(Photo by Tim's Racing Photos)
Inside Line Promotions – TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 19, 2015) – Dunlap Performance was on the wrong end of the luck stick last weekend during the 29th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.
“This has always been a tough event and it got even tougher this year will all of the entries,” said Brian Dunlap, who co-owns Dunlap Performance with his father, Mike. “The tougher the race becomes the harder it makes me want to work to ensure success in that building going forward. You have to approach the week with your best foot forward and hope luck is on your side. Unfortunately we struggled in the luck department this year and that has us fired up even more to go back next year and redeem ourselves.”
The premier midget event kicked off last Wednesday at Tulsa Expo Raceway with rookie Cale Thomas being caught up in a crash on the start of his heat race. Thomas flipped after colliding with the frontstretch wall, which ended his night early.
“Luck in the heat races seemed to be even more crucial this year than in the past,” Dunlap said. “Cale was making a move on the high side that would have set us up perfect for the rest of the night and unfortunately when the car to his inside moved up the track real-estate became a premium and forced Cale into the outside wall. The chassis Cale was in took a couple of hard hits and needed repair after the accident. Fortunately Sawyer Chassis in Tulsa was able to help us get everything fixed the next morning. I can’t thank the Sawyers enough for not only dropping everything to fix it, but also doing such a beautiful job on the repair.”
Two days later Danny Jennings was also involved in an early incident during his preliminary night heat race, which left him unable to finish the race.
“Danny was running third when the car behind him climbed his left rear tire cutting it down and taking out a header,” Dunlap said. “We were in a position to make the transfer out of Friday night’s D Main when we lost a crank trigger causing us to finish one spot out. This year I noticed more that once you fell behind the eight ball it was harder to overcome than in the past.”
Jennings closed the night with a third-place finish in a D Main.
The team returned to the River Spirit Expo Center for the finale on Saturday, when Thomas rallied from 12th to fifth place in the N Main before being unable to finish an M Main. Jennings advanced from sixth to second place in an L Main and from 14th to 11th in a K Main.
“Even a week filled with bad luck in Tulsa is still a fun one,” Dunlap said. “We got to spend time with a lot of people we only see maybe once or twice a year. Fortunately none of the damage to the cars was extensive and we have something to build on going forward. We are in the process of going through everything now and looking at schedules to see what outdoor shows may be in the cards for us this year.
“I want to thank both Danny and Cale for wheeling our cars this year. Both of them and their families were awesome to be around and work with all week. When the chips were down everyone jumped in to help and our pit area had a real family atmosphere.”
QUICK RESULTS –
CALE THOMAS: Jan. 14 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – Heat race: DNF (2); D Main: DNS (-);
Jan. 17 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – N Main: 5 (12); M Main: DNF (15).
DANNY JENNINGS: Jan. 16 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – Heat race: DNF (3); D Main: 3 (6).
Jan. 17 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – L Main: 2 (6); K Main: 11 (14).
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.
Established in 1980, Engler Machine & Tool, Inc., builds fuel injection systems, custom made pulling chassis, gears, shafts, specialty CNC products, racing engines and some custom machining. For more information, visit http://www.EnglerMachine.com.
“Engler Machine has been a huge help with our injection and fuel system,” Dunlap said. “Tim Engler not only builds the trickest, most beautiful fuel injection on the market, but he also knows fuel systems inside and out. From the time our cars fire off we know that he has us dialed in on fuel. We can’t thank him enough for all of the support he has given us.”
Dunlap Performance would also like to thank ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Factory Kahne Shocks, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Arizona Sports Shirts, FK Rod Ends, DMI Rear Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Astro Titanium, Race Bumper.com, KSE Power Steering and Wilwood Brakes for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Jan 19, 2015
- Article Date: 1/19/2015 by Inside Line Promotions