TULSA, Okla. – Pennsylvania’s Austin Langenstein was another rookie who did remarkably well for his first Chili Bowl appearance, making the A-Qualifiers and contending for a transfer spot in his B-Main before tagging the cushion and falling back late in the going.
Langenstein, who is working at the HMS Motorsport booth from Wednesday to Friday selling safety equipment (his day job), said that he had no regrets and was pleased with how his night went.
“I just made a few mistakes in the B-Main,” he explained. “Everyone else knew when to go to the top and I didn’t. I hadn’t run up there all day … and I finally figured it out; it was just a little too late to make anything work.”
“If you’d asked me whether I’d take being in an E-Main for Saturday and having a shot at our prelim A tonight before I got here, I’d have said ‘Absolutely!’ I’m happy, man.”
– The Fastenal #FlipCount got going in a hurry on Tuesday, with Chris Cochran becoming the first unlucky victim of the fated tally when he went toppling over in turn two during the second group of hot laps.
In all, 13 flips were recorded during the first day of action at the Chili Bowl, with two drivers making repeat appearances (Cochran and Ray Seach). No injuries were reported from any of the incidents.
– Tuesday night’s qualifying program was the only scheduled batch of entries for the entire week that did not feature a past winner of the Chili Bowl within its confines.
Wednesday will see Sammy Swindell (five-time) and Rico Abreu (two-time) do battle, while Thursday’s lineup features Cory Kruseman (two-time), Tracy Hines (2005) and defending champion Christopher Bell.
Tim McCreadie (2006) and Damion Gardner (2008) lead Friday night’s entry list.
– It’s inevitable to see familiar faces around the Tulsa Expo Center that aren’t driving a race car every year, but perhaps the most notable on Tuesday was that of ARCA champion car owner and racing legend Ken Schrader.
Asked if he was interested in finding a car to race, Schrader chuckled.
“No, no,” he said quickly. “I’m good just watching.”
– Other notable onlookers in attendance Tuesday were Ohio media personality and radio host Brian Liskai, as well as Millbridge Speedway track owners and promoters Ashly and Jeremy Burnett.
