Logan Seavey, high off a victory at this year’s Chili Bowl Nationals, seems to have his reservations about the revised format that was used to determine starting positions in the event’s final race. Being placed on the grid based on lap timings of head-to-head matchups has yet to go down well with the two-time Golden Driller champ. Seavey started the A-Main race on Saturday behind Buddy Kofoid despite finishing P1 in the Qualifying race. And the sole reason for that was the introduction of the Chili Bowl pole shuffle.
The defending Golden Driller champion spoke to Frontstretch about his thoughts on the new system and also called for a return of the old format.
Logan Seavey is not happy with starting P2
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Last week’s results were crucial to determining the contestants in the A-Main race. Ten drivers who finished in the top two places of their respective preliminary feature races automatically qualified for the main event. Logan Seavey was the top-seeded driver in Friday night’s pole shuffle. However, after the qualifying matchups, Buddy Kofoid trounced him to the first position for Saturday night’s main event.
Speaking about the unprecedented change in the traditional Chili Bowl system, the former USAC Midget Series champion said, “I personally love watching qualifying, and I think we are an entertainment sport, so we should do stuff that’s entertaining.”
“I saw mixed reviews on the internet. A lot of people like to watch racing. I don’t think pole shuffle racing works well because you have the best drivers in the world and you give them two laps to pass the next best driver in the world. It’s not going to happen, right? I like that format better.”
Looking at it from another perspective, the pole shuffle has also helped Seavey significantly. Suffering from illness could have posed some problems during the qualifying session for the two-time champ. With the winner of each matchup moving up to race against the next highest-seeded player, Logan Seavey couldn’t have started the main event any worse than second.
Eventually, the P2 start helped Seavey cut the distance between him and Kofoid to clinch the title. Continuing the conversation, the champion addressed the areas that needed improvement and emphasized equal footing for all drivers.
Seavey feels fellow competitor Hank Davis had an “advantage”
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#29S driver Hank Davis was initially placed 9th in Friday night’s pole shuffle. Battling his way through, he managed to go as high as 5th in the pole shuffle for Saturday’s grid placement. However, it didn’t benefit him much as he couldn’t overcome four positions ahead of him and finished in the same position he started in. Another driver who made a significant jump was runner-up Kofoid, who moved three places upward from 4th to first through the qualifying matchups.
Talking about the strong runs from Kofoid and Hank Davis that displaced him from the pole, Logan Seavey stated, “I think there’s room for improvement. Especially with the power we have, it gives an advantage to guys being out there.”
“Obviously, you saw big runs of Hank and Buddy. Not taking away from what they did, they are obviously great racers and they could have done that in any portion of the race. But, it certainly gives them an advantage. They see the track, get a few laps, get heat in their tires, get some confidence, know where the cushion’s at, know where the bumps are, and get in a rhythm and it showed a lot.”
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Hank Davis’ run included him beating some of the dark horses for the Golden Driller, which included Tanner Thorson, Spencer Bayston, and Jake Swanson. While Logan Seavey felt that higher-seeded drivers got more chances to be acquainted with the track, he also commended Davis’ effort, albeit with a pinch of salt.
“Hank beat some really good guys, a lot of guys that could have won the race. Everybody can win the race, but you just don’t really see runs like that without some sort of advantage.“
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Do you think Logan Seavey’s concerns are valid? Let us know in the comments!
