NASCAR Roots
By Adam Fenwick
NASCAR.com
Published:
8 Minute Read
Every January inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, hundreds of competitors and thousands of fans converge to witness one of the greatest races in all of grassroots racing.
The Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire, which begin Monday, Jan. 9 and run through Saturday, Jan. 14, is the largest midget racing event in the world. Annually drawing hundreds of entrants from across the United States and multiple countries, the event brings together countless drivers from a variety of racing backgrounds.
Typically, among those drivers are several NASCAR drivers, and the 37th running of the legendary event is no different. There are 18 drivers entered who have competed in at least one of NASCAR’s three national divisions.
RELATED: Watch every lap of the 2023 Chili Bowl on FloRacing
They include a pair of drivers who qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs last season, Chase Briscoe and Alex Bowman.
About that time… @Mahindra_USA pic.twitter.com/Z6I0pwRDm1 — Chase Briscoe (@ChaseBriscoe_14) December 17, 2022
About that time… @Mahindra_USA pic.twitter.com/Z6I0pwRDm1
— Chase Briscoe (@ChaseBriscoe_14) December 17, 2022
For Briscoe, the 2023 Chili Bowl marks his ninth attempt to secure the Golden Driller trophy that goes to the winner of the championship A-Main on Jan. 14. He made his initial Chili Bowl appearance in 2015 and has returned annually since.
The driver of the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing has qualified for the Saturday finale once. He raced his way into the finale in 2017, starting and finishing 22nd in a race that was won by current Joe Gibbs Racing competitor Christopher Bell. Since then he’s narrowly missed qualifying for the finale multiple times, falling just short in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
His most recent Chili Bowl attempt came last year, when he finished sixth in a C-Main during the Saturday finale.
Bowman returns to the Chili Bowl for his seventh attempt at the Super Bowl of midget racing. He made his Chili Bowl debut in 2010, but thus far he has failed to qualify for the Saturday A-Main.
RELATED: Everything you need to know about the 2023 Chili Bowl
The driver of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet fell a few positions short of advancing to the main event last year when he finished 11th in his B-Main on championship Saturday. It was his best Chili Bowl performance to date.
We’re bringing the heat to Tulsa. #ChiliBowl pic.twitter.com/6tYcHMlfyU — Alex Bowman (@Alex_Bowman) January 4, 2023
We’re bringing the heat to Tulsa. #ChiliBowl pic.twitter.com/6tYcHMlfyU
— Alex Bowman (@Alex_Bowman) January 4, 2023
In addition to competing as a driver in the Chili Bowl, Bowman will double as a team owner. Bowman will field entries for himself as well as veteran dirt trackers C.J. Leary and Jake Swanson.
Briscoe will kick off his Chili Bowl pursuits on Monday, Jan. 9, when he takes part in Cummins Qualifying Night. Bowman will race Tuesday, Jan. 10 during Warren CAT Qualifying Night.
Below is a look at some of the competitors taking part in the Chili Bowl who have made starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series or have other connections to NASCAR.