Chili Bowl often becomes a David vs. Goliath storyline

TULSA, Okla. -- The "David vs. Goliath" storyline is one of the oldest in sports, pitting little guy against big guy, underdog against odds-on favorite, blue-collar contestant against polished champion. More often than not, Goliath wins, as historically shown and more recently evidenced by pro football's New England Patriots.

The Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals is racing's "David vs. Goliath" event. Every January, more than 200 weekend-warrior teams haul their Midgets to Tulsa's QuikTrip Center, where they square off against some genuine motorsports "Goliaths," drivers who have built hero-like reputations in NASCAR, Indy Cars and even drag racing. But at the Chili Bowl, the story comes with an interesting twist: More often than not, David usually gets to push Goliath around on the tight, quarter-mile indoor oval. Sometimes, he even kicks dirt in the giant's face.

• An event not to be missed
• Stewart eyes Chili repeat

This year, thanks to a live pay-per-view broadcast on the Chili Bowl's final night, Saturday, Jan. 12, a nationwide audience will join the sell-out crowd in Tulsa to see whether it will happen again. The Chili Bowl semifinals will be streamed on NASCAR.COM at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 11. (learn more)

The "Goliath" grouping on this year's Chili Bowl entry list is estimable, ranging from two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart to a pair of today's most popular NHRA drag-racing champions, Gary Scelzi and Cruz Pedregon. In between comes a stunning collection of drivers with big-league credentials, among them Cup drivers Kasey Kahne and J.J. Yeley, Nationwide Series driver Jason Leffler, and versatile P.J. Jones, whose résumé includes a victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. And past Chili Bowls have included such invaders as Ken Schrader, A.J. Foyt IV, and even Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George.

And yet, the cold hard fact is that in the previous 21 Chili Bowls, only Stewart -- a Tulsa winner in 2002 and '07, and a USAC Midget champion before he ever got to NACAR -- has managed to carry the "Goliath" banner into Victory Lane. The other winners have essentially been dirt-track lifers whose names have been built race upon race, year upon year, on rough-and-tumble bullrings. They include four-time winner Sammy Swindell, a Sprint Car legend from Tennessee; two-time Chili Bowl titlist Cory Kruseman, an icon in his native California; USAC champion Tracy Hines, who has won from coast to coast; and Tim McCreadie, a World of Outlaws Late Model driver whose throttle control trumped his lack of Midget experience in 2006. Swindell, Kruseman, Hines and McCreadie will be back for the 2008 Chili Bowl, hoping to again upstage the "household" names.

Stewart and Leffler acknowledge that the Chili Bowl's enormous entry list (some 280 cars are expected) and the three-night qualifying format play into the hands of the Midget regulars.

"These guys race dirt all the time," Leffler points out, "and it's hard to get up to speed right away."

Stewart declares, "You aren't going to just get lucky and win. I mean, you have to have a perfect weekend, and everything has to go right for you to win."

On the surface then, the odds would seem to favor another win for the "Davids." But this is the prestigious Chili Bowl, the one race each season at which the best-known "Goliath" racers feel like they've got something to prove.

Chili Bowl on HBO

HBO Pay-Per-View presents the live, with no commercials, television broadcast of the 2008 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday (Jan. 12). The HBO Pay-Per-View telecast has a suggested retail price of $24.95, and will be available to all cable and satellite homes throughout the U.S. and Canada. Order directly from your digital cable or satellite TV system or contact your provider's customer service for details. A subscription to HBO is not required. Visit http://www.hbo.com./events/chili.