(Photo by DB3 Imaging)
Inside Line Promotions – TULSA, Okla. (Jan. 23, 2019) – The Swindell Motorsports No. 39 midget was in contention for several wins throughout the 33rd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals last week inside the River Spirit Expo Center.
Ryan Bernal produced a fourth-place finish in the Race of Champions last Tuesday when he made his first competitive laps in the race car.
Two days later the team returned to the bullring for preliminary competition, marking only the second time the car has been raced in an event without Kevin Swindell behind the wheel.
Bernal won a heat race from the pole before advancing from third to win a qualifier. That ranked him fifth in overall points out of more than 70 drivers, garnering the fifth starting position for the main event.
“All that went about as smooth as it could be,” Swindell said. “You ask for those nights rather than trying to come from the back of those and ending in somebody’s mess.”
Cautions hampered Bernal throughout the event, erasing several positions gained as he was in a tight battle for a spot on the podium for most of the race.
“The original start where we cleared (Christopher) Bell and then it came back and Bell ends on the pole was big,” Swindell noted. “There were at least three times we cleared one if not two cars. We were in the right circumstance so many times to run first or second. It just never got to see the light of day because of the way the race fell.”
Bernal was running fourth on a late-race restart when he was spun from behind after the engine sputtered because of low fuel, relegating him to a 16th-place result after being unable to finish.
“We ran roughly double what it took (Sammy Swindell) to finish the night before,” Swindell said. “That’s just what it burned. They said we went like 90-something laps with yellow and green laps.”
The speed continued to show on Saturday in a D Main as Bernal quickly maneuvered from fourth into the lead. Unfortunately, a mechanical problem kept him from finishing the race and ended the event early.
“Ryan did everything we asked,” Swindell said. “It just didn’t play out how we hoped.”
QUICK RESULTS –
Jan. 15 – River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla. – Race of Champions: 4 (1).
Jan. 17 – River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla. – Heat race: 1 (1); Qualifier: 1 (3); Feature: 16 (5).
Jan. 19 – River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla. – D Main: DNF (4).
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: https://SwindellSpeedLab.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevinSwindell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwindellSpeedLab/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – John Christner Trucking
Established in 1986, John Christner Trucking has grown into a giant in the trucking industry. For more information, visit http://www.JohnChristner.com.
“John Christner Trucking has been an integral part of our program at the Chili Bowl for a long time,” Swindell said. “We appreciate the support and partnership that John and his team bring to our program.”
Swindell would also like to thank South Bay, Mike Curb and Curb Records, High Performance Lubricants, DKW Transport, Premier Truck Group, Rossie Feed & Grain, Tim Walker Real Estate, TWRentToOwn.com, E-Distribution Racing, MPI Steering Wheels, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Racing Optics, Arai Helmets, Maxim Chassis, DMI, Hoosier Racing Tires, Sweet Manufacturing, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Kenny’s Components and Swindell Speed Lab 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 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 23, 2019
- Article Date: 1/23/2019 by Inside Line Promotions