Next month, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell will lead a group of NASCAR drivers chasing a win in the Chili Bowl Nationals. Larson is back to defend his title. For the second time in his career, Larson won the Chili Bowl and the Cup Series championship in the same year.
Last year, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell gave us a show in Tulsa. They traded blows back and forth throughout the Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl. Different divisions and so many races and heats, and they delivered on the action. They seemed to trade wins last year in Oklahoma.
On top of Larson and Bell, there are other NASCAR names in the field. Ty Gibbs will suit up once again for the Chili Bowl. Sheldon Creed is making his debut at the event, which is very exciting. Corey Day is showing up, of course. He is a real threat to win the whole thing. Other familiar names are Modified driver Jake Johnson and recent ARCA signee Gavan Boschele.
According to FloRacing, the Chili Bowl entry list has already blown up to 340 and counting. There will be so many more entries by the time we get to January. The last two years, the Tulsa Shootout and Chili Bowl have been events I make sure to watch. It’s like the official start to the racing season. From there, it’s 24 Hours of Daytona, Speedweeks, NASCAR Clash, and finally, the Daytona 500.
While Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell are known for their NASCAR exploits, they are two of the best sprint car racers in the country. That’s just a fact. They can jump into a car on the dirt or pavement and be competitive immediately. Corey Day is hoping to fit that mold as well. Move on to NASCAR and occasionally remind everyone that he is, in fact, elite on dirt.
Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell searching for fourth win
In the history of the Chili Bowl Nationals, only two drivers have ever won four or more times. Sammy Swindell is a five-time winner, the most all time. Kevin Swindell is a four-time winner, second all-time, and all came one after another in a row. Both Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell have three each.
Of course, Bell won all three of his Chili Bowls in a row. From 2017 to 2019, Bell owned the event. Then, Larson won back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. Logan Seavey would go back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, and then Larson returned to the top earlier this year.
Larson and Bell are chasing history. With how young they both are, it isn’t just four wins that they have their eyes on. It’s not out of the question to wonder if Bell or Larson could match Sammy or even surpass him one day in all-time wins.
The Chili Bowl Nationals will be really exciting. I’m hoping that we see Kyle Busch enter, or at least race at the Tulsa Shootout. Between Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Corey Day, the NASCAR drivers have a good chance. I’m very excited to see how Sheldon Creed performs. He’s got a dirt background in Trophy Trucks, but sprint cars are an entirely new thing.