TULSA, Okla. – Two drivers with heavy NASCAR ties headline the last of five preliminary night fields for the 33rd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway.

Current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and recently-retired Cup Series regular Kasey Kahne lead a field of 69 entries for Vacuworx Qualifying Night, the final chance for drivers to earn a guaranteed starting spot in Saturday’s Chili Bowl championship A-main.

Stenhouse, who drives for Roush Fenway Racing during the NASCAR season, will pilot the No. 17S NOS Energy Drink Spike/Stanton SR-11X for Clauson-Marshall Racing as he attempts to rebound from a wild flip during his B-main in last year’s Chili Bowl.

Meanwhile, Kahne returns to Tulsa for the second year running looking to make his eighth Saturday A-main start and first since 2016. He’ll drive the No. 67K that is co-owned by his brother Willie and the Zarounian Motorsports team.

Defending Vacuworx Night winner Justin Grant moves over from Clauson-Marshall to drive the No. 4A machine for RAMS Racing. Grant is seeking his second Chili Bowl preliminary night victory.

One of the sentimental stories in Friday’s Chili Bowl field is that of Brad Loyet, who returns to Tulsa after a shop accident left him with injuries that sidelined him for the season.

Loyet announced prior to Chili Bowl week that this will be his final appearance as a driver before concluding his racing career. He’ll drive the familiar orange No. 05 machine.

Spencer Bayston will kick off his last scheduled appearance with Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports on Friday, driving the No. 97K Bullet/Toyota, joined by reigning POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League champion Tucker Klaasmeyer in the KKM stable. Klaasmeyer will wheel his familiar No. 27 Bullet/Toyota.

Noted outlaw kart chassis builder Jimmy Elledge will pilot a last-minute entry for Zach Daum, with Ethan Mitchell and ASCS Mid-South champion Howard Moore among the rookies who will take to the track on Friday night.

Other notables in the Friday field include former USAC national midget champion Tanner Thorson, veteran USAC triple threat Kevin Thomas Jr., World of Outlaws sprint car regular Daryn Pittman and all-time leading USAC sprint car winner Dave Darland, who is a veteran of 15 Chili Bowl Saturday A-mains.

Vacuworx Night Entry List – Jan. 18, 2019

Car Number – Driver – Hometown

#0 – Johnny Murdock – Kaufman, Texas
#1P – Terry Nichols – Delano, Calif.
#1S – A.J. Flick (R) – Apollo, Pa.
#1X – Cody Lampe – Jetmore, Kan.
#2A – Brent Beauchamp – Avon, Ind.
#2G – Steve Buckwalter – Royersford, Pa.
#3C – Tanner Thorson – Minden, Nev.
#4A – Justin Grant – Ione, Calif.
#4FF – TBA – TBA
#4J – Tim Crawley – Benton, Ark.
#05 – Brad Loyet – Sunset Hills, Mo.
#5S – Jimmy Elledge – Mooresville, N.C.
#7 – Shannon McQueen – Tehachapi, Calif.
#7CG – Jimmy Light – Lizton, Ind.
#8JR – A.J. Johnson – Oskaloosa, Iowa
#9D – Sean Dodenhoff – Reno, Nev.
#10V – Richard VanderWeerd – Visalia, Calif.
#11G – Mike Goodman – Broken Arrow, Okla.
#11P – Laydon Pearson (R) – New Castle, Okla.
#14C – Danny Clark – Newburgh, Ind.
#14H – A.J. Hopkins – Brownsburg, Ind.
#15X – Lance Bennett – Parker, Colo.
#17R – Alex Schutte – Rohnert Park, Calif.
#17S – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Olive Branch, Miss.
#18K – Mike Mehl (R) – Portland, Ore.
#19M – Ethan Mitchell (R) – Mooresville, N.C.
#19T – Kevin Thomas Jr. – Cullman, Ala.
#19U – Pierce Urbanosky – North Richland Hills, Texas
#20 – Tadd Holliman – Murray, Neb.
#21 – Daryn Pittman – Owasso, Okla.
#21H – Ty Hulsey – Owasso, Okla.
#21R – Stevie Sussex – Laveen, Ariz.
#21W – Waylon Weaver – Claremore, Okla.
#22A – Andy Malpocker – St. Charles, Mo.
#23L – Lee Lengel – Spring Hill, Kan.
#23M – David Budres – Janesville, Wis.
#27 – Tucker Klaasmeyer – Paola, Kan.
#28M – Ace McCarthy – Tahlequah, Okla.
#31K – Kyle Beilman (R) – Los Angeles, Calif.
#36 – Dave Darland – Lincoln, Ind.
#41H – Howard Moore (R) – Memphis, Tenn.
#45L – Carson Short (R) – Marion, Ill.
#47M – Austin Liggett – Tracy, Calif.
#51J – Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, Mo.
#54L – Luke Icke (R) – Littleton, Colo.
#55K – Nick Knepper – Belleville, Ill.
#57B – Chase Jones – Greenwood, Ind.
#59E – Dex Eaton – Owasso, Okla.
#67Z – Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, Wash.
#68B – Blain Petersen – Essex, Iowa
#68S – Logan Scherb – Decatur, Texas
#71G – Damion Gardner – Concord, Calif.
#72X – Chris Tarrant – Greenville, Texas
#73X – Shane Cottle – Kokomo, Ind.
#78X – Ray Allen Kulhanek – Danbury, Texas
#80 – Josh Hawkins – Whitehouse, Texas
#83B – J.B. Gilbert (R) – Monticello, Ill.
#84X – Chad Boat – Phoenix, Ariz.
#86 – Mark Lowrey – Concord, N.C.
#87C – Danny Smith – Argenta, Ill.
#88N – D.J. Netto – Hanford, Calif.
#93M – Scottie McDonald – Porter, Texas
#95 – Chris Andrews – Tulsa, Okla.
#95T – Brandon Tubbs II – Colorado Springs, Colo.
#97K – Spencer Bayston – Lebanon, Ind.
#99G – Skylar Gee (R) – Leduc, Alberta, Canada
#99W – Korey Weyant – Springfield, Ill.
#101 – Chuck McGillivray – Madison, S.D.
#777 – Wayne Crow (R) – Anadarko, Okla.