SALISBURY, N.C. – C.J. Leary outran three-time Chili Bowl Nationals champion Christopher Bell to win night one of the Walkapedia Carolina Midget Showdown Monday at Millbridge Speedway.
The Alex Bowman Racing driver led 20 of 30 laps for the $2,500 prize over the 15-car field.
Leary crossed the finish line 1.064 seconds ahead of Bell, moonlighting in a Keith Kunz Motorsports entry, in his first midget race since January’s Chili Bowl Nationals.
Bowman himself was on hand for the impressive display, affirming his driver’s outing with an embrace and a smile that wouldn’t go away in victory lane.
“To beat Bell, that’s saying a whole lot,” Leary said. “I’m not much of a midget driver. I’m a sprint car driver. For me to come out here with Alex and the guys … like, the car is blank. We should be ready for the Chili Bowl. I’m just super happy for Alex and his guys.”
Bell supported his status as the driver to beat when he won the first heat race from third, but Leary’s speed quickly established him as a threat.
Leary laid down a lap of 9.999 seconds in qualifying — .218 seconds off fast-qualifier Brent Crews and second-fastest overall — and then won his heat race from fourth.
Bell led the first 10 laps hightailing around the topmost part of the one-sixths-mile clay oval, but Leary’s game plan on the bottom groove never faltered.
On lap 11, Leary took the lead with a slide job that gave him position on the top groove off turn two. Bell tried counteracting in turn three, but Leary stifled any sort of slide job attempt.
Bell couldn’t keep up as the race progressed, particularly off turn four.
“We’ve always really lacked running off a curb,” Leary said. “We worked all night trying to get the bottom to run good. It makes it a lot harder to pass if you’re running the bottom, you know? This place always turns into a slide-fest.”
Bell had three restart attempts to regain control, but Leary’s smooth-driving kept the NASCAR Cup Series driver for Joe Gibbs Racing at bay.
“I don’t know, I kind of fell off there,” Bell said. “I knew C.J. was going to be fast. He was really good in the heat race. He could run all over the race track and I was pretty committed to the top. So, we’ll try some stuff, maybe change some stuff for tomorrow and try again.”
Gavan Boschele, also driving for Keith Kunz Motorsports, rounded out the podium.
Ethan Mitchell and Ryan Timms completed the top five.
Modified ace Nick Hoffman finished sixth from the 15th-starting spot.
USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series driver Cannon McIntosh flipped out of the running with two laps to go and finished 12th.
Tuesday night’s Walkapedia Carolina Midget Showdown finale is set to award $7,500 to the winner.
D.J. Vanderley won the accompanying 30-lap micro sprint feature over Tim Nye and Tanner Gray.
Konnor Leicht, meanwhile, took him the 15-lap beginner box stock feature. Cash Bowyer and Beckham Malone rounded out the podium.
Wyatt Miller, son of Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, clinched the track’s beginner box stock title with a fourth-place finish.