(Photo by Ross Wece)
Inside Line Promotions – TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 17, 2018) – Chris Andrews took a big stride in his third career Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
The Sandusky, Ohio, native, who drives a 410ci winged sprint car in the summer, scored a heat race win and qualified for Saturday’s D Main during the 32nd edition of the marquee midget event last week inside the River Spirit Expo Center. It marked a huge improvement over his first two attempts at arguably the world’s biggest midget event.
“I just need more seat time,” he said. “I have to rely on Brian and Tyler (Thomas, the car owner and fellow team driver) to set the car up with very little feedback from me. I’m getting closer to being able to give them more input to help make the car more comfortable for me. These cars are a completely different beast to drive.”
Andrews drove the BT Machine No. 91A to his first ever Chili Bowl checkered flag in a heat race last Tuesday to open preliminary action. However, it wasn’t easy as Andrews fell to fourth at the start of the race after lining up third.
“With limited hot laps, you really don’t know how good your car is until the heat,” he said. “I fell back at first, but knew right away I had a good car. I just needed to quit making mistakes. It seems to be hit or miss with me in a midget and I took a chance and got by two cars in turn one to take the lead.”
The heat win put Andrews in a qualifier, which is an opportunity to earn more valuable points. He started and finished fifth, locking him into the 16th starting position for the night’s A Main.
“I struggled to run the bottom with that berm,” he said. “A lot of the really good guys have mastered it. I left a lot out there. I just need more laps to learn to run the slick and the bottom better.”
Unfortunately, Andrews got caught up in someone else’s crash, suffering front end damage and ending his night 24th.
“Just to make the A Main on your qualifying night when you race against nearly 90 other cars and the best midget racers in the world is a huge accomplishment,” he said. “I really wish we would have gotten to finish the feature. I really feel like we could have passed some cars.”
Andrews was locked into one of two D Mains during the Chili Bowl finale on Saturday because of his strong preliminary night performance.
“The track was very slick all day and I struggle with a midget on the slick,” he said. “That’s what I really need to work on. I appreciate all the coaching and help Tyler gives me. I need to race midgets more so I can give the team the information they need to make the car better. We finished 15th, but it was my best showing in three years of attempting the Chili Bowl.”
Andrews, the 410ci sprint car track champion in 2017 at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, will now concentrate on working with the Burmeister Racing team toward getting ready for the upcoming sprint car season.
“We are building cars to go after wins and championships again,” he said. “We have our work cut out for us. Ohio has some of the toughest 410 competition out there.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Jan. 9 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – Heat race: 1 (3); Qualifier: 5 (5); Feature: 24 (16).
Jan. 13 – Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. – D Main: 15 (13).
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisAndrews19c
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.andrews.5059
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – BT Machine Inc.
Located in Tulsa, Okla., BT Machine Inc. was founded in March of 1992 by Brian and Kristi Thomas. BT Machine Inc has grown to 26 employees and occupies a 27,000 square foot facility. Providing a full-service precision machine shop, fabrication shop and powder coating facility, BT Machine Inc. strives to meet customer demands for quality and on-time deliveries. For more information, visit http://www.BTMachineInc.com.
“I can’t thank Brian, Kristi and Tyler enough for the opportunity they’ve given me,” Andrews said. “They took a huge chance on a guy who had never driven a midget and have made me part of their family. I want to thank Courtney Barth and Andrew Barman for all their hard work during the week. I can’t wait until next year.”
Andrews would also like to thank Shawn Loken and DKW Transport for their support at the Chili Bowl.
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 by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
- Shawn Miller on Jan 17, 2018
- Article Date: 1/17/2018 by Inside Line Promotions