What’s it like in there? 

A night at the Chili Bowl

Fans who haven't been frequently ask the author what it is like for a crew working on a midget race car at the famous Chili Bowl in Tulsa Oklahoma. To help answer that question, the author embedded with a crew for one evening at the 34^th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals presented by General Tire. 

The team the author choose to follow on the third qualifying night for 2020 is the happy folks who work on the gorgeous #22x is owned by Ray Williams. The car's primary sponsorship is provided by his family business, City Vending of Fort Worth, Texas, which is in its 58^th year of vending services in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area. 

Ray is a second generation racer - his father raced sprint cars, top fuel funny cars and top fuel drag boats, For several years, Kevin Ramey drove for Ray Williams, followed by Payton, Ray's son through the 2018 season. 

Based on the draw earlier on Wednesday afternoon, driver Steven Shebester from Mustang Oklahoma was scheduled to start the Stanton SR 11 powered Triple X chassis machine from the fourth position in the fourth of eight 8-lap heat races.

The City Vending Chili Bowl volunteer crew comprised of Williams’ and Shebester’s friends and family - Rusty, Wes, George, Len, Gina, Susan, T Dale and Mellissa – all were very warm and welcoming as the author observed and they answered every silly question.

Shebester drove for Williams last year at the Chili Bowl and the “Red Rocket,” as the car is affectionately known, blew its engine as Steven was leading his qualifier race which ended the team’s efforts at the 2019 Chili Bowl. For 2020, Williams upgraded to the Stanton powerplant.  

At the end of the first lap of the heat race, Shebester had slipped to fifth place, but quickly rebounded back to fourth position when the yellow caution flag flew on lap two. When the green flag reappeared, the #22x worked the low and middle sections of the race track but was unable to move forward and when the checkered flag flew the order was Jesse Colwell, Colby Copeland, Blake Hahn and Shebester.

As he started and finished in the same position, Shebester did not earn any bonus passing points in the heat race.

After the race Steven noted that the car was a bit free on exit. He noted that he ‘got hung on the high side until the first caution, then moved down, but there were not a lot of passing opportunities.” Car owner Williams remarked that he “hoped the track stays like this and we get to the qualifier race, rather than having to run the C-main races.”

While they waited for the lineups to be posted by the Chili Bowl officials, the crew cleaned up the car and used a grinder to clean up and unseal the rubber on the rear tires, but later mounted two new rear tires and moved the right rear wheel in towards the center of the car. 

Shebester and the #22x was scheduled to roll off from the eighth position in the first qualifier race. The starting field for the 10-lap race was stout, as it included five-time Chili Bowl champion Sammy Swindell, Rico Abreu, back to back winner in 2015 and 2016, 2006 Chili Bowl champion Tim McCreadie, and Blake Hahn.      

While the City Vending crew was working on the race car, the Chili Bowl track crew had worked on the high side of the track surface and watered the surface before the surface was rolled in by the track's push trucks. 

At the drop of the green flag it was evident that the #22x did not the forward bite and drop of other cars in the race, and Shebester adjusted his driving style but as he dove into the third turn on lap 2, he ran into the back of another ace and spun to a stop.

Shebester restarted the red City Vending Special at the tail of the field, but despite experimenting with various lines, could only advance to ninth place behind the winning quartet of Hahn, Clinton Boyles, Swindell and Abreu.

As the crew waited for the seeding for their next race of the evening, they changed the rear tires with a new left rear tire and moved in the right rear wheel in a bit further with 6-1/2 inches of stagger (the difference on diameter between the two rear tires) and raised the nose the car.  

As the crew finished their preparation, the line-up for night’s B-main races, with the Steven and the Red Rocket scheduled to start ninth in the second B-main race. Unlike the earlier races in the evening, racers are not looking to accumulate points; in the B main, if the car does not finish in the top four, the night is over, then the team waits for their draw for Saturday night.

At the start of the 15-lap race, Shebester caught a break as two racers ahead him in the field collided in the second turn which sent the #40 of Eric Wilkins in the wall and eliminated the #50 of Daniel Adler. The retirement of these two cars moved the #22x up to seventh place for the restart. While the field circulated under the caution flag, the #2L of Landon Simon had electrical or mechanical troubles rolled to a stop and could not restart.

When the green flag flew again with 15 laps to go, Shebester on the bottom of the track engaged in a three-car battle for fifth place, but lap ten Steven moved to top groove of the track. On lap 13, the #2T of Keith Martin hooked the turn one wall which moved Shebester into fifth place, but unfortunately, he could not close the gap to threaten for fourth place, and at the finish the cars of Tyler Thomas, Parker Price-Miller, Karsyn Elledge and Chase Jones advanced to the tail of the night’s A-main race as  the Red Rocket finished one position short of advancing.  

Their night done, the crew returned to their pit area and got the car ready for the following day’s maintenance, which included re-mounting all four wheels off the car. As they worked, everyone kept one eye on the big screen television with the the A-main feature race on track while they talked about the evening’s races and enjoyed a few adult beverages.

No one in the pit area seemed depressed, as everyone knew that the team had given their best effort and fell just a bit short on this night - everyone had a good time and the car rolled into the trailer.    As Ray Williams told the author “we may not win every race, but we’ve never lost a party,”

As with any racing operation, the City Vending team relies of the support of vendors and sponsors. In addition to the vendors mentioned earlier, the car is equipped with an Ultrashield full containment seat, Simpson belts, and a Max Papis Innovations steering wheel. The City Vending Special uses Schure Built Suspensions shock absorbers, Wilwood brakes, Rod End Supply heim joints, Keizer Aluminum wheels and a Winters rear end.

The powder coating of the chassis was provided by Eagle Powder Coating and Fabrication, and the wrap designed and applied by Five 1 Seven Designs. The City Vending #22x also carries associate sponsorship from Performance Transmissions, Paul Cook Racing, EJ’s Towing, Verhey Farms, and Melray Oil and Gas.   

Postscript: The Williams crew spent Thursday cleaning and shining up the Red Rocket in preparation for Saturday afternoon as the car has been seeded into one of the E Main races based on points earned Wednesday night.

All photos by the author