VICS: Fisher to compete in Chili Bowl Nationals

Verizon IndyCar Series team co-owner Sarah Fisher will compete in the 29th Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire on Jan. 12-17 in Tulsa, Okla.

A test in October with RW Motorsports in Linton, Ind., prompted Fisher’s entry into the event. Her racing background includes success in a variety of sprint cars and midgets, but this will be her first time participating in the Chili Bowl. Qualifications are Jan. 15. She last drove a race car in competition in the 2010 Verizon IndyCar Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“Competing in the Chili Bowl has always been a bucket list item for me and with the support of (CFH Racing co-owner) Wink (Hartman) I am able to fulfill another dream,” Fisher said. “By attending the event last year to cheer on my brother-in-law Kyle O’Gara, I was able to experience the atmosphere and see how much fun it was. I wanted to be racing in it the next time I came back.

“I have raced on dirt in the World Of Outlaws and the All Star Circuit of Champions, but being in a midget on dirt is a new experience for me and I am very excited for the challenge.”

Fisher, 34, who holds the record for most Indianapolis 500 starts by a woman, will drive the No. 67RW for RW Motorsports midget owned by Steve Weirich and Mario Rotondo. Hartman Oil will be the presenting sponsor, with Russell Oil, Inc., the National Cooperative Refinery Association and the Indy Trading Post as additional partners.

“We both have the same goals of putting open-wheel racing back at the forefront and certainly the Chili Bowl is an event that encompasses that goal. As we continue to work together in INDYCAR, this is a fantastic element to add to the mix,” Weirich said.

Bryan Clauson, who is scheduled to drive the KVSH Racing/Jonathan Byrd’s Racing car in the Indianapolis 500 in May, is the defending Chili Bowl champion. Clauson made his Indy 500 debut in a Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing car in 2012. He kicked off the new year with a victory in the POWRi World Midget Series event in Auckland, New Zealand.