Concord, California racing star Damion Gardner is headed to Tulsa, Oklahoma to contest one of midget racing’s crown jewels, the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, in the second week of January. The 2008 winner of the prestigious event and six-time USAC/CRA Sprint Car Champion will be teaming up with Terry Klatt, Bob East and longtime open wheel car owner Doug Schloss in the prestigious event.
Schloss, whose name is familiar to race fans from his son Tighe’s days driving quarter midgets through sprint cars in the famous “Family Flaming #8,” is the newcomer to the Gardner/Klatt/East trio on the #71 that is being raced in honor of Jason Leffler at the 32nd annual race inside the River City Expo Center in Tulsa. Schloss was no stranger to Leffler as he worked for Kyle Busch when Leffler was driving one of his trucks in NASCAR.
“I am excited to have Doug Schloss as part of our Chili Bowl team,” Gardner said. “He will be a big addition to our effort and he is excited to join in as well. I have been talking to Doug since the last Chili Bowl and we plan on making a concerted effort to bring home the 2018 Golden Driller trophy. It is a lot of work, but we have a great team and I feel we have a great chance of getting it done. With Doug joining Terry, Bob and myself, it makes our effort even stronger.”
In addition to Schloss, the team also welcomes Eric Carman and Carman Trucking onto the team.
“Eric is a big fan of the Chili Bowl and he brings his dad, boys and family every year,” Gardner said. “I hung out with Eric at the Chili Bowl last year and he is excited about the new relationship and so are we. We are planning on some big things happening in Tulsa this year.”
The largest midget race in the world, the Chili Bowl attracts more than 300 cars annually with drivers from NASCAR, Indy Cars, World of Outlaws, NHRA, USAC and more. 2018 will be Gardner’s 16th appearance at the famous race. Of the first 15 attempts, amazingly Gardner has qualified for the Saturday A Main nine times including the last five years in a row. His best finish was the win in 2008. His other podium finish came in 2015 when he finished third. Last January he took 10th in the A Main.
The race will be spread over five nights commencing on Tuesday, January 9th, and will culminate with the finals on Saturday, January 13th. Gardner will be on the track for one of the preliminary night and the Saturday finals. The race will be televised nationally on MAVTV. To show how serious the team is in its effort for 2018, Gardner is currently shaking down the car at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina. After the team feels the car is dialed in and set for battle, it will journey west to Tulsa for the big week of racing.
Heading into the 2018 Chili Bowl, Gardner, who is affectionately known to his legion of racing fans as “The Demon,” is coming off of his fifth straight USAC/CRA Sprint Car championship. Along the way he won five main events, was fast qualifier six times and won 11 heat races. In addition, he had 16 top 10 finishes, led 150 main event laps and won the “California Sprint Week” championship. He plans on carrying that 2017 prowess to Tulsa as he seeks his second “Golden Driller” A Main event trophy
The 2018 Chili Bowl effort in Tulsa is sponsored by Terry Klatt, Beast Racing, Doug Schloss-Dougie Fresh LLC, Carman Trucking, Schoenfeld Headers, Great Clips, Penske Shocks, Aurora, Hoosier Tires, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Willwood Brakes, Simpson Safety, Saldana Race Products, Mobil 1, Stanton, PJ1, Weld Wheels and Yak Graphics.
Damion Gardner PR
