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TULSA, Okla. (January 9, 2008) -- A late change of plans will have Tony Stewart kicking off his bid to become the first back-to-back winner in Chili Bowl Nationals history a night earlier than previously anticipated, as "Smoke" is now slated to compete in Thursday night's Warren CAT Qualifying event at the 22nd Annual Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Raceway in the QuikTrip Center.

Stewart was originally slated for Friday night's O'Reilly Auto Parts Qualifier, but will now take on a tough Thursday night roster that includes the likes of four-time Chili Bowl champion Sammy Swindell, teammate and 2005 Chili Bowl winner Tracy Hines, Y.Y. Yeley, Shane Cottle, Jon Stanbrough, Bud Kaeding, Brad Kuhn and Bracy Bacon among others.

Last year, the two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion debuted his new Chevrolet team at the Chili Bowl team in grand fashion by snaring a second Golden Driller trophy with a triumph in Saturday night's 50-lap championship feature.

Anchoring the Tony Stewart Motorsports Team, Stewart is ready for his 12th Chili Bowl aboard the Hawk Chevy-powered Bass Pro Shops/ArmorAll/Mac Tools/Weld No. 20 Spike chassis.

Other drivers piloting Tony Stewart Motorsports entries during this week's Chili Bowl include Hines, two-time USAC Sprint Car champion Levi Jones and Late Model standout Josh Richards.

-credit: www.chilibowl.com.