Preview
For over 29 years, Preview Magazine has been the best resource for discovering Tulsa, Green Country and locating the perfect place to eat, visit, shop and be entertained whether you are here on business or just enjoying a few days away from the grind. Located in the heart of Oklahoma, Tulsa is a year-round destination for shopping, dining, entertainment, scenic views, hikes and adventure. The rich history of Tulsa and its surrounding areas is reflected in the diversity of its museums, landmarks, history, wildlife, attractions, fine dining and friendly locals. In Tulsa, situated on the Arkansas River at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, enjoy a performance or sporting event at the BOK Center, fish in one of the area’s many lakes, check out the sharks in the state’s only freestanding aquarium, explore any of the lush parks or break out the clubs and tackle any of the 16 public golf courses. Considered by many to be the cultural and arts center of Oklahoma, Tulsa offers full-time professional opera and ballet companies and one of the nation’s largest concentrations of art deco architecture. Regardless of your personal tastes or budget, Tulsa offers a down-home, yet cultured experience for all ages.
For over 29 years, Preview Magazine has been the best resource for discovering Tulsa, Green Country and
locating the perfect place to eat, visit, shop and be entertained whether you are here on business or just
enjoying a few days away from the grind. Located in the heart of Oklahoma, Tulsa is a year-round destination
for shopping, dining, entertainment, scenic views, hikes and adventure. The rich history of Tulsa and its
surrounding areas is reflected in the diversity of its museums, landmarks, history, wildlife, attractions, fine dining
and friendly locals. In Tulsa, situated on the Arkansas River at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, enjoy a
performance or sporting event at the BOK Center, fish in one of the area’s many lakes, check out the sharks
in the state’s only freestanding aquarium, explore any of the lush parks or break out the clubs and tackle any
of the 16 public golf courses. Considered by many to be the cultural and arts center of Oklahoma, Tulsa offers
full-time professional opera and ballet companies and one of the nation’s largest concentrations of art deco
architecture. Regardless of your personal tastes or budget, Tulsa offers a down-home, yet cultured experience
for all ages.
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“<br />
You can’t go to<br />
any race track in the<br />
United States that<br />
doesn’t know about<br />
”<br />
the Chili Bowl.<br />
SPORTS CENTRAL<br />
Bowl was born. Since its inception, the event has grown exponentially.<br />
The 1987 Chili Bowl, which paid $4,000 to win, hosted a modest 35<br />
racers.<br />
“You can’t go to any race track in the United States that doesn’t know<br />
about the Chili Bowl,” Hahn says. What a testimony to the sheer<br />
magnitude of this treasured Tulsa event.<br />
In fact, NASCAR legends have been attending and racing in the<br />
Chili Bowl Nationals for years. Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kenny<br />
Schrader have all raced in this event. Kenny Wallace, Rusty Wallace’s<br />
brother, is racing this event for the first time this year. Kyle Larson, the<br />
2014 NASCAR Rookie of the Year has come close to winning in Tulsa,<br />
and Bryan Clauson, an Indy 500 starter, won the race for the first time<br />
last year.<br />
Building the Chili Bowl track is somewhat of an event itself. Comprised<br />
of over 780 dump truck loads of clay, shaped into a quarter-mile<br />
configuration, the track takes about five days from start to finish to<br />
build. The track builders start moving clay in mid-December. “It is<br />
prepared early so the clay has time to cure. Much of the clay that is<br />
used for this track is originally from the old Tulsa Speedway, and<br />
the same clay that was used in 1987 is still utilized today,” Hulbert<br />
says. “The way the event is structured with everything from the pits,<br />
trade show, stands and track … everything is inside the River Spirit<br />
Expo Center. From where it started to what it is today, it’s really a<br />
monumental feat that they’re able to do this.”<br />
A handful of the notable drivers representing Oklahoma this year are:<br />
2013 World of Outlaws champion, Daryn Pittman (Owasso); 2014<br />
USAC National Sprint Car champion Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow);<br />
and Mike Goodman, a former Tulsa Speedway Champion, also from<br />
BA. Danny Jennings, Matt Sherrell, Tyler Thomas, Chad Wheeler and<br />
Dustin Morgan are also amongst the incredible Oklahoma-grown<br />
racing talent driving in this year’s Chili Bowl.<br />
The winningest driver in the history of the Chili Bowl is Sammy<br />
Swindell, former World of Outlaws driver and former NASCAR driver.<br />
He has started 21 Chili Bowl features in 24 tries and has won five of<br />
them. He raced in the very first Chili Bowl in 1987. His son, Kevin<br />
Swindell, won four in a row; the first one to win back to back and the<br />
only one to win four in a row.<br />
Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why is it that so many NASCAR<br />
drivers and world-renowned racers come to Tulsa, of all places, every<br />
single year for this one event.<br />
“You can ask any of them,” says Bryan Hulbert, Chili Bowl publicist.<br />
“This is the hardest race they enter to win because the talent pool is<br />
just that amazing. The ‘C’ line-up on Saturday night will look like an ‘A’<br />
feature anywhere else in the country, like a championship race.”<br />
The sheer difficulty and adrenaline of the Chili Bowl Nationals is what<br />
keeps these talented racers coming back year after year. The 2015 event<br />
alone should see anywhere from 250 to 300 “midget” sprint cars hit the<br />
track.<br />
Chili Bowl<br />
Nationals<br />
River Spirit Expo Square | Tulsa<br />
Jan. 13-17<br />
chilibowl.com<br />
prevIewgreencountry.com 51
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