CHILI BOWL: O’Gara, Seavey lead SFH Racing Development entry

SFH Racing Development will have two entries with team newcomer Tyler Seavey and veteran Kyle O'Gara at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals presented by General Tire, Jan. 10-14 in Tulsa, Okla.

SFH Racing Development has had a presence at the week-long event for five straight years and it has become one of the highlights of each season. The 31st Annual Chili Bowl will feature a record-setting 363 entries, including 57 former A-Feature starters and seven Chili Bowl Champions.

SFH Racing Development will add a new driver to its lineup with the introduction of Seavey. Seavey will compete in his second Chili Bowl in the No. 68F sponsored by Hartman Oil, Jimmy's Egg, Russell Oil and CHS.

Seavey, from Sutter, Calif., most notably has run Outlaw Karts and boasts multiple track championships at Cycleland Speedway and The Red Bluff Outlaws. In 2016 he made the jump to add midgets, sprint cars and micro sprints to his resume, traveling coast to coast for events. 2017 will be Seavey's second straight Chili Bowl event and will kick off another season of competition in sprint cars, midget and outlaw kart competition.

"I can't thank Sarah Fisher and Wink Hartman enough for this opportunity," Seavey said. "Bill Guess has done an incredible amount of work to help Sarah and Andy (O'Gara) get this program together and it's an honor to drive for a group with such an impressive background in racing.

"I also have to thank my sponsors Hartman Oil, Jimmy's Egg, Russell Oil and CHS for the support to make this week happen. I'm looking forward to kicking off the 2017 season with them at Chili Bowl."

Kyle O'Gara will compete in the event for the fifth time in the No. 67F sponsored by Full Throttle Arms, Indy Trading Post and Speedway Indoor Karting.

In 2016 O'Gara focused on expanding and diversifying his racing portfolio with a debut in winged sprint cars and added new racetracks to his resume. This was in addition to continuing his 2015 success in midgets, in which he accumulated 12 wins in 19 races and the USSA MKMS Midget Championship.

"The Chili Bowl is an event I look forward to every year," O'Gara said. "I've been competing for four years, but every year the level of competition raises. It's such a fun event to attend, let alone to compete in. I've had a great year expanding my racing knowledge and hope to continue that this week with SFH Racing Development."

The marquee midget event will again feature four preliminary nights before the finale on Jan. 14 as 57 previous A Main starters and 72 rookies are among the competitors vying for the coveted Golden Driller.

"Andy and I really enjoy working with Kyle on his short-track efforts through SFH Racing Development, and we're excited to add Tyler to the mix this year," Fisher said. "We've been impressed with his ability in outlaw karting and his dedication to his craft. We have high expectations for both of our drivers at one of the biggest events of the year for us."

Practice for the Chili Bowl begins Monday, Jan. 9 at the Tulsa Expo Raceway inside the River Spirit Expo Center. A record 363 entries will compete during four days of qualifying, leading up to the A Feature Saturday night, Jan. 14, featuring the top 24 drivers from the week. Starting positions in the A Feature are determined by points received during qualifications.

O'Gara is scheduled to qualify for the championship event in the Warren Cat
Qualifying Night on Tuesday, and Seavey is scheduled to qualify during J.C.T. Qualifying Night on Thursday.

For the fourth year, the Chili Bowl will be streamed online at www.racinboys.com. The pay-per-view online broadcast will run from Tuesday through Saturday's qualifiers. Final features will be televised live on the MAVTV American Real network. For a complete listing of channels, and to request MAVTV, visit www.mavtv.com.