By ohnson 
Have you ever had an out-of-body experience? You step back for just a moment and wonder, “What just happened?” Is this for real? Today was one of those extraordinary days for us.
Having IHOP for breakfast might not have been my wisest choice ever. Sometimes, being the sole female on these trips can be quite challenging, especially after meals and a night of beer. (Thankfully, my eyebrows are still intact!)
We reached the expo center around 12:30. Sean and Sean were already hard at work with the wrench! The guys immediately pitched in to assist. They meticulously inspected and tightened every nut and bolt of the car, lubricated the rod ends and driveshaft. All these efforts were aimed at ensuring there were no constraints in the car.
Last year when we were here, we were placed next to Zach Daum. Dave Reedy is good friends with Zach, introduced Larry, and of course, has maintained that relationship this year.
Zach is truly astonishing to watch and extremely knowledgeable. Zach and Larry spent a considerable part of the early afternoon discussing suspension and setup. Any questions Larry had, Zach was more than willing to offer help.
As promised, Christopher Bell was sporting the Larry t-shirt he received from us after Eldora.
Christopher explained to us that before encountering Larry here last year, he didn’t have much knowledge about big-block Modified’s. But once Larry participated in his heat in last year’s Chili Bowl, everyone started asking about who Larry was. No one had a clue and they all began to do some research.
Since then, Christopher told us he has been following Larry. He also expressed an interest in potentially running a big-block at some point this year if his schedule permits, perhaps even when the trucks and big-blocks are at Eldora.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to see Christopher Bell in a Gypsum Express big-block Modified 99B?
Isn’t it interesting what makes us race fans get excited?!
John Baumes, one of our Super DIRTcar Series officials, and his wife Christa make the journey here every year. Seeing a familiar face is incredibly refreshing! Plus, they are fully equipped with Lightning Larry gear.
Larry’s older brother John managed to adjust his work schedule so he could come and watch Larry qualify tonight. John lives in North Carolina, so we don’t get to see him as often as we would like. The support and comfort that having John here provided for Larry was beyond belief. Of course, Larry has a great crew backing him up as well as myself, but having his older brother here gave him that extra bit of reassurance he seemed to need.
At 2 p.m., they began calling the drivers for the draw. Larry drew number 52. This placed him in heat 3, starting in the fifth position.
Qualifying nights are essentially based on passing points; pass as many cars as you can and maintain your position. Larry finished third in his heat. Larry mentioned that the car was too loose for his preference.
The majority of these teams rely heavily on their extensive sprint car expertise when it comes to setting up these cars. Although, to make the necessary adjustments, our team incorporated some big-block knowledge.
At some point between the heat and the qualifier, Daryn Pittman stopped by. Sean M. introduced Larry and Pittman to each other. “Oh, I know who he is. I’m a fan after last year’s run,” Pittman stated.
Now he progresses to the first qualifier, starting in the eighth position. Larry finished in third. Between his heat race and his qualifier finish, he accumulated sufficient passing points to start in position 7 in tonight’s A-main!
This is tremendous!!
He only needs to finish third to secure a spot in the 31st Chili Bowl!
Everyone on the team was overjoyed! But it’s time to get back to work!! The guys were applying even more big-block knowledge. Just at the right moment, TMac showed up. After discussing some of the changes being made, TMac reassured the team that he was confident in their decision to implement these alterations.
Next thing you know, the A-Main was taking to the track. 25 laps stood between us and a guaranteed position.
Pat, Skye Michaels, John, and I sat along the backstretch, where the majority of the pit seating is located. This was the longest 25 laps I have ever endured!
Larry began the race running on the bottom until he was overtaken on the top side.
Game on!
That’s his lane!
Now he was on the top side and up to sixth. He ran on the top side until the first caution flag was waved. We could see Dave Reedy giving Larry hand signals. Larry started adjusting his shocks from within the car. This is an advantage that midgets have over big-blocks.
On the restart, he charged to the bottom rapidly, securing the fifth position. Now the anxiety was escalating! We were all shaking, cheering, covering our eyes, and at times holding our breath.
A caution was issued for a hit cone, which is an automatic black flag for the individual who caused the yellow. They restacked, the green flag flew, and another caution was given for a hit cone.
Every time it’s a hit cone, you just wish to hide under the stands. You don’t want to see your driver sent to the rear for something as insignificant as hitting a cone. This time, it was the car that was rapidly approaching Larry, eliminating our immediate concerns.
The green flag is out again, Larry is maintaining a solid fourth. Unfortunately for Kyle Larson, as he was competing for the lead, he overturned in turns three and four.
Larry was now up to second.
Eight laps remain!
Here we go! Skye and I have tears in our eyes. Is this really going to happen?! For such a small track, these next eight laps sure felt like an eternity and Zach Daum is approaching!
Four laps to go, Larry moved to the top side but the car wasn’t nearly as fast. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Daum at his left rear tire. Larry quickly changed lanes and went to the bottom to try and hold him off for the next three laps.
Fortunately, the plan worked! At the finish line, Larry finished second, securing a position in the 31st Chili Bowl.
This is something not all drivers can claim they have accomplished. Not only is this only Larry’s second Chili Bowl appearance, but it’s also only his second time in a midget car. Additionally, this is Sean Michael and Mike Heffner’s first midget car to make an A-Main appearance here at the Chili Bowl!! This team truly deserves it!
There are 375 drivers entered this week. All hoping to secure a spot in Saturday’s feature. Larry has guaranteed his spot; he will be one of the 24 fortunate individuals to compete for the coveted Golden Driller trophy.
The support from back home has been overwhelming, and we cannot thank you all enough! Without all of you checking in, letting us know you are watching and cheering us on from back home, we wouldn’t have had enough confidence to come here and represent the Northeast racing community. We hope each and every one of you is able to watch this Saturday night on MAVTV starting at 8:30 pm EST.
A few more shots from the track:
Ride along with Larry during Tuesday’s A-Main: