Has The Chili Bowl replaced the indy 500 as the premier open wheel race of the year?
Cars that have creativity. American drivers from the bull rings. Very few rules. Competition between chassis brands. Competition between shock brands. A real party atmosphere. Fans seem welcome. Plenty of parking. Celebrity track prep. Competition between tire brands? Real emotion in victory lane. Danica was there. Beer in the pits. Tickets are a treasure. Cars look different. Competition between engine brands. Pit crews can work on the car. Competition between engine builders. 365 entries. A real American hero won. Sammy was there. No empty seats. Flagman on the race track. Beach balls. Dust. Fans calculating the promoters profit -- repeatedly. Please stop me when I'm lying
I think it is the premiere short track event in the country. And that is coming from a big time late model fan. Kudos go out to the Racin Boys for the coverage they provide for this event also. Also, having MAV pick up the finale for the last few years has, I think, kicked the event up another notch in terms of prestige and visibility.
I think it is the great event it is, because anyone can participate. You can buy or rent a midget, strap in and race. 80% of the guys there know they aren't going to win, but they can try. They can race with the best, get beat, learn something, say they raced with the best, and they get to watch lots of great racing. This year we saw more guys on the podium each night that are not household names. That is my favorite thing to see. See journeyman weekend racers up there on the podium and the pro drivers behind them.