NASCAR Roots

Chili Bowl 2023: TV channel, entry list, results and more for Nationals in Tulsa

By Adam Fenwick

NASCAR.com

Published:

10 Minute Read

Chili Bowl
(Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)

The 2023 edition of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire has arrived.

Considered the Super Bowl of midget racing, the Chili Bowl annually attracts more than 300 competitors from across the United States and the world to compete at Tulsa Expo Raceway, a temporary circuit constructed inside the SageNet Center at Tulsa’s Expo Square in Oklahoma.

This year marks the 37th running of the event, which began in 1987 and has continued to grow in prestige each year since.

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Through the years a number of NASCAR stars have ventured to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take part in the Chili Bowl. Several of them have won the event and taken home the prestigious Golden Driller trophy.

They include 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, a two-time Chili Bowl winner, and Christopher Bell, a three-time Chili Bowl victor. Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart has also won the Chili Bowl twice. Dave Blaney, a veteran of more than 450 NASCAR Cup Series races, won the Chili Bowl in 1993.

This year, four drivers who competed in the NASCAR Cup Series last year are entered. They include Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe. J.J. Yeley and Josh Bilicki are also scheduled to compete in the Chili Bowl.

Below is everything to know about the 2023 Chili Bowl, including the TV schedule, the entry list and the list of winners over the event’s 36-year history.

What TV channel is the Chili Bowl on in 2023?

The 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals will be shown live in its entirety on FloRacing, the streaming home for all NASCAR Roots action. FloRacing’s coverage begins Monday, Jan. 9 and includes all five qualifying nights.

In addition, for the first time ever, FloRacing will also provide live coverage of the championship finale on Saturday, Jan. 14.

In addition to FloRacing’s complete coverage, the MAVTV Motorsports Network will air the C-Mains, B-Mains and A-Main during championship Saturday.

Below is the breakdown of the TV and live streaming schedule for the 2023 Chili Bowl.

Date Event TV channel Live stream Racing start time
Monday, Jan. 9 Cummins, Inc. Qualifying Night plus the VIROC; Vacuworx Invitational Race of Champions N/A FloRacing 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT
Tuesday, Jan. 10 Warren CAT Qualifying Night N/A FloRacing 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT
Wednesday, Jan. 11 Smiley’s Racing Products Qualifying Night N/A FloRacing 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT
Thursday, Jan. 12 John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night N/A FloRacing 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT
Friday, Jan. 13 Hard Rock Casino Tulsa Qualifying Night N/A FloRacing 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT
Saturday, Jan. 14 Lucas Oil Championship Feature Events MAVTV Motorsports Network FloRacing 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT (FloRacing)
9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT (MAVTV; pre-show, C-Mains, B-Mains and A-Main)

Chili Bowl 2023 entry list

A pair of NASCAR Cup Series race winners, Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe, are among the more than 350 drivers who have entered the 2023 edition of the Chili Bowl.

As of Jan. 4, the still-growing entry list for the 2023 Chili Bowl had reached 365 drivers. The all-time record for Chili Bowl entries was set last year when 394 competitors filed entries for the popular midget racing event.

Bowman and Briscoe are two of four NASCAR Cup Series competitors who have filed entries for the 2023 Chili Bowl. They’re joined by Josh Bilicki, who is making his Chili Bowl debut, and J.J. Yeley.

RELATED: 2023 Chili Bowl drivers with NASCAR ties

The entry list features drivers from 36 states and four countries (Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand). Tanner Thorson, the defending race winner, is among those entered.

The complete entry list can be viewed here.

Results: List of A-Main winners

Tanner Thorson stamped his name in the record books last year with his first victory in the Chili Bowl. He did so by holding off three-time event winner Christopher Bell, who chased him to the finish in second. Bell is not among those entered this year.

Legendary sprint car driver Sammy Swindell, a three-time World of Outlaws champion, holds the record with five Chili Bowl A-Main victories (1989, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2009). He is entered again in 2023.

Swindell’s son Kevin ranks second in Chili Bowl A-Main victories with four (all in a row from 2010-14), though injuries sustained in a 2015 crash ended his driving career.

Below is the complete list of Chili Bowl winners from 1987-2021.

Year Chili Bowl A-Main winner
1987 Rich Vogler
1988 Scott Hatton
1989 Sammy Swindell
1990 Johnny Heydenreich
1991 Lealand McSpadden
1992 Sammy Swindell
1993 Dave Blaney
1994 Andy Hillenburg
1995 Donnie Beechler
1996 Sammy Swindell
1997 Billy Boat
1998 Sammy Swindell
1999 Dan Boorse
2000 Cory Kruseman
2001 Jay Drake
2002 Tony Stewart
2003 Dan Boorse
2004 Cory Kruseman
2005 Tracy Hines
2006 Tim McCreadie
2007 Tony Stewart
2008 Damion Gardner
2009 Sammy Swindell
2010 Kevin Swindell
2011 Kevin Swindell
2012 Kevin Swindell
2013 Kevin Swindell
2014 Bryan Clauson
2015 Rico Abreu
2016 Rico Abreu
2017 Christopher Bell
2018 Christopher Bell
2019 Christopher Bell
2020 Kyle Larson
2021 Kyle Larson
2022 Tanner Thorson

NASCAR drivers at the 2023 Chili Bowl

NASCAR competitors have a long history of competing at the Chili Bowl and that tradition will continue in 2023.

Chase Briscoe and Alex Bowman are both returning to the Chili Bowl, with Bowman still looking to qualify for the championship A-Main on Saturday for the first time. Bowman has made it to a B-Main each of the last two years while Briscoe’s best performance came in 2017, when he finished 22nd in the championship A-Main.

J.J. Yeley, a veteran dirt racer with extensive Chili Bowl experience, is also entered and will be attempting to make his first championship A-Main since 2015. His best finish is second, which came in 2007 when he finished runner-up to three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.

Josh Bilicki, who competed in all three NASCAR national divisions in 2022, is also entered to compete in his first Chili Bowl.

Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, who have won five of the last six Chili Bowl championships, are not entered in 2023.

Where is the 2023 Chili Bowl?

Each January, a carefully constructed quarter-mile dirt oval graces the floor of the SageNet Center at the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The temporary indoor circuit is known as Tulsa Expo Raceway.

The same dirt used for the inaugural Chili Bowl in 1987 forms the track each year.

“The Chili Bowl’s key ingredient is the clay which once covered the adjacent fairgrounds,” the event’s website reads. “Without sun or wind to harm it, the indoor garden (roughly a quarter-mile circle) is heavily saturated so that the boldest dirt track artists of our time can truly shine.”

Located outside the Tulsa Expo Center is the famous golden driller statue, a massive figure depicting an oil worker. That is why the driver who wins the Chili Bowl A-Main on championship Saturday will receive a Golden Driller trophy, one of the most sought after trophies in all of motorsports.

Format

Below is the 2023 Chili Bowl format as outlined on ChiliBowl.com.

Qualifying Nights (Monday-Friday)

Heat Races

  • Drivers draw for heat racing starting position at 2 p.m. at chalkboard each day
  • The driver who draws lowest number will start on the pole of Heat 1, second lowest number on the pole of Heat 2, etc.
  • Number of heats decided by number of cars – 7-10 cars per heat race (8 Laps)
  • Advancement from heat race to features is based upon passing points earned in heat race and qualifying races. Passing points are based upon car starting position when the yellow light goes out prior to the initial start of the heat or qualifying race.

C Mains/Qualifying Races/B Mains/A Main

  • The 40 drivers earning the most passing points advance to Four “A” Qualifying Races; drivers in passing points positions 41-68 will go to two C Main races. The two C Main races will have 16 cars 12 laps in length.
  • The top four cars in each C Main race will advance to the back of the B Main races, going 15 laps. (Top four from first C Main to back of first B Main, top four from second C Main to back of second B main)
  • The lineup of each “A” Qualifying race will include an inversion of six cars. The top 24 cars in passing points will make the inversion. (The top point driver will start on row 3 of the first qualifying race, the No. 2 driver on row 3 of the second qualifying race, etc.)
  • The four qualifying races will have 10 cars each with the top 16 in combined passing points from the heats and Qualifying races advancing to the A Main.
  • The balance of the cars (24) from the “A” qualifying races will advance to two 16 car B Mains. The top four in each B Main will advance to the A Main, going 30 laps.
  • There will be 24 drivers in each Preliminary Night A Feature
  • The top two drivers in the Preliminary A qualify for Saturday’s A Main.

Saturday Night Features

A Feature

The lineup for the top 10 cars in the A feature will be determined through the Pizza Express Chili Bowl Pole Dash.

The five A feature winners will draw 1-5, followed by the five drivers who finished second drawing 6-10 to seed the Pole Dash.

Pole Dash Procedure

  • Each of the races will have four cars and be four laps.
  • Preliminary Night Winners will draw for positions 1st – 5th, Runner up will draw 6th – 10th
  • First Race will be drivers who draw 7th – 10th, lined up in that order. Top 2 will advance.
  • Second Race, front row will be drivers who draw 5th & 6th, with the two drivers moving on from the first race in Row 2 (Winner inside, 2nd outside).
  • Third Race front row will be drivers who draw 3rd & 4th, with the two drivers moving on from the second race in Row 2 (Winner inside, 2nd outside).
  • Fourth Race front row will be drivers who draw 1st & 2nd, with the two drivers moving on from the third race in Row 2 (Winner inside, 2nd outside).
  • Winner of the fourth race will earn the pole in Saturday’s A-Feature.

(Note: All positions in races other than Saturday’s A Main will line up upon the original draw of the winners prior to the pole dash. Example: If the Friday winner draws number 1, the Wednesday winner draws number 2, Tuesday winner draws number 3, Thursday winner draws number 4, and the Monday winner draws number 5, all positions in all races will be based on Friday first, Wednesday second, Tuesday third, Thursday fourth, and Monday fifth.)

  • Seven drivers will advance from each B main to the A for a total of 24 cars with Provisionals set aside for the defending Chili Bowl champion and previous year’s VIROC Winner should they not transfer.

B Mains (20 Laps)

  • There will be two B mains, with 20 drivers in each B main.
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary A feature in position 3-8 will qualify for the B mains
  • Five drivers will advance from each C main to the B mains (1st C to 1st B, 2nd C to 2nd B)

C Mains (15 Laps)

  • There will be two C Mains, with 20 drivers in each C
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary A feature positions 9-14 will qualify for the C mains
  • Five drivers will advance from each D main to the C Mains

D Mains (15 Laps)

  • There will be two D mains, with 20 drivers in each D
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary A feature positions 15-20 will qualify for the D mains
  • Five drivers will advance from each E main to the D mains

E Mains (15 Laps)

  • There will be two E mains, with 20 drivers in each E
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night A features 21-24 and B features 5th will qualify for the E mains
  • Five drivers will advance from each F main to the E mains

F Mains (15 Laps)

  • There will be two F mains, with 20 drivers in each F
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 6-8 will qualify for the F mains
  • Five drivers will advance from each G main to the F mains

G Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two G mains, with 16 drivers in each G
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 9-10 will qualify for the G mains
  • Five drivers will advance from each H main to the G mains

H Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two H mains, with 16 drivers in each H
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 11-12 will qualify for the H mains
  • Six drivers will advance from each I main to the H mains

I Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two I mains, with 16 drivers in each I
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 13-14 will qualify for the I mains
  • Six drivers will advance from each J main to the I mains

J Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two J mains, with 16 drivers in each J
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night B features in positions 15-16 will qualify for the I mains
  • Six drivers will advance from each K main to the I mains

K Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two K mains, with 16 drivers in each K
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night C features in positions 5-6 will qualify for the K mains
  • Six drivers will advance from each L main to the L mains

L Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two L Mains, with 16 drivers in each L
  • Drivers finishing in their Preliminary night C feature in position 7-8 will qualify for the L Mains
  • Six drivers will advance from each M main to the L mains

M Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two M Mains, with 16 drivers in each M
  • Drivers finishing in C feature positions 9-10 will qualify for the M Mains
  • Six drivers will advance from each N main to the M mains

N Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two N Mains, with 16 drivers in each N
  • Drivers finishing in C feature positions 11-12 will qualify for the N Mains
  • Six drivers will advance from each O main to the N mains

O Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two O Mains, with 16 drivers in each O
  • Drivers finishing in D feature positions 3-4 will qualify for the O Mains.
  • Six drivers will advance from each P Main to the O Mains

P&Q Mains (10 Laps)

  • There will be two P Mains and possibly two Q Mains, with the number of drivers TBA in each.
  • Drivers finishing in D feature positions 4 on back will qualify for these race, and lineup position will be determined by finish on qualifying night and number of cars.