The drivers are young and old. Some are as young as 16, others like Sammy Swindell are in their 60s, having raced all of their lives. Faces in the pits include current NASCAR drivers who own racing teams that run at the Chili Bowl. You'll see glimpses of Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne in the race video. They love this form of racing and invest money and time supporting it.
More than 200 racers compete. The racing covers five nights, with the main feature on Saturday night in which winners of the other night's races compete for the top prize money and trophy.
The cars are called Midgets because of their small size and very light weight. They have a 72 inch wheelbase and a highly modified four cylinder engine producing 350-450 horsepower in a 1200 pound car. The cars are very unstable and need a full roll cage with side protection and a secondary cage around the driver. There are no unnecessary pieces on the car. No clutch, no starter, no battery. The cars are push started. The transmission is a one-gear affair, and the car is either in gear or not in gear. The driver sits in a custom fitted seat, strapped in by a seat belt harness and shoulder belts. The drive also wears leg and arm belts to control the travel of legs and arms in the event of a rollover.
The cars are designed to turn left, as fast as the run down the straightaways. The rear tire diameters are staggered to make the cars turn left. There is no left front brake for the same reason. The cars are steered as much with the throttle as with the steering wheel. And they are powerful - the front wheels lift off the track under hard acceleration.
Here's a very well done video of this year's race. I hope you enjoy it. Tickets for next year's race go on sale in March and will sell out quickly.
Chili Bowl 2014 from Tim Truex on Vimeo.
