Belleville, IL. (12/21/21) Veteran open-wheeler and 2021 POWRi Lightning Sprint Nationals Champion Chris Crowder is set to make his on-track debut at the Tulsa, Oklahoma’s 36th Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in January.
Residing in Colorado Springs, Crowder will be one of more than seventy-five drivers attempting to become the Rookie of the Race, with over three-hundred-fifty total entries anticipated. Wheeling the Del Morris Motorsports, Accelerated Services Auto Transporters, Morris Insurance Agency, Open Wheel Logistics, Champion Brands, Spike Chassis, Esslinger RSI, #17R with San Rafael, California’s Frankie Guerrini as a teammate.
“This is a great prestigious race,” the former United States Marine Crowder said about his impression of the Chili Bowl. “Just to be there amongst the Kyle Larson’s, Rico Arbeau’s, and those guys. To be on the same stage as those guys is a unique opportunity that very few people get a chance to have. I have no expectations and Del has no expectations. The only thing he asks is if we can pass one car every time we hit the track. That is what we are shooting for. Other than that, we are going to go to have some fun and gain some experience” added Chris.
Proving to be a national top talent over the years in lightning sprints, Crowder has won over 30 main events including five feature events in 2021. Captured four lightning sprint championships throughout the years, Chris would earn two of those titles in 2020 with the Lucas Oil POWRi Rocky Mountain Lightning Sprints as well as the Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints. Holding the honor as the only driver to have a feature win in all four POWRi Lightning Sprint Leagues as well as winning night #2 of the Hangtown 100 at California’s Placerville Speedway in November.
“Del reached out to me,” the 47-year-old driver said when inquired on how he met Harris, noting “Del watched me drive at Bakersfield and Placerville and thought that I was a very clean driver, and I did not tear up a lot of equipment. I guess they had an open seat available, and they reached out to me through one of his crew guys asking if I would be interested. Obviously, the answer was heck yeah.”
“I’m an open book right now,” Crowder said when asked what he could take from a lightning sprint to his first midget race. “I think the similarities are mostly cosmetic. Between the two of them, the chassis size, wheel size, and things like that are very similar. I am anticipating the horsepower difference and having power steering as well. I want to see and feel how that relates even to the 305s” said Chris.
In addition to the above-mentioned Chili Bowl sponsors, Crowder thanks his yearlong backers including Accelerated Services Auto Transporters, Open Wheel Logistics, Wayne Demonja Motorsports, Diablo Fabrication and Design, K&H Suspension, Sprocket Specialties, Schoenfeld Headers, R&S Powder Coating, Rees Enterprises, and Wine Country Motorsports.
For fans unable to make it to Tulsa for the race, they can watch live on www.floracing.com for the five preliminary nights and Saturday’s prelims before the coverage switches to MAVTV for the finals.
The full 2022 POWRi League Schedules are currently being finalized and will be released in the upcoming weeks. Follow along for more information such as race recaps, updates, full results, and press releases online at www.powri.com, or on Twitter & Instagram at @POWRi_Racing, or on Facebook at POWRi. POWRi League rules, contingencies, forms, and payouts can be found under the info tab at the top of the POWRi website.
Photo Credit: Amanda Jo Enright