The 2024 edition of the
Chili Bowl Nationals presented by NOS Energy Drink 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 38th running of the event, which began in 1987 and has continued to grow in prestige each year since.
Through the years, a number of NASCAR stars have ventured to Tulsa to take part in the Chili Bowl. Several of them have won the event and taken home the prestigious Golden Driller trophy.
PHOTOS:
Behind the scenes of last year's Chili Bowl Nationals
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, three drivers who competed in the NASCAR Cup Series last year are entered. They include Stewart-Haas Racing's Chase Briscoe, plus J.J. Yeley and Josh Bilicki.
ARCA Menards Series champion Jesse Love, who is moving to the NASCAR Xfinity Series this year with Richard Childress Racing, is also entered.
Below is everything to know about the 2024 Chili Bowl, including the TV schedule, the entry list and the list of winners over the event's 37-year history.
IN-CAR:
Onboard with Alex Bowman during last year's Chili Bowl
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Chase Briscoe in action during the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway on Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)[/caption]
What TV channel is the Chili Bowl on in 2024?
The 2024 Chili Bowl Nationals from the Tulsa Expo Center will be shown live in its entirety on
FloRacing, the streaming home for all NASCAR Roots action. The event will not be shown on a traditional television network.
FloRacing's coverage begins Monday, Jan. 8 and includes all five qualifying nights as well as the championship finale on Saturday, Jan. 13.
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. 8 |
Cummins, Inc. Qualifying Night plus the ROC; Race of Champions |
N/A |
FloRacing |
5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Tuesday, Jan. 9 |
Warren CAT Qualifying Night |
N/A |
FloRacing |
5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Wednesday, Jan. 10 |
York Plumbing Qualifying Night |
N/A |
FloRacing |
5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Thursday, Jan. 11 |
John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night |
N/A |
FloRacing |
5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Friday, Jan. 12 |
Hard Rock Casino Tulsa Qualifying Night |
N/A |
FloRacing |
5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Saturday, Jan. 13 |
Championship Feature Events |
N/A |
FloRacing |
10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT |
2024 entry list
A NASCAR Cup Series race winner and the reigning ARCA Menards Series champion are among the more than 350 drivers entered in the 2024 edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals.
As of Jan. 3, the still-growing entry list for the 2023 Chili Bowl had reached 360 drivers. The all-time record for Chili Bowl entries was set in 2022 when 394 competitors filed entries for the popular midget car racing event.
Chase Briscoe is the lone NASCAR Cup Series winner entered in the 2024 edition of the Chili Bowl. He's joined by Jesse Love, the ARCA champion who has joined Richard Childress Racing for the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign.
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NASCAR drivers at the 2024 Chili Bowl
Also entered is veteran NASCAR and dirt competitor J.J. Yeley, as is Josh Bilicki, who is returning to the Chili Bowl for his second attempt in as many seasons.
The entry list features drivers from 32 states and five countries (Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands). Logan Seavey, the defending race winner, is among those entered.
The complete entry list can be viewed
here.
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Fans watch a feature race during the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway on Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)[/caption]
A-Main results
Logan Seavey added his name to the record books last year with his first victory in the Chili Bowl. He did so by holding off 2022 event winner Tanner Thorson, who chased him to the finish in second. Both men are entered again 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 once again entered in 2024.
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 1987-2023.
| 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 |
| 2023 |
Logan Seavey |
NASCAR drivers at the 2024 Chili Bowl
NASCAR competitors have a long history of competing at the Chili Bowl, and that tradition will continue in 2024.
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Chase Briscoe prepares his helmet during the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway on Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)[/caption]
Chase Briscoe is returning to the Chili Bowl as he continues to pursue his goal of making the championship A-Main on Saturday for the second time in his career. He previously made the championship A-Main in 2017, when he finished 22nd.
Last year, he finished 10th in one of two B-Main features, three positions short of advancing to the championship A-Main.
RELATED:
Why the Chili Bowl keeps Briscoe coming back
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Jesse Love watches a race during the 2022 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway on Jan. 15, 2022. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)[/caption]
Jesse Love is returning to the Chili Bowl after skipping the 2023 edition of the event to take part in the annual ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice at Daytona International Speedway.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie for Richard Childress Racing has competed at the Chili Bowl twice, with his best performance coming in 2021 when he finished 13th in one of two B-Main features.
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J.J. Yeley enters his car before his feature race during the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway on Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)[/caption]
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 2023, is also entered to compete in his second Chili Bowl.
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Josh Bilicki pictured during the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway on Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)[/caption]
Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, who have won five of the last seven Chili Bowl championships, are not entered in 2024.
Where is the 2024 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 2024 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 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 originoal 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 Race of Champions 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.