By: Fast Time Media
1/17/24... Tulsa, Oklahoma: This past week, Bryant Bell took part in his first ever Chili Bowl Nationals. He would be running his Eco-Tech engine against the very best Midget drivers in the entire country.
He would start the weekend off with practice on Sunday. It would be the first time Bryant got laps around the Tulsa Expo Center in a Midget as he looked to quickly get as comfortable as possible before his preliminary night.
Monday Night, Bryant would kick the racing action off with his Preliminary Night. They'd start the night off with heat race action. Bryant would roll off from the outside of row two in the 4th spot. He would battle hard, but ended up finishing in the 5th spot.
That was enough to put Bryant in a qualifier where he'd roll off from the outside of the fifth & final row in 10th. After starting 10th, Bryant was able to move forward a few spots. He'd go from the 10th spot, up to 7th & put himself into a solid spot in points entering the mains.
Entering the B-main on Monday, Bryant started in the 7th spot. After starting 7th Bryant once again began to move his way towards. Despite running the underpowered Eco-Tech engine, he still was battling for a transfer to the feature. Bryant found himself in 5th late in the race, but came up just short of a transfer spot.
"On Sunday we focused on trying to get up to speed as fast as we could. Practice went well and I was getting pretty comfortable with the track. Monday night was our prelim night. I started 4th in my heat @ finished 5th. Luckily that was enough points to lock me into a qualifier. We ended up having to go through the B-main & ended up just one spot short of the A main."
Saturday came around, and Bryant was slated to start his night in the E-main from the 12th spot. He had a solid opportunity to make a run. Bryant would have a solid B-main, as he was able to move forwards a spot, but ended up finishing 11th & ended his Chili Bowl there.
"For Saturday that lined us up for starting 12th in the E-main. We were able to pick off one car but just didn't have the motor to go forward enough to transfer. Overall I think we did awesome as a team & we are very proud of how we did!"
Overall, it was an impressive first Chili Bowl for Bryant. Despite being underpowered, he was able to have a great weekend & nearly make his preliminary night feature.
Bryant would also like to thank his sponsors; Toyota Walnut Creek, Griggs Systems, HomeSmiles, Sabrina's Pizzeria, Suspensionline, Agumi Solutions, National Towing, and Orland Public Auto Auction.
Next Race: TBA