The Chili Bowl Midget Nationals is a prestigious midget car race that takes place at the Tulsa Expo Center every year and is often called the biggest midget car race in existence. It is also known as the Super Bowl of midget car racing, which is why it is often compared to the Daytona 500.

Christopher Bell, a driver who is well versed in both midget racing and stock car racing, was asked in a recent interview with FloRacing to discuss the differences between the two massive events, and his answer was simple. He declared that comparing the two was like comparing apples to oranges. However, he did lay out one crucial edge that the Chili Bowl holds.

“The Daytona 500 is the biggest race of the NASCAR schedule. But it’s only the NASCAR guys,” he said. “Whereas anybody can enter the Chili Bowl. So, it’s kind of a barometer for drivers where everybody is there.

“You get a lot of top drivers from different disciplines and people who don’t compete against each other all the time. It’s a great show.”

Bell argued from experience that it was a particularly challenging task to win the Chili Bowl since many factors had to go right. But that doesn’t make it a luck-based race. As a youngster, he never imagined being able to win this fixture someday. But now that he has, he realizes just how big a role it has played in making him who he is.

Bell’s opinion about the Daytona 500

Bell, at the end of the day, is a Cup Series driver, and the Daytona 500 is the biggest event he races in every year. He believes that the Daytona 500, or any superspeedway race for that matter, is like playing chess. Racing up close against each other in a pack at high speeds is as dangerous as it gets. So, it’s all about a matter of being in the right place at the right time, making the right moves.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver explained, “It’s very much a game of chess. Daytona is a huge event. It is something that extends outside of the motorsport community.

“I love the fact that over the last couple of years, we have seen a lot of NASCAR fans at dirt tracks and more dirt fans at NASCAR tracks. I think it’s super cool that we are coming together as one motorsports community.”

Bell will soon be at the gates of Daytona for the 2026 Daytona 500. It doesn’t need to be said that he would love nothing more than to kick off his campaign with a victory.