Daison Pursley and Alex Bowman wrecked on lap 2. Michael Pickens lost a battle and found himself in the fence. Buddy Kofoid tried to avoid in accident by driving onto the wall and it all happened during Tuesday Night’s Chili Bowl Nationals prelim.
Coming out on top, was Chili Bowl rookie Hank Davis, a native of Sand Springs, Oklahoma that was on one mission Tuesday night.
“It’s great.” Davis said. “I live 20 minutes from here. My bed’s not very far. I’m gonna go home and cherish this one for a long time.”
🏁 Hank Davis holds off Spencer Bayston to win Tuesday Night at the Chili Bowl Nationals! #ChiliBowl2023 pic.twitter.com/gZvEz91cA4
— Always Race Day (@AlwaysRaceDay) January 11, 2023
Davis’ win was the tip of the iceberg of the crazier things that happened throughout the night.
Early on, Pickens got into it with Davis, but Davis says he had no intentions of taking him out.
“I didn’t ever intentionally mean to hit him at all,” Davis said. “I thought I got by him pretty clear.”
In meat of the race, after a pair of cars got together, Buddy Kofoid tried to ride the wall around the accident, but junked his car’s steering components in the process.
Buddy Kofoid tried to ride the wall around an accident and is now out of the Tuesday Night #ChiliBowl2023 prelim
🎥 @FloRacing pic.twitter.com/qarNvrqMHH
— Always Race Day (@AlwaysRaceDay) January 11, 2023
After that, Davis put the hammer down and ran away with the lead.
Bayston kept close, but ultimately took the P2 spot and earned a transfer spot to Saturday’s main event.
“Winning (the Race of Champions) gave me a good little boost,” Bayston said. “Fortunately with the circumstances of the race, we were able to get back up there and get where we need to be.”
Jade Avedisian came home on the final spot on the podium, becoming the first female to finish on the podium in a preliminary night at the race.
The week continues on Wednesday with a 4:00 p.m. kickoff time set for hot laps. All of the action can be seen live on FloRacing.
2023 Chili Bowl Nationals results
Tuesday Night Prelim
SageNet Center, Tulsa
1. Hank Davis
2. Spencer Bayston
3. Jade Avedisian
4. Kyle Jones
5. Jonathan Beason
6. Kaylee Bryson
7. Chance Crum
8. Tim McCreadie
9. Zach Daum
10. Kameron Key
11. Jordan Kinser
12. Daison Pursley
13. Jake Bubak
14. Justin Zimmerman
15. Mariah Ede
16. Preston Lattomus
17. A.J. Bender
18. Brendon Wiseley
19. Damion Gardner
20. Buddy Kofoid
21. Michael Pickens
22. Devon Borden
23. Alex Bowman
24. Darin Naida
