TULSA, Okla. — By now it is well-documented that the Chili Bowl Nationals draws fans and participants from nearly every inch of this nation and beyond.
Save the years hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, one couple has religiously made the journey from across the pond for more than a decade. In the early days of courtship, Ailsa and Stephen Ording were discovering the kinds of things that might be mutually interesting. As Stephen recalls it, Ailsa “casually asked what I did when I was growing up. I said I went to stock car races with my dad.”
It had been years since Stephen had given a great deal of thought to racing, but it also wasn’t hard to recall those days at Wimbledon Speedway or watching the Spedeworth SuperStoxs in action. Then there were the teenage years and other amusements which took his attention elsewhere. With her interest piqued, Ailsa checked around and found that there was oval racing to be found nearby.
That was all it took to open a whole new world.
Morpeth Northumberland, England is just south of Scotland on the River Wansbeck. It is a long way from places such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Oklahoma. That didn’t stop this couple.
Years ago, they travelled to Florida in February to see a wide range of races. They enjoyed the All Star Circuit of Champions, late models and saw sprint cars on pavement. Over time they have ventured to Daytona and the Indianapolis 500. However, one night really captured their fancy.
“We saw the USAC sprint cars at East Bay Raceway and my jaw dropped,” Stephen said. “I have never seen that much power to the ground and we thought this is it. This is what we want to watch. Winged sprint cars are fun and they are very fast. I like late model racing. It’s tactical. But then we saw the USAC sprint cars again at Ocala and we went to their trailer and got a schedule. Since then, we stopped going to racing in the UK, and we have saved every penny. Now we have done Eastern Storm, Indiana Midget week, Indiana Sprint Week and the Little 500, and wow, what a race that is.”
They also don’t miss the Chili Bowl.
When pressed why this race is so special Stephen said, “It is hard to put into words. You come on Monday and it feels like a regular race night. Tuesday it amps up. Then starting Wednesday, it really comes alive. The format makes it so intense. Then there is nothing like Saturday.
“At nearly every Chili Bowl we have done and this is 100 percent true, we have watched every lap of every race,” he continued. “On Saturday we get up at 6 a.m. We go to breakfast and we come and watch the very first race. Hand on heart, we have watched every hot-lap session this year again. We take it all in. There are so many different stories here.”
While the enormity event may defy description, Ailsa puts it succinctly, “It is the place to be in January if you are a race fan.”
It is a start of the new season, but if everything falls into place this will only be the first American trip of the year for this couple. They would love to see even more, but as Stephen says, “We have the horrible little thing called the Atlantic Ocean and a nine-hour flight to get here.”