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Most Magnificent in Chili Bowl Pre-Qualifier

Lonnie Wheatley, TULSA, Okla. (January 8, 2008) – Iowa's Josh Most came out on top of a torrid battle for the lead to win Tuesday night's Bass Pro Shops 25-lap Pre-Qualifying feature event as the 22nd Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals kicked off at the Tulsa Expo Raceway inside the QuikTrip Center.

Most and Oklahoma's Chett Gehrke swapped the point in the final rounds with Most taking the lead for keeps on the 24th lap. Most beat Gehrke to the line, with Wisconsin's Tim Noble making a last-lap move to snare the show position. Indiana's Anthony Peterman was fourth, with Illinois shoe Austin Brown rounding out the top five.

After starting tenth, Most needed just seven laps to muscle into the lead. But 20th-starter Gehrke closed in over the final circuits and surged ahead on the 23rd lap, only to have Most battle back in front the next time around en route to snaring the win aboard David Camfield's Soy City Sock Company No. 6c Stealth.

"We probably could have been a little better (on the top side) because somebody showed me a nose," Most explained in the post-race press conference. "I was only shooting for the top 15, so this is something new."

Fifteen-year-old Justin Mallo led the feature field to the green flag after accumulating the most passing points in heat race action, with Derrick Myers alongside. Myers surrendered his starting position after being collected in an opening lap tangle, with the second start waved off as well after another tangle.

With the race going green on the next try, Mallo led the opening lap before fifth-starter Anthony Peterman charged into the lead. Working the low side of the ¼-mile clay oval, Peterman paced the next several rounds as Most battled past Austin Brown and Brent Rees to take over second by the sixth lap.

Working the top side of the track, Most closed in on Peterman and pulled into the lead exiting turn two on the ninth lap, only to have the caution fly for Cole Peard's turn two flip that also collected Joe Cleveland.

Most wasted no time on the restart, charging by on the high side to take command, with the final caution flying after 12 laps when top-ten contenders Samantha Taylor and Chris Coers tangled in turn three.

Most took off on the restart, while "B" Main transfer Gehrke had already worked his way up to fifth. As Most slipped away from the pack, Gehrke quickly moved into third and began dicing for second with Peterman.

Most's advantage began to disintegrate when lapped traffic came into play on the 17th lap, with Peterman and Gehrke closing in to set up a three-car duel for the win over the final rounds. Gehrke finally disposed of Peterman for second on the 20th lap and set his sights on Most.

And when Most went high entering turn one to get around a lapped car on the 23rd lap, Gehrke ducked to the low side and charged into the lead. But Gehrke got loose exiting turn two the next time around, allowing Most to race back by on the high side.

Most held on over the final lap to take the win in front of Gehrke, who settled for runner-up honors in his Ford Focus-powered Aero Automation No. 93c Beast. "I learned patience last year, so I didn't have to learn it this year."

Badger shoe Tim Noble gained several positions over the final half of the race, slipping by Peterman on the final lap to snare third aboard James Fiscus' Esslinger-powered Ferguson Enterprises No. 71n Spike.

"I feel sorry for the guy that got fourth because I ran him over coming to the line, he came off the cushion and I was a little bit sideways and we both bounced across," Noble commented afterward.

Peterman was fourth in Robert Peterman's B.K.C. No. 7p Stealth, with Austin Brown rounding out the top five in Sherry Brown's Esslinger-powered O'Reilly POWRi No. 7a Spike.

Modified racer Eddie Martin climbed from twelfth to sixth, with fellow sixth-row starter Blake Fitzpatrick in seventh. Rees crossed the stripe eighth, with Ryan Cole and 23rd-starter Caleb Armstrong completing the top ten.

Cole, Justin Melton, Myers, Taylor, Joey Fabozzi, Most, Fitzpatrick, Mallo, Martin and Peterman topped heat race action for the 76-car field. Melton was originally slated to start the feature fourth row outside but was relegated to the tail when forced to the work area for quick repairs to get his mount to fire. Melton bounced back to finish twelfth.

Larry Campbell and Colby Copeland topped "C" Main action, with Joe Cleveland and Gehrke winning the twin "B" Mains.

Don Hammer, Doug Nunes, Jay Mounce and Tyler Robbins each got upside down in heat race action. Robbins flipped in his "C" Main as well, with Campbell flipping in his "B" Main. Brian Portschy and Peard both tumbled in the main event. There were no injuries.

With the triumph, Most advances to Friday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts Qualifying event along with Peterman (fourth), Fitzpatrick (seventh), Armstrong (tenth) and Austin Mero (13th).

Runner-up Gehrke moves on to Thursday's Warren CAT Qualifier along with Austin Brown (fifth), Rees (eighth), Eric Todd (eleventh) and Cleveland (14th).

Third-place finisher Noble moves to Wednesday night's Creek Nation Casino Qualifying Showdown along with Martin (sixth), Cole (ninth), Melton (twelfth) and Portschy (15th).

The balance of Tuesday's field will start out in the early portion of Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Championship feature events.

Tuesday Night's Bass Pro Shops Pre-Qualifier Results:

Heat Races (Top 18 in passing points to A Main; Next 32 to B Mains; Balance to C Mains)

Heat 1: 1. #11R Ryan Cole, Porter, OK; 2. #89JR Todd McVay, Lee’s Summit, MO; 3. #33S Austin Smith, Chino Hills, CA; 4. #99J Robby Josett, Santa Clarita, CA; 5. #11D Doug DeWitt, Sunnyvale, CA; 6. #11H Garrett Hood, Concordia, KS; 7. #6P Trish Dover, Springfield, NE; 8. #1B Scott Crystal, Overland Park, KS

Heat 2: 1. #36J Justin Melton, Flower Mound, TX; 2. #73E Brian Portschy, Plymouth, WI; 3. #51C Brent Camarillo, Ventura, CA; 4. #10P Will Pierce, Lee’s Summit, MO; 5. #5W Kurt Davis, Milwaukee, WI; 6. #45 Don Hammer, Clinton, IL; DNS - #78C David Budres, Beloit, WI; #4M James Sweeney, Placerville, CA

Heat 3: 1. #25X Derrick Myers, Stonington, IL; 2. #7T Eric Todd, Falcon, MO; 3. #93C Chett Gehrke, Broken Arrow, OK; 4. #11X Ricky Williams, Clinton, OH; 5. #83 Kurt Blackaby, Bentonville, AR; 6. #31C Larry Campbell, Van Buren, AR; 7. #12J Jay Mounce, Downs, IL; 8. #27C Doug Nunes, Kingsburg, CA

Heat 4: 1. #17S Samantha Taylor, Bonney Lake, WA; 2. #87D Brent Rees, Arvada, CO; 3. #4R Bobby Ross, St. Joseph, MO; 4. #15B Danny Burke, Houston, TX; 5. #92 Brandon Wagner, Lafayette, IN; 6. #21S Lee Beckwith, Channahon, IL; 7. #9B Cameron Beard, Atwater, CA; 8. #0K Don O’Keefe Jr., Pittsboro, IN

Heat 5: 1. #84 Joey Fabozzi, Norco, CA; 2. #7A Austin Brown, Millstadt, IL; 3. #33a Chris Coers, Columbus, IN; 4. #6J Justin Hendricks, Stillwater, OK; 5. #58 Cole Peard, Quincy, CA; 6. #37C Colby Copeland, Rossville, CA; 7. #31X Joe Duvall, Chelsea, OK; 8. #6 Brian Carter, Frisco, TX

Heat 6: 1. #6C Josh Most, Red Oak, IA; 2. #11C Joe Cleveland, Delphos, KS; 3. #63R Kyle Robbins, New Castle, IN; 4. #175 Brian Camarillo, Ventura, CA; 5. #76 Kellen Conover, Sumner, IL; 6. #48 Lee Little, Mustang, OK; 7. #14H Chris Burns, Bethany, OK; 8. #35T Tyler Robbins, Collinsville, IL

Heat 7: 1. #73I Blake Fitzpatrick, West Terre Haute, IN; 2. #97K Caleb Armstrong, New Castle, IN; 3. #10F Kelly Ferrell, Chaplin, CT; 4. #17X Billy Mentgen, Golden, CO; 5. #4C Dalton Cole, Pryor, OK; 6. #33X Scott Fennell, Littleton, CO; DNS - #32K Kirk Kubik, Long Beach, CA

Heat 8: 1. #6M Justin Mallo, Cheyenne, WY; 2. #50J Jeff Griffin, St. Helena, CA; 3. #63 Paul Perkins, Bristol, WI; 4. #98D Dave Scroggs, Arvada, CO; 5. #8M Dan Mecum, Marengo, IL; 6. #83H Jonathan Halford, Tulsa, OK; 7. #22WA Eric Young, Covington, WA

Heat 9: 1. #1X Eddie Martin, Ada, OK; 2. #25M Austin Mero, Kingsburg, CA; 3. #6E Rafe Essary, Fayetteville, AR; 4. #75D Andrew Deal, Caney, KS; 5. #2D Steve Davis, Norco, CA; 6. #51W Scott Walton, Inola, OK; 7. #93H Brian Harvey, Sherman, TX

Heat 10: 1. #7P Anthony Peterman, Crawfordsville, IN; 2. #71N Tim Noble, Madison, WI; 3. #7C Doug Frye, Wheatland, MO; 4. #28 Nathan Smith, Valencia, CA; 5. #15K Brandon Knupp, Troutman, NC; 6. #1F Mike Fulper, Cumberland, OH; 7. #10 T.J. Smith, Fresno, CA

C Mains (Top 2 transfer to back of corresponding B Main)

C Main 1: 1. #31C Larry Campbell, Van Buren, AR; 2. #15K Brandon Knupp, Troutman, NC; 3. #9B Cameron Beard, Atwater, CA; 4. #48 Lee Little, Mustang, OK; 5. #1B Scott Crystal, Overland Park, KS; 6. #93H Brian Harvey, Sherman, TX; 7. #6P Trish Dover, Springfield, NE; 8. #0K Don O’Keefe Jr., Pittsboro, IN; 9. #14H Chris Burns, Bethany, OK; 10. #35T Tyler Robbins, Collinsville, IL; DNS - #1F Mike Fulper, Cumberland, OH; #83H Jonathan Halford, Tulsa, OK; #78c David Budres, Beloit, WI

C Main 2: 1. #37C Colby Copeland, Rossville, CA; 2. #31X Joe Duvall, Chelsea, OK; 3. #12J Jay Mounce, Downs, IL; 4. #10T T.J. Smith, Fresno, CA; 5. #32K Kirk Kubik, Long Beach, CA; 6. 33X Scott Fennell, Littleton, CO; 7. #21S Lee Beckwith, Channahon, IL; 8. #51W Scott Walton, Inola, OK DNS - #45 Don Hammer, Clinton, IL; #22WA Eric Young, Covington, WA; #27C Doug Nunes, Kingsburg, CA; #6 Brian Carter, Frisco, TX; #4M James Sweeney, Placerville, CA

B Mains (Top 3 advance to A Main)

B Main 1: #11C Joe Cleveland, Delphos, KS; 2. #63 Paul Perkins, Bristol, WI; 3. #97K Caleb Armstrong, New Castle, IN; 4. #75D Andrew Deal, Caney, KS; 5. #83 Kurt Blackaby, Fayetteville, AR; 6. #4R Bobby Ross, St. Joseph, MO; 7. #92 Brandon Wagner, Lafayette, IN; 8. #7C Doug Frye, Wheatland, MO; 9. #11X Ricky Williams, Clinton, OH; 10. #51C Brent Camarillo, Ventura, CA; 11. #175 Brian Camarillo, Ventura, CA; 12. #10F Kelly Ferrell, Chaplin, CT; 13. #8M Dan Mecum, Marengo, IL; 14. #11H Garrett Hood, Concordia, KS; 15. #98D Dave Scroggs, Arvada, CO; 16. #76 Kellen Conover, Sumner, IL; 17. #31C Larry Campbell, Van Buren, AR; 18. #15K Brandon Knupp, Troutman, NC

B Main 2: 1. #93C Chett Gehrke, Broken Arrow, OK; 2. #33A Chris Coers, Columbus, IN; 3. #58 Cole Peard, Quincy, CA; 4. #10P Will Pierce, Lee’s Summit, MO; 5. #50J Jeff Griffin, St. Helena, CA; 6. #33S Austin Smith, Chino Hills, CA; 7. #17X Billy Mentgen, Golden, CO; 8. #31X Joe Duvall, Chelsea, OK; 9. #37C Colby Copeland, Rossville, CA; 10. #28 Nathan Smith, Valencia, CA; 11. #4C Dalton Cole, Pryor, OK; 12. #6J Justin Hendricks, Stillwater, OK; 13. #2D Steve Davis, Norco, CA; 14. #5W Kurt Davis, Milwaukee, WI; 15. #15B Danny Burke, Houston, TX; 16. #11D Doug DeWitt, Sunnyvale, CA; 17. #99J Robby Josett, Santa Clarita, CA; 18. #6E Rafe Essary, Fayetteville, AR

A Main (25 laps - Top 15 Advance to Qualifying Nights)

1. #6C Josh Most, Red Oak, IA; 2. #93C Chett Gehrke, Broken Arrow, OK; 3. #71N Tim Noble, Madison, WI; 4. #7P Anthony Peterman, Crawfordsville, IN; 5. #7A Austin Brown, Millstadt, IL; 6. #1X Eddie Martin, Ada, OK; 7. #73I Blake Fitzpatrick, West Terre Haute, IN; 8. #87D Brent Rees, Arvada, CO; 9. #11R Ryan Cole, Porter, OK; 10. #97K Caleb Armstrong, New Castle, IN; 11. #7T Eric Todd, Falcon, MO; 12. #36J Justin Melton, Flower Mound, TX; 13. #25M Austin Mero, Kingsburg, CA; 14. #11C Joe Cleveland, Delphos, KS; 15. #73E Brian Portschy, Plymouth, WI; 16. #63 Paul Perkins, Bristol, WI; 17. #33A Chris Coers, Columbus, IN; 18. #63R Kyle Robbins, New Castle, IN; 19. #84 Joey Fabozzi, Norco, CA; 20. #17S Samantha Taylor, Bonney Lake, WA; 21. #6M Justin Mallo, Cheyenne, WY; 22. #58 Cole Peard, Quincy, CA; 23. #89JR Todd McVay, Lees Summit, MO; 24. #25X Derrick Myers, Stonington, IL

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