Crew Members Brawl in the Pits at the 40th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa
Two sets of crew members, and one driver, got into a knock-down, drag-out brawl in the pits at the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa on Wednesday. Considering only a handful of the around 400 race teams attending the event will actually make the feature, it’s not surprising that tensions have been high.
Each night, Monday through Friday, the top two drivers from each preliminary feature qualify for Saturday’s Chili Bowl main event. Should one of those drivers feel another slighted them, and caused them to lose their slim chance to make the feature, tempers will flare.
Such was the case Wednesday night at the Tulsa Expo Center in Oklahoma. While it hasn’t been reported what sparked the brawl between the two crews, the result will likely be that they are reprimanded by the event’s officials.
Fighting is allowed at the Chili Bowl, but there are rules
As Racing News explained, “Drivers are allowed to fight on the front stretch, in front of the fans. The fight is required to be driver vs. driver with no crews involved.” This fight, in the pits, between crews, is a definite no-no.
In fact, there were multiple violations of the fighting rules at the Chili Bowl in this instance. Driver Brayton Laster, who filmed the fight in the pits, noted in a related social media post that “the Chili Bowl Nationals allows drivers to fight one on one, as long as it doesn’t leave the track and it stops once you’re on the ground.”
These guys certainly did not stop once it got to the ground. We’re not actually sure from the video when it stopped.
If only more people had Laster’s refreshing take on fighting. “With that being said, if any of my fellow drivers want to duke it out after a race, let me know and we’ll settle it right then and there and eat pizza afterwards,” he added in his post.
Meanwhile, back on the race track…
As for the actual racing at the Chili Bowl this week, six drivers have thus far punched their ticket into the main event.
On Monday, NASCAR star Kyle Larson took home the preliminary feature win. He was followed to the line by Briggs Danner.
Tuesday night, Blake Hahn, the grandson of Chili Bowl co-founder Emmett Hahn, grabbed the victory. Fellow Oklahoman Hank Davis snagged the other qualifying spot.
Then, on Wednesday, Emerson Axsom, who started on the outside pole, scored the win, moving him into Saturday’s finale. He was followed to the line by Daison Pursley.
