Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) is poised to make headlines at this week’s 21st annual O’Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals as the team ushers in a new era of grassroots motorsports with the debut of Chevrolet as its engine supplier and sponsor.

Owner Tony Stewart, the two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion, will lead his team’s four-car effort by driving the No. 20 TSR/Spike/Chevrolet. TSR’s United States Auto Club (USAC) drivers - Levi Jones and Tracy Hines - will join Stewart and dirt late model driver Josh Richards in the “Super Bowl of Midget Racing” at the Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Center Jan. 9-13.

“I’m excited about bringing my own team to the Chili Bowl this year,” said Stewart, whose past Chili Bowls - including a win in the 2002 event - came while driving for other car owners. “It’s great that we’re going to be able to kick off our new partnership with Chevrolet at one of the biggest open-wheel races of the year. It will be kind of like a coming out party for Tony Stewart Racing and Chevrolet. I’m looking forward to working with Ray Smith, the program manager for Chevrolet, as well as the entire Chevrolet team.

“Having Levi Jones return as a driver for us this year is great, and joining him will be Tracy Hines, a proven commodity in midget and sprint car racing. We’ll also have a dirt late model driver - Josh Richards - in a Chevrolet-powered TSR car. Together, we’re sure to be competitive, but we’re also sure to have a lot of fun.

“We’ll be taking four brand new cars and we’ll be competing with the new Hawk-prepared Chevrolet engines. Our team has worked really hard to make this all happen and we’re ready to go.”

TSR veteran Jones will return to the Chili Bowl for a third time. The 2005 USAC National Sprint Car Series champion will pilot the No. 20J TSR/Spike/Chevrolet. Jones will seek to earn his first event victory to kick-off the 2007 racing season.

“The Chili Bowl is a tough event, but each time you compete you bring more valuable experience with you,” Jones said. “You definitely need a little luck to go your way, but the good cars and teams have a way of rising to the top on Saturday night. It’s really cool to be a part of Tony Stewart Racing’s first appearance in the Chili Bowl. We’ve been working hard to prepare for this week and we’re ready to get a new season started with a positive swing through Tulsa.”

Scheduled to compete in Wednesday night’s preliminary event, Jones is also looking forward to competing with the team’s new Chevrolet powerplant.

“Being a part of the partnership between Tony Stewart Racing and Chevrolet is one of the neatest deals I’ve ever been involved with, not only in my racing career, but in my entire life,” added Jones. “We believe this program is going to be one of the strongest in open-wheel racing. The new Chevrolet engine that we’re going to compete with is a really nice piece. It’s based off of powerplants that I’ve competed with in the past and had lots of success with. Chevrolet has really jumped in with both feet and we’re looking forward to a long relationship with them.”

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