The 2025 edition of one of the most popular and cherished events in all of dirt racing, the Chili Bowl Nationals presented by NOS Energy Drink, has finally arrived.
Considered the Super Bowl of midget car racing, the Chili Bowl 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 39th running of the event, which began in 1987 and has continued to grow in prestige each year since.
A number of NASCAR stars have traveled to Tulsa to take part in the Chili Bowl through the years. Several have won the event and taken home the prestigious Golden Driller trophy.
Among them are 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, a two-time Chili Bowl winner, and Christopher Bell, a three-time Chili Bowl champion. 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.
In 2025, seven drivers who competed in the NASCAR Cup Series last year are entered. They include Bell, who is returning to the Chili Bowl after a two-year absence. Kyle Busch, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, will be making his Chili Bowl debut. Larson is also entered alongside Ty Gibbs, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., J.J. Yeley and Josh Bilicki.
Brent Crews, who won in ARCA Menards Series competition each of the last two years, is also entered. Corey Day, a star sprint car driver who made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series debuts one season ago, is also slated to compete.
Below is everything to know about the 2025 Chili Bowl, including the TV schedule, the entry list and the list of winners over the event’s 38-year history.
IN-CAR: Kyle Larson flips during the 2024 Chili Bowl
What TV channel is the Chili Bowl on in 2025?
The 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals from the SageNet Center will be shown live in its entirety on FloRacing, the streaming home for all NASCAR Regional action. The event will not be shown on a traditional television network.
FloRacing’s coverage begins Monday, Jan. 13 and includes all five qualifying nights as well as the championship finale on Saturday, Jan. 18.
Below is the breakdown of the TV and live streaming schedule for the 2025 Chili Bowl.
| Date | Event | How to watch | Racing Start Time |
| Monday, Jan. 13 | 2nd Opinion Auto Center Qualifying Night plus the ROC; Race of Champions | FloRacing | 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Tuesday, Jan. 14 | Warren CAT Qualifying Night | FloRacing | 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Wednesday, Jan. 15 | York Plumbing Qualifying Night | FloRacing | 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Thursday, Jan. 16 | John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night | FloRacing | 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Friday, Jan. 17 | Hard Rock Casino Tulsa Qualifying Night | FloRacing | 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT |
| Saturday, Jan. 18 | Championship Feature Events | FloRacing | 10 a.m. ET / 9 a.m. CT |
2025 entry list
Four NASCAR Cup Series winners, including two NASCAR Cup Series champions, are among the more than 350 drivers entered in the 2025 edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals.
As of Jan. 6, the entry list for the 2025 Chili Bowl had reached 371 drivers. The all-time record for Chili Bowl entries was set in 2022, when 381 competitors filed entries for the popular midget car racing event.
Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, headlines the list of NASCAR competitors entered to compete in the Chili Bowl. He is a two-time Chili Bowl champion, having captured the Golden Driller trophy in consecutive years in 2020 and 2021.
Returning after a two-year hiatus, Christopher Bell will look to become a four-time Chili Bowl Nationals champion. He scored three consecutive Chili Bowl triumphs from 2017 to 2019.
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is slated to make his Chili Bowl Nationals debut this week after previously competing in the Tulsa Shootout, the annual precursor to the Chili Bowl. Ty Gibbs, the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, will also be making his Chili Bowl debut.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a winner in NASCAR Cup Series competition last year at Talladega Superspeedway, also returns for another attempt to win the Golden Driller trophy.
Also entered are NASCAR and dirt racing veteran J.J. Yeley, Josh Bilicki and 2024 ARCA race winner Brent Crews.
The entry list features drivers from 36 states and five countries (Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands). Logan Seavey, the two-time and defending race winner, is among those entered.
The complete entry list can be viewed here.
A-Main results
Logan Seavey joined a short list of competitors to score multiple Chili Bowl victories with his second consecutive win last year. After winning the 2022 running of the event, Seavey did it again in 2023 with a dominant performance that saw him battle Buddy Kofoid for the victory.
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 1987-2024.
| 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 |
| 2024 | Logan Seavey |
NASCAR drivers at the 2025 Chili Bowl
NASCAR competitors have a long history of competing at the Chili Bowl, and that tradition will continue in a big way in 2025.
Kyle Larson is back at the Chili Bowl Nationals for the 17th time. A two-time (2020 and 2021) Chili Bowl Nationals champion, Larson has made the championship feature 11 times during his career. He’s already taken home trophies this year inside the SageNet Center after winning the A-Class and Outlaw features during the Tulsa Shootout.
One season ago, he made a surprise return to the Chili Bowl, but a flip during his preliminary night ended his hopes of making the Saturday finale.
For the first time in his lengthy racing career, Kyle Busch will compete in the Chili Bowl Nationals. However, this isn’t Busch’s first time inside the SageNet Center. He’s competed in the Tulsa Shootout each of the last three seasons, including most recently two weeks ago.
He even scored a pair of heat race wins during his Tulsa Shootout campaign.
Perhaps no driver is more excited for the 2025 running of the Chili Bowl Nationals than Christopher Bell. The native of Norman, Oklahoma is returning to the SageNet Center after a two-year absence. A three-time (2017-2019) Chili Bowl champion, Bell has made the championship feature nine times in 12 previous attempts.
His most recent Chili Bowl appearance came in 2022, when he finished second to Tanner Thorson.
Back for the 18th time during his career, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will continue his pursuit of a Golden Driller trophy during the 2025 edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals. In his 17 previous Chili Bowl appearances, Stenhouse has made the championship feature eight times. His best effort came in 2021, when he finished seventh in the Saturday night main event.
One season ago he, like Larson, made a surprise appearance at the Chili Bowl and raced his way to the C-Main on championship Saturday before being eliminated.
Another NASCAR star making his Chili Bowl Nationals debut this year is Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs, who honed his skills racing on dirt at North Carolina’s Millbridge Speedway.
He recently made his Midget racing debut during the annual Turkey Night Grand Prix at California’s Ventura Raceway and will look to turn heads during his first Chili Bowl.
A legend inside the SageNet Center, veteran NASCAR star J.J. Yeley returns to the Chili Bowl Nationals for his 29th attempt to capture the prestigious Golden Driller trophy. In his 28 previous attempts Yeley has made the championship feature eight times, including scoring a runner-up finish during the 2007 Chili Bowl.
Yeley made history during the 2004 running of the event, advancing a stunning 69 positions from his F-Main to finish third in the Chili Bowl championship race.
Journeyman NASCAR competitor Josh Bilicki is back at the SageNet Center for the third consecutive year to take part in the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals.
His best effort in his previous two starts came in 2023 when he made it to a J-Main on championship Saturday.
A victor in ARCA Menards Series competition each of the last two seasons who is slated for a part-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series effort with Tricon Garage in 2025, Brent Crews will attempt to make the Chili Bowl Nationals championship feature for the second time during his career.
The 16-year-old has made three previous attempts inside the SageNet Center, with his best effort coming in 2023 when he finished 24th in the Saturday night finale.
A fast rising star in the sprint car world who has also begun dabbling in NASCAR, Corey Day is back for his fourth attempt at the Chili Bowl Nationals in 2025.
In three previous attempts inside the SageNet Center, Day has made the championship feature twice. His best effort came last year, when he finished third in the Saturday night main event behind winner Logan Seavey and runner-up Buddy Kofoid.
Where is the 2025 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.”
The first loads of clay are making their way into the SageNet Center. pic.twitter.com/KVPQiEGPze
– Chili Bowl Nationals (@cbnationals) December 16, 2024
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 2025 Chili Bowl format as outlined on ChiliBowl.com. One major change for the 2025 edition of the event is the length of the championship main event on Saturday night, which will go from 55 laps to 40 laps.
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.