Fighting is allowed in the Chili Bowl Nationals with some rules in place; Driver kicked out after failing to follow those rules
Fans packed the stands at the Chili Bowl Nationals and a fight broke out. Unfortunately, the paid in attendance didn’t get to see it because it happened in the pit area.
That’s exactly the type of thing that the race director isn’t a fan of. He’s made it clear that fighting is allowed at the Chili Bowl, if they do it on the track in front of the fans.
Hear from the bullring race promoter below.
Related: Chili Bowl Nationals: Fight (Video)
On Tuesday night, Steven Snyder Jr threw a slider on Jeb Sessums. He wasn’t clear. With right rear to left front contact, Sessums was shoved over the cushion and sent into a barrel roll.
Sessums climbed from his car, walked down the track and showed the bird to Snyder Jr. However, Snyder was still in the race.
When the green dropped on the B-Main, Snyder Jr was involved in another, near identical accident. He threw the right rear on Brayton Lynch. Lynch also flipped.
Officials elected to throw the black flag on Snyder Jr. That’s when the action picked up.
As Snyder Jr drove off the track, a crew member was there waiting for him. That crew member happened to be another driver, Justin Zimmerman.
Zimmerman leaned into the chassis of Snyder Jr. After a few words, a crew member from Keith Kunz Motorsports gave him a shove and that was followed by a fist.
Zimmerman was sent to the ground. And he’s also been kicked out of the 2022 Chili Bowl Nationals. He won’t be allowed to compete in his previously scheduled Thursday preliminary…
Matt Ward explains Chili Bowl fighting rules
“It’s the same thing I say at every drivers meeting here at the Chili Bowl. I also said it at the Shootout,” promoter Matt Ward opened to Flo Sports.
“You always get the drivers that want to talk their shit. But, when you tell them to put their money where their mouth is, they don’t really do it.”
“So, I have expressed to all the drivers, ‘If you’re going to fight, do one on one. You can pull anywhere from turn three down to turn one. Settle it yourselves, one on one.’ “
“Kinda like hockey rules. Our crew won’t break it up until they get disadvantaged or on the ground. It adds a little excitement for the fans.”
“When they do it at the top of the ramp, there’s just so many people in this building, you might get a drunk or two to just walk through and sucker punch somebody. Or an official, we do have a bunch of ladies that work the staging area.”
“if anybody saw the Flo video from the shootout, you don’t want to mess with those ladies. I saw Jill wrap one of the drivers up by his suit.”
“We just can’t control it at the top of the ramp. There’s so many people. We don’t wanna get it out of control. I’m just trying to express to the drivers, if you want to do it, put a show on for the fans and do it on the race track.”
Related: Chili Bowl results from January 11, 2022
Driver thrown out
“The No. 71 of Snyder, we black flagged him for rough driving. He dumped a couple drivers. He was driving a little over his head.”
“Whenever we black flagged him and he went up the ramp, that doesn’t qualify until Thursday. He just went up there and voiced his displeasure, then a fight broke out.”
“So, Justin Zimmerman has been kicked out of the Chili Bowl and he’s not going to get to compete because he was fighting in the pits.”
“He could have gotten him down here on the track. Even though it wasn’t him that got flipped. Just do it on the track and not in the pits.”
Related: Chili Bowl Nationals: Fight (Video)
Chili Bowl fighting rules
Links
Steven Snyder Jr | Brayton Lynch Racing | Chili Bowl Nationals
