Sarah Fisher will return to the driver’s seat next weekend to compete in the 29th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire in Tulsa, Okla. The woman voted most popular driver four times in two different series will campaign the No. 67RW for RW Motorsports, owned by Steve Weirich and Mario Rotondo. Hartman Oil will be the presenting sponsor on the midget.
“The Chili Bowl is the very heartbeat of motorsports. Each year it brings the best drivers to a venue that is charged with excitement. I look forward to seeing Sarah back in the seat,” Wink Hartman stated, the owner of Hartman Oil. Hartman and Fisher first partnered in 2008 and are currently co-owners of CFH Racing with Ed Carpenter. Russell Oil, Inc., the National Cooperative Refinery Association (NCRA), and the Indy Trading Post will be additional partners on the No. 67RW.
A solid test in October 2014 with RW Motorsports in Linton, Ind. prompted Fisher’s entry into the 2015 event. “Competing in the Chili Bowl has always been a bucket list item for me and with the support of Wink, 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.”
“We are looking forward to giving Sarah the chance to compete at the Chili Bowl this year,” commented Weirich. “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.”
The Chili Bowl will mark Fisher’s first time competing as a driver since the Verizon IndyCar Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2010. Though Fisher’s background includes successes in a variety of sprint cars and midgets that have likewise carried the No. 67, this will be her first time participating in the Chili Bowl. “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 said. The Commercial Point, Ohio native holds the record for the most starts by a woman in the Indianapolis 500 and was also the first woman to win a pole position for a major open-wheel event.
Practice for the Chili Bowl will begin next Monday, Jan. 12 inside the River Spirit Expo Center. The 324 entries for the event will be split into three nights of qualifying, leading up to the A Feature on Saturday night which showcases only the top 24 drivers. Fisher will participate in John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night on Thursday, Jan. 15. Points received during qualifications will determine her starting position on Saturday, Jan. 17 for Lucas Oil Championship Night. RW Motorsports is also fielding the No. 17RW for Dave Darland and the No. 27RW for O’Gara in partnership with the Indy Trading Post.