TULSA, Okla. — Justin Grant won his fifth preliminary feature at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals in the last six years on Friday night, but his night was nearly turned upside down due to an electrical problem.
While waiting for his qualifier race to get pushed on track, Grant did something he always does, flip the ignition switch to make sure his gauges lit up. This time, however, nothing happened.
“I usually do it right when I jump in, but I didn’t that time. We have digital gauges and I always flip the switch on just to make sure we’ve got power,” Grant explained. “I’m sitting there and I’m like, ‘Boys, we’ve got no lights. Something’s wrong.’
“So they ran and got another battery. We’re searching, they’ve got a volt meter and they’re trying to chase it,” Grant continued. “It ended up it had pulled a wire out of the eyelet on the ignition switch, so fortunately we were able to find it. They had an electrical parts box ready to go and we were able to get an eyelet on it and get out.”
Just how close was it to Grant not making it on track for his qualifier?
“Lacey (Doyle, crew member) was buttoning the armguard on it as we were rolling down the ramp to go out,” Grant said. “It was pretty close.”
The fun wasn’t over for Grant once he got out on track for his qualifier. Grant managed to take the lead of the 10-lap race at the halfway point, only for the RMS Racing driver to slow down one lap early and hand the victory to reigning POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget League champion Bryant Wiedeman.
Grant later admitted that he simply messed up and thought he’d completed the race. He still finished second.
“In the qualifier I may have miscounted the laps,” Grant said with a sheepish grin on his face. “I just miss-read the flag. I think the two to go (signal) threw me off. I thought that was the white. In the drivers meeting they were pretty adamant about do not burn extra laps. They’ve been pretty quick with the penalty button this year.
“I thought the checkers were out and I was like, ‘Alright, let’s not get in trouble here.’”
• When Daison Pursley suffered a spinal-cord injury in a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series race at Arizona Speedway in November, many wondered if he would ever walk again.
On Friday night at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, Pursley received a standing ovation when he walked into the grandstands alongside his parents Klint and Shawna Pursley and Keith Kunz Motorsports owner Keith Kunz.
Pursley underwent multiple surgeries in the days and weeks following his crash at Arizona Speedway and is currently going through therapy in Atlanta, to help him complete his recovery.
There has been no timetable set for a potential return to a race car for the 17-year-old Pursley, but it’s safe to say based on the reaction Friday night that when it happens, it will be well received.
• NASCAR and NTT IndyCar Series competitor Santino Ferrucci went for a wild ride during hot laps that resulted in a trip to the hospital.
The 23-year-old from Woodbury, Conn., made contact with another car and flipped wildly in turn three. His car flipped several times, bounced off the guardrail and came to rest on all four wheels.
Ferrucci was transported to a local hospital shortly thereafter, where he was diagnosed with a concussion. He’ll miss the remainder of the Chili Bowl weekend.
• The Chili Bowl would appear to be a great place to buy all the parts needed to assemble a midget.
A walk through the pits early in the afternoon Friday saw a multitude of parts for sale, including engines, chassis components and, in a few cases, complete race cars.
In fact, if one paid close enough attention, a few items could have been picked up for free in the various trash cans around the pit area.
• A total of 381 drivers drew in to compete during the five preliminary nights this week, a record for the event. The pre-race entry list showed 394 entries, so 13 drivers and teams opted not to compete after pre-entering.
• The World Wide Technology Raceway Flip Count stands at 46 with one day of racing left in the 36th Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.