steering as well. I want to see and feel how that relates even to the 305s.”
“Del and myself have talked about where this lead to afterwards,” Crowder said when asked if he thought the Chili Bowl could lead to more midget rides. “His words to me were, he would love to have me in a car next year. Possibly doing some USAC West stuff out in California.
“As long as we all gel together, the crew guys, Del and myself, I think there is a great opportunity here.”