TULSA, Okla. – Matt Wood Racing officials have announced its six-car line up for the 36th Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals inside the Tulsa Expo Center on Jan. 10-15.
All six drivers this year will be making a return trip to the Tulsa Expo Center with Matt Wood Racing as Shane Golobic, Colby Copeland, Ryan Bernal and Mitchel Moles are set for their third Chili Bowl with the California based team as Zeb Wise and Australian youngster Kaidon Brown are geared up for their second chase for the Golden Driller with MWR.
“I am extremely excited for this year’s Chili Bowl,” said Golobic. “As a team, we had great speed all week last year, but unfortunately our results really don’t show it. We have a great line up of drivers heading back with us that I feel can be contenders each night, and the fact that we have all worked together before at this event is huge. Dustin Golobic and I have been working extremely hard to make sure all six of our midgets are ready to rip and I am confident Matt (Wood) has provided us with everything we need to bring home a ‘Driller’.”
Golobic has been a fixture in the Chili Bowl feature event the last decade. In fact the Fremont, Calif., native had qualified for six consecutive Saturday night A Mains and was on his way to a seventh berth in 2021. An incident on the white flag lap during his preliminary night feature while running second changed the complexion of his week.
Piloting the NOS Energy Drink/Elk Grove Ford/Matt Wood Racing No. 27W will be Roseville, Calif., driver Copeland. During the 2021 Chili Bowl finale, Copeland transferred from the B before finishing 13th in the Saturday night feature event and is looking forward to the opportunity to build on those results this year.
“Matt Wood Racing is a first-class operation, and I am excited to get back to the Chili Bowl with the team in a few weeks,” Copeland said. “MWR brings all the tools needed to get the job done, and it is a great opportunity. We were able to race into the 2021 feature event, and I look forward to the challenge again.”
Another one of the drivers making his third trip to the Chili Bowl with MWR is Hollister, Calif. driver, Bernal. Bernal returns to the seat of the NOS Energy Drink/Elk Grove Ford/Matt Wood Racing backed No. 87W looking to build off his 2021 run that was riddled with heart break while battling for a Saturday night feature transfer spot during his preliminary night feature event.
“The Chili Bowl is a race you always look forward to, and it is really special to get back there with Matt Wood Racing and NOS Energy Drink,” Bernal said. “Matt has put together a really strong team, and we have high expectations for ourselves. With a team this deep, the goal is to get as many of us locked into the Saturday night feature as possible and go from there.”
Coming off a stellar year that saw him win a USAC Western States Midget series race, as well as his first winged 410 sprint car feature event, Moles will be in the seat of the Southern Pacific Farms/Elk Grove Ford/Matt Wood Racing No. 07w looking to continue his run of success under the sport’s brightest lights.
“Shane and Dustin Golobic do a great job of preparing the Matt Wood Racing cars and I am looking forward to running another Chili Bowl with them and everyone at MWR,” Moles noted. “I always have high expectations when I am lucky enough to run with them, and I always feel like we have a shot anywhere we sign in. I really want to thank Matt Wood for believing in me and letting me run his car year in and year out at my favorite race of the year.”
Wrapping the 2021 season up with the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series aboard the Sundollar Restoration/Elk Grove Ford/Matt Wood Racing No. 97w, Wise was extremely fast, and it has the Angola, Ind., driver eager to get to the Tulsa Expo Center.
“I am eager to get back to the Chili Bowl, and I am thankful to be heading back with the group at Matt Wood Racing,” Wise said. ‘As drivers, Matt Wood gives us everything we need to perform, and I believe that Shane and Dustin Golobic build some of the nicest cars in the building. In 2021 I think we were all contenders on our prelim nights, and if we can match that speed this year, I think we will absolutely be there when Saturday night rolls around. I was fortunate to end my season running with the MWR team, and we were fast, and it has me that much more excited for Chili Bowl.”
The final driver in the MWR stable is young Australian Kaidon Brown. Making his debut with the team during his first Chili Bowl in 2020, Brown showed out as he made it to the Saturday night B. Travel restrictions kept him away in 2021 and other mandates in Australia have essentially kept him from racing over the last couple of years. Heading to the Chili Bowl for his second time, Brown is simply excited to race as he will climb back aboard the Elk Grove Ford/Matt Wood Racing No. 57w.
“After a really good run at my first Chili Bowl two years ago, I am really looking forward to another shot and I am happy to be working with Matt Wood, as well as Shane and Dustin Golobic,” Brown said. “With Covid regulations in Australia, I have not been able to race much the last couple of seasons so that will certainly make an already tough event that much more challenging, but I am up for it. MWR is a class outfit, and I am excited to be a part of this team.”