21st Annual Chili Bowl Now Underway

Tuesday, January 9th 2007, 10:12 am

By: News On 6

A first blush, it sounds like a comforting dinner for a January night. But no, this Chili Bowl is a mixture of dirt, fuel and speed. Almost 300 Midget race cars and their drivers have descended on the Tulsa Fairgrounds, competing over the next five days for thousands of dollars in prize money.

News on 6 reporter Chris Wright has more on this ever-growing event.

Qualifying races started Tuesday evening, this is actually the first time they have ever been held on a Tuesday. Organizers say that is because the Chili Bowl has become so popular, it needed an extra day.

Racers in this year's Chili Bowl had a chance to get all the crashes out of their system during a practice session Tuesday morning. Qualifying races were scheduled to start later in the evening, a first in the 21-year history of the event. Race organizers say with nearly 300 racers taking to the track, they needed an extra day to accommodate everyone.

"There's not another race in the country that has that many cars in one class that is sold out a year in advance, and we're just proud to be a part of it," said promoter Emmett Hahn.

This year's Chili Bowl is a homecoming for racer Daryn Pittman. The Owasso native has missed the last couple of races, and says he is surprised at how much the event has grown in such a short period of time.

"I've missed the last five years, and five years ago I think there was 130, 140 cars, so it's doubled in size over the past five years," said racer Daryn Pittman.

Unfortunately, not many local fans will be able to watch Daryn. The next four nights of races are sold out. Organizers estimate about 80 percent of the spectators are from out of town, making the Chili Bowl a tough ticket for Green Country race enthusiasts.

"It's difficult, there's no such thing as walking up to the box and buying a ticket you know," Broken Arrow resident Lee Adams said.

But tickets are still available for Tuesday's qualifying event. The stands are expected to be about half full, meaning there are still plenty of good seats available for local fans of Midget racing.

While tickets to every other race besides this one are sold out, you can still buy a Pitt Pass. The pass will allow you to tour the Expo Center and watch the races on a big screen, but you won't be able to sit in the stands.