TULSA, Okla. — After years of success driving Andy Bondio’s midgets at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, Cory Kruseman made a bold move to bring his own team to midget racing’s premier event this season.
The move paid huge dividends Friday night at Tulsa Expo Raceway as Kruseman drove the No. 21k he built to victory on the fourth and final preliminary night of action for Saturday’s 24th annual Chili Bowl finale.
Kruseman won his heat and his qualifying race to earn the pole for the feature. From there he held off Jerry Coons, Jr. for all 25 laps of the quarter-mile oval, earning his sixth-career Chili Bowl preliminary night victory — the most of any driver.
“Driving for Andy Bondio was great for my career,” Kruseman said. “But it was best for me at this stage in my career, for my business, my sponsors and everything else, for me to get everything under one roof.”
Kruseman led from the green flag as only a pair of caution flags slowed the event.
Coons made a couple runs at Kruseman in the final laps, but could not make a slide job stick, bringing the Wilke-Pak No. 5 home second at Roger Slack’s checkered flag.
“It’s nice to know you can put a car together that is capable of going out and winning races,” said Kruseman, who operates the Cory Kruseman Driving School and fielded five cars here. “It sets us up for a good thing tomorrow.”
Coons was even with Kruseman when the yellow flag waved on lap nine and never got that close again.
“It’s good to get locked in, but we are disappointed to finish second,” Coons said. “Cory drove a great race.”
Danny Stratton was impressive in his first start since last year’s Chili Bowl, taking the final guaranteed starting spot for Saturday night in a car that was a half finished piece he took possession of in September and has been preparing since.
“It’s very surreal to be here,” Stratton said in the post-race interview room. “I’ve never been in this room before.”
Chris Windom and Chad Boat rounded out the top five.
The summary:
First Heat: Justin Grant, Cory Kruseman, Daryn Pittman, Johnny Heydenreich, Dakoda Armstrong, Kevin Olson, Josh Most, George White.
Second Heat: J.J. Yeley, Russ Harper, Don Droud, Jr., Nick Knepper, Hunter Schuerenberg, Cole Peard, Chris Zrinski, Dennis Rodriguez.
Third Heat: Casey Riggs, Troy Rutherford, Jackie Burke, Brent Camarillo, David Budres, Jasiel Randolph, Derrick Myers, Tim Siner.
Fourth Heat: Brad Loyet, Brett Anderson, Bryan Kobylarz, Mike Hess, Chris Windom, Cody Brewer, Donovan Peterson, Ryan Cole.
Fifth Heat: Danny Stratton, Alex Bowman, Josh Wise, Bud Kaeding, Rusty Dukes, Dusty Heistand, Clint Todd, Daniel Robinson.
Sixth Heat: Kody Swanson, Dylan Peterson, Jason Meyers, J.D. Black, Rich Camfield, Brian Harvey, Bruce Buckwalter, Jr., Nick Chivello.
Seventh Heat: Travis Berryhill, Cole Carter, Jonathon Henry, Levi Jones, Chad Boat, Austin Smith, Mat Neely, Dex Eaton.
Eighth Heat: Bobby Michnowicz, Matt Mitchell, Jerry Coons, Jr., Colton Heath, Joey Fobozzi, Joey Saldana, Kyle Neal, Bubba Altig.
First C Main: Schuerenberg, Brewer, Robinson, Dukes, Altig, White, Zrinski, Neal, Peard, Peterson, Chivello, Buckwalter.
Second C Main: Saldana, Most, Neely, Eaton, Rodriguez, Myers, Smith, Todd, Cole, Heistand, Harvey, Siner.
First A Qualifier: Kruseman, Boat, Stratton, Harper, Berryhill, Hess, Burke, Fabozzi, Camarillo, Kaeding.
Second A Qualifier: Anderson, Bowman, Michnowicz, Grant, Rutherford, Loyet, Armstrong, Pittman, Black, Heydenreich.
Third A Qualifier: Windom, Carter, Kobylarz, Peterson, Wise, Yeley, Meyers, Knepper, Budres, Olson.
Fourth A Qualifier: Jones, Coons, Swanson, Riggs, Heath, Droud, Henry, Randolph, Mitchell, Camfield.
First B Main: Hess, Heath, Grant, Mehyers, Armstrong, Robinson, Camarillo, Schuerenberg, Camfield, Rutherford, Randolph, Brewer, Budres, Fabozzi, Kaeding, Dukes.
Second B Main: Loyet, Yeley, Droud, Henry, Harper, Knepper, Pittman, Mitchell, heydenreich, Neely, Eaton, Most, Olson, Black, Saldana, Burke.
Feature: Kruseman, Coons, Stratton, Windom, Boat, Hess, Jones, Michnowicz, Droud, Kobylarz, Riggs, Meyers, Heath, Loyet, Henry, Bowman, Grant, Wise, Anderson, Yeley, Carter, Swanson, Peterson, Berryhill.