TULSA, Okla. — Kale Drake’s dream journey to the Chili Bowl Nationals started last October when the Oklahoma native finished second in the KKM Giveback Classic at Port City Raceway.
Drake charged hard from a 15th-place starting position and made it all the way into second before the checkered flag waved on the 67-lap micro sprint race. Meanwhile, Keith Kunz Motorsports/Toyota driver Gavin Miller earned the win.
“(Keith Kunz’s) cars were phenomenal all weekend long and it turns out they were just a little bit better than us,” Drake said. “We struggled really early on that weekend and had to come from the back. I was honestly super bummed because I wanted to win that race really, really badly.”
The prize for winning the Giveback Classic?
Either a $15,000 check or a ride with Keith Kunz at the Chili Bowl.
As Miller already had a deal with Keith Kunz Motorsports for the indoor midget race at SageNet Center in January, he opted to take the money. Meanwhile, Drake watched his Chili Bowl hopes circle the drain from afar while he closed the door on his micro sprint season.
“The KKM Giveback Classic was our last race of the season,” Drake explained. “And then, I got the phone call from him.”
It was mid-November and Drake was working in Arizona for his micro sprint team owner, installing garage doors. The fateful call was from Kunz, who offered Drake a shot at running the Chili Bowl out of the KKM stables.
Without hesitation, Drake accepted.
The road to SageNet Center continued to unfold for Drake, as he then made a trip over to Indiana to get fitted for his new midget at the KKM shop. He went back to Arizona to continue working before meeting back up with KKM for the Turkey Night Grand Prix.
“We qualified P3 overall and were running top three the whole race until we got in some unfortunate mishaps and had to go to the back,” Drake recalled. “But showed really good speed.”
It was a combination of the Turkey Night experience — Drake’s second start in a national midget race — and an intrinsic awareness of what he’s capable of behind the wheel that led the 18-year-old to set high expectations for his rookie run at the Chili Bowl.
“I came in here expecting nothing but the A main,” Drake said.
After charging from 12th to sixth in his preliminary feature on Wednesday, Drake will start in a B main on Saturday as he attempts to make his first Chili Bowl A main start. And he’s not giving himself much leniency when it comes to attaining his goal.
“I feel like I have one of the stronger mental games when it comes to this sport. And then knowing how good Keith’s race cars are in this building — those two together are pretty tough to beat,” Drake said.
Drake has been toughening his mental resolve over the last three years, which was when he made his return to racing after taking time off to pursue other interests. Prior to the break, he had been racing since he was four years old. But rather than just put on a helmet and strap into the car, at that point, Drake decided to take more ownership of his involvement in the sport.
“I came back swinging at it a lot harder, came back and actually started doing it on my own,” Drake said. “I started doing all the maintenance and set up — like I did it all. So I think that really helped me learn and get me to where I am today.”
While the Oklahoman has focused primarily on racing micro sprints at Port City Raceway, he also made one midget start prior to running with Kunz at Turkey Night.
In light of the work he’s put in on his race program, Drake’s appreciation for his Chili Bowl opportunity with Kunz runs deep and he plans to make the most of it.
“Anything that I can get out of this is amazing, right?” Drake said. “I’m super grateful for every little bit that I’ve been given. If I can go midget racing next year, that’d be amazing. If I can go winged sprint car racing or as long as I get to race, I’m happy. I love it.
“I’m super passionate about this sport and anything I can do to stay at the race track.”