The dirt midget racer crashed on Wednesday night of the Chili Bowl Nationals
The Chili Bowl Nationals is underway in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The indoor dirt race is the biggest dirt midget race of the season.
The event is currently in preliminary action. Only the top 2 from the Wednesday portion of the main event transfer into Saturday’s feature race.
Ashton Torgerson started on the outside pole position in the Wednesday night main event.
On lap 10, Kevin Thomas Jr slid Ashton Torgerson for 7th. Torgerson knocked the cushion, stepped on the throttle and hung even with him off the corner.
Thomas Jr attempted to pull down and give him a lane but they were battling for inches. Torgerson was out of space and on top of the steep cushion to hold his ground as they ran even off the corner.
As they exited the corner, Torgerson bounced. He then ran wide, bouncing off the outside wall. That impact turned the car on it’s side then he began flipping down the backstretch.
The car flipped several times. As he did, his helmet began to stick out of the top portion of the rollcage. Toward the end of the flip, Torgerson was completely ejected from the machine. He came out of the top of the car, as it was flipping.
The red flag was thrown immediately. Meanwhile, the crowd went completely silent.
Driver transported to hospital
It was one of the scariest crashes I’ve ever seen.
The medical team quickly approached the driver. Initial reports were that the driver was awake and communicating with safety workers.
An ambulance was called to the scene. They drove the ambulance right onto the track in attempt to move the driver as little as possible. He’ll be transported to a local hospital.
Ashton Torgerson is 16 years old.
The Chili Bowl event pastor led the entire building in a moment of silence in support of the racer.
Officials called a drivers meeting. Drivers were seen going from car to car, checking in on each other. After a lengthy delay, they plan to restart the unfinished feature race.
Chili Bowl Nationals: Statement
The Chili Bowl issued the following statement on Wednesday night:
“Ashton Torgerson was transported to a Tulsa hospital following an accident during Wednesday’s preliminary feature event at the Chili Bowl Nationals. Ashton was alert and communicating with track officials before being transported. We will update when we have more information.”
Torgerson Racing: Update
Early Thursday morning, the team provided the following update:
“Ashton is alert and talking. Moving hands and feet He is passing all the administered tests thus far and is about to go in for a cat scan. Thank you for the outpouring of support.”
The team added, “Passed back ,neck tests waiting on CT scan… 1st thing he asked me was what place was he in!!.. you have no idea how much the support means to Ashton and the family…”
The following update came on Thursday afternoon:
“Ashton is sore and has been resting. The CT came back with some blood in the brain, so they continue to monitor. Dr’s are amazed that he is doing so well. The support from everyone has been amazing. .. will update again tonight”
“Out of ER!! Upstairs in our room until tomorrow morning then get another CT scan and see if he has improving…AGAIN, Thank you for all of the support!! It means more than you will ever know.”
Update: Kevin Thomas Jr reached out to the family
Kevin Thomas Jr tweeted, “So happy to hear this! Saw Ashton last night at the hospital and he’s one tough dude. I hope he has a quick road to recovery. He, his family and crew are great people. Had some great talks with them all. The racing community has your back kid! See you soon young gasser.”
This post will be updated if more information becomes available.
Chili Bowl Results: January 11, 2023
