The NASCAR national series season may not begin until February at Daytona International Speedway, but several stars are letting their racing passion fly in a different type of race this week: The Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.
Considered one of the top dirt races of the year, the Chili Bowl is an annual dirt midget race that has been held since 1987 and runs from Jan. 9-13 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A handful of NASCAR drivers – including Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Justin Allgaier and Christopher Bell, who won the 2017 Chili Bowl – will compete in the event, which begins its practice on Jan. 8.
“I look at the Chili Bowl, the Snowball Derby. There’s some races on the schedule where the amount of time and effort you put in to run one race is incredible but it’s because everyone wants to go win it,” Allgaier said at the Camping World Truck and Xfinity Series banquet on Dec. 9. “I think Tony Stewart said it the best one time, he said, ‘I would give up all the race wins just to keep winning the Chili Bowl.’ And I think that says a lot for that (race).”
Stewart won the event twice, in 2002 and 2007. Allgaier has yet to win the prestigious event, which also has been won by current and former NASCAR drivers Bell, Rico Abreu and Dave Blaney in years past. He’ll look to change that this time.
“There are a select few races in my life that I’ve been close to winning and had opportunities to win and (the Chili Bowl is) one of them that you put it all out of the line,” Allgaier said. “The last couple of years I’ve made mistakes that probably more than anything have kept me from having a shot at it so it’s disappointing. Go there and try to change it and have some fun.”
For several NASCAR drivers, the Chili Bowl and dirt racing represent a return to their roots, the starting point that launched their respective racing careers. It’s also an opportunity to race before the NASCAR season begins, which is ideal for passionate racers like Kahne.
“The Chili Bowl’s always a cool event,” Kahne, who has raced in three of the last six Chili Bowl events, told NASCAR.com. “I didn’t do it last year, so took a year off. Looking forward to just racing again and being part of the Chili Bowl and then the NASCAR stuff is so close at this point. It will be here in no time.”
This upcoming NASCAR season marks Kahne’s first season with Leavine Family Racing, where he will pilot the No. 95 Chevrolet previously driven by Michael McDowell. The change comes after Kahne’s six-year stint in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
The change, he said, allows him a bit more flexibility to race outside NASCAR and get back to the dirt.
“I’ve always enjoyed it and wanted to be part of it,” Kahne said. “But this season with my new Cup team, being part of LFR and just knowing that I can go race on the dirt and I can still do a great job for LFR and be part of that got me excited and is something that I want to do …
“(Leavine Family Racing is) OK with me racing and excited about (me) going to race those cars and be in a car more often than not. So, definitely more flexibility and not just that, but when you do it and know that you’re not making people mad or upsetting people, I think that feels better as well. Nobody’s upset at you for doing it, they understand why you are and are behind you, so that side of it too as much as anything.
“Rather than getting questioned for everything, you can just go race.”
Kahne emphasized that his first focus is the No. 95 Monster Energy Series car in 2018, but he does plan to run a sprint car during Florida Speedweeks for five nights at Volusia Speedway Park in February prior to the Daytona 500. He is also looking into potentially running “the World of Outlaw races, All-Star races and then some races in Pennsylvania, hopefully the Dirt Classic.”
“It’s really enjoyable for me to race those cars and to race on dirt and be part of all of that,” Kahne said. “I think that the big thing is, the more I can do it, the better I’ll get at it again. And that’s something I look forward to this year is racing on the dirt more often and try and get really competitive and win races again on dirt.
“That would feel pretty good.”