Editor’s Note: Today’s RFK Racing preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2025 Cup Series season.
RFK RACING
Manufacturer: Ford Engine: Roush Yates Engines Driver-crew chief pairings: Brad Keselowski–Jeremy Bullins (No. 6), Chris Buescher-Scott Graves (No. 17), Ryan Preece-Derrick Finley (No. 60)
Team outlook: RFK Racing expands to three teams for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, the first time the organization has had three drivers in the series since 2016. The newest addition is Ryan Preece (via a charter acquired from Rick Ware Racing), who joins RFK Racing after spending the last two seasons with the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. The two holdovers, team co-owner Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher, struggled in 2024 (Keselowski 13th, Buescher 17th) after finishing seventh (Buescher) and eighth (Keselowski) in 2023. Preece, meanwhile, finished 23rd and 26th in the last two seasons with SHR.
This season will be pivotal for all three RFK drivers: Keselowski turns 41 on Feb. 12, limiting his time to stack more wins or even add another championship. Buescher needs to rebound after missing the playoffs last season, and Preece has yet to qualify for the Cup playoffs. The organization has to pick up its pace and success, particularly since rival and fellow Ford organization Team Penske has won each of the last three Cup championships — while RFK’s last championship was in 2004.
BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 6 FORD
Experience: 15 full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 stats: 13th in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, 9 top fives, 14 top 10s 2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 28-1
Outlook: Keselowski finally earned his 36th career Cup win — his first since 2021. After three seasons with Matt McCall as his crew chief at RFK, Keselowski reunites this season with his former Team Penske crew chief Jeremy Bullins. The pair finished second in 2020 and sixth in 2021, which should inject new energy into the team. Although he’s made the playoffs each of the last two seasons, Keselowski needs to find a new level in 2025. He has everything he needs to advance to the final round of the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and potentially win his second career Cup championship.
Experience: Nine full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 stats: 17th in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, 6 top fives, 15 top 10s 2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 40-1
Outlook: After the best Cup season of his career in 2023 (three wins, nine top fives and 17 top 10s) Buescher fell backward in 2024, earning just one win and missing the playoffs for the seventh time in his Cup career. As for 2025, Scott Graves returns for his fourth straight season as Buescher’s crew chief. But there must be a return to success this season for the No. 17 team. Last year, expectations were high for Buescher to repeat or even do better than his outstanding campaign in ’23 — only to end up with several close finishes that kept him outside the playoff field.
Experience: Five full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 stats: 26th in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 1 top five, 5 top 10s 2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 250-1
Outlook: Preece enters the sixth full season of his Cup career and is now with his third team (previously three years with JTG-Daugherty Racing before moving to SHR). In 187 Cup starts, the Berlin, Connecticut native has yet to win his first race, has just four top-five finishes, has yet to qualify for the Cup playoffs and his best season finish has only been 23rd in 2023. Perhaps a change in teams will prove beneficial to Preece’s fortunes. Earlier this week, it was announced that Preece will be paired with veteran crew chief Derrick Finley, who has been with RFK since 2022. Possessing a mechanical engineering degree from the University of New Mexico, Finley is versatile, holding several roles in his NASCAR career, including crew chief, operations director, technical director and competition director. “We’re thrilled to have Derrick lead the No. 60 team,” Keselowski said. “His experience and technical knowledge of the sport will play a crucial role in the initial development and growth of the No. 60 team.”
BOLD PREDICTION: RFK Racing is long overdue for success. Since the team’s last championship, the organization has only had four runner-up finishes, the most recent being Carl Edwards in 2011. RFK is in a prime position to be a surprise organization in 2025 and bring a championship fight to powerhouse teams. Significant improvement is on the table for both Keselowski and Buescher to make a playoff run, and Preece has the potential to have the best season yet of his Cup career.
JR Motorsports will attempt to make its NASCAR Cup Series debut next month, announcing Wednesday that the organization will bid for a starting spot in the 2025 Daytona 500 with reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier behind the wheel.
Allgaier will drive the No. 40 Chevrolet in his effort to qualify for the “Great American Race” on Feb. 16 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The entry is a collaboration between JRM and 10-time Grammy Award-winning musician Chris Stapleton with Traveller Whiskey serving as the sponsor for the No. 40, representing the blend utilized by Buffalo Trace Distillery to make Traveller. Greg Ives will serve as crew chief for Allgaier.
“It’s been really special,” Allgaier told NASCAR.com. “To be at an organization like this and to be able to make a team debut at the Daytona 500, that’s special. Obviously, we have to qualify our way in. We have a lot of work to do. It’s going to be difficult. But there wouldn’t be anybody that I’d rather tackle this opportunity with than [JRM co-owners] Dale [Earnhardt Jr.] and Kelley [Earnhardt Miller] and LW [Miller, JRM director] and everybody at the race shop.”
“We’ve been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a press release. “With Justin winning the Xfinity Series Championship and Chris Stapleton’s undeniable star power, the planets aligned for this perfect opportunity to enter this year’s Daytona 500.”
The Cup Series effort will be a first for JR Motorsports, which has fielded entries in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for nearly 20 years. Earnhardt Jr. — who runs the team with his sister, Kelley — said as recently as last season that a Cup Series venture had been a long-running interest, either by bringing in financial support to field a chartered team or as investors in an existing team.
“It was a conversation that Chris and Mr. [Rick] Hendrick were having,” Kelley told NASCAR.com regarding the partnership with Stapleton. “And of course, Mr. Hendrick knows what we’ve talked about over the last several years about wanting to potentially Cup race. So he passed the opportunity over to us and told us to take the reins and see what we could do with it. So we were able to land it and put it together.”
“There’s nobody like Justin who knows our organization, who knows our needs, who can meet those needs and really deliver for this partner all year long,” Kelley told NASCAR.com. “So it was just really the perfect storm. You know, you had a partner that was interested and excited and wanted to be at the Daytona 500 and you had a team in JRM with a driver like Justin who wants to be there.”
Allgaier led the organization to its fourth Xfinity Series Championship triumph under the JR Motorsports banner last year. The title was a popular and long-awaited first for the 38-year-old veteran, who finally hoisted the trophy at Phoenix Raceway in his seventh Championship 4 appearance.
Allgaier has twice competed in the Daytona 500, making appearances in 2014-15 for former team owner Harry Scott Jr. The most recent of his 82 career Cup Series starts came in last season’s Coca-Cola 600 when he drove Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet to a 13th-place finish as a substitute for Kyle Larson.
“To be the person that is making the debut on the Cup side, that’s a warm, fuzzy feeling, right?” Allgaier said. “It’s something that you can never go back and get your first opportunity back. You can never go back and do things over again. This is truly the first.
“Internally, it puts more pressure on myself. I want to see myself succeed. The first goal is to make the race. As an open, non-charter team, we have to go make the race. Then you switch your focus to, ‘If we make the race, how do we go win the race?’ I’m not showing up to go run 30th, right? We’re going there to try to have an opportunity to win the Daytona 500. What a story that would be if we could just go there and win. I don’t know that that’s in the cards or not, but it would be really, really special. Regardless, I’m honored to be the person that gets to drive this car.”
Team outlook: Following the announcement of Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure at the end of the 2024 season, the Haas Factory Team is set to enter 2025 with a renewed focus and a new identity. Cole Custer will make his return to the Cup Series after spending two years in the Xfinity Series. The new single-car Cup Series team will be under close watch as it aims to return to successful performances and competitive racing throughout the team’s past lineage. Rookie crew chief Aaron Kramer will lead the No. 41 Ford Mustang after spending time as a lead race engineer for RFK Racing.
COLE CUSTER, NO. 41 FORD
Experience: 3 full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 stats: Runner-up in NASCAR Xfinity Series; 2 wins, 14 top fives, 23 top 10s, 3 poles 2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 250-1
Outlook: While yes, it is true that the 26-year-old from Ladera Ranch, California, moved from full-time Cup racing to Xfinity Series racing in 2023, that move was met with much success for the former driver of the No. 00 Ford Mustang. Custer was able to win the 2023 Xfinity Series Championship and notch a runner-up finish in the standings in 2024. “Stone Cole” will look to bring that confidence and speed back to his familiar home in the No. 41 Ford Mustang from back in the SHR days. Returning to his fourth full-time season in the Cup Series, the Haas Factory Team shop will shift its focus from what was a four-car entry to solely on Custer’s machine, which should pay focused dividends.
BOLD PREDICTION: Custer enjoyed one victory driving the No. 41 previously in the NASCAR Cup Series, with his win at Kentucky Speedway in his rookie season in 2020 being his only appearance in the postseason festivities. For 2025, Custer and the No. 41 will find their way back to Victory Lane once again and will go as far as the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs, putting the Haas Factory Team back in contention for the Bill France Cup at the end of the season.
The proud tradition at Tucson began back in 2014 with Dustin Ash taking home the checkered flag at the end of 100 laps. Since then, the Chilly Willy has grown into a marquee event on the West Coast, with the headlining Super Late Model feature now encompassing 150 circuits around Tucson.
Super Late Models are not the only class on the Chilly Willy schedule, as a healthy crowd of Legends competitors will make the trip to Tucson this weekend. There will be two separate 50-lap features for the Legends division; one for Pros/Masters and the other for Semi Pros/Young Lions.
The Chilly Willy presents a perfect opportunity for Super Late Model and Legends competitors to not only build some momentum ahead of a long 2025 season, but also write their own chapter into the event’s growing record books.
Below is everything you need to know for Tucson Speedway’s season-opening Chilly Willy.
The prestigious Chilly Willy at Tucson Speedway is now entering its 12th year. (Photo: Rebecca Noble/NASCAR)
What TV channel is the Chilly Willy on in 2025?
All racing action from the 2025 Chilly Willy at Tucson Speedway can be viewed live on FloRacing, the official streaming home of all NASCAR Regional properties.
The Chilly Willy will not be shown on a traditional television network.
Below is the complete broadcast schedule for Chilly Willy coverage on FloRacing.
A busy docket of on-track action for the Chilly Willy begins Friday evening with preliminary events for both Super Late Models and Legends that will be 50 and 25 laps, respectively.
The Chilly Willy starting grid begins to get set the following afternoon, as the top two competitors in Super Late Model qualifying earn a guaranteed spot in the field. Everyone else is relegated to one of two qualifying duels, with the top 10 from each race transferring into the main event.
Sunday presents the final opportunity for Super Late Model competitors to get into the Chilly Willy with a Last Chance Qualifier, which only takes the top six finishers. The starting grid for the Chilly Willy consists of 32 or or fewer positions, including four promoters provisionals.
On Sunday, after both Legends classes run their respective 50 lap features, the Super Late Models hit the track to decide the Chilly Willy. The only scheduled stoppage is a competition caution on or around Lap 75, when drivers have a chance to change two tires and add fuel.
Below is the complete weekend schedule for the 2025 Chilly Willy at Tucson Speedway.
(All times MT)
Friday, Jan. 17
Time
Event
8 a.m.
Registration/Pit Gates Open (NASCAR Driver Memberships Required)
8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tech Open
8:30 a.m.-close
Tire Barn Open
10 a.m.
Mandatory Drivers & Spotters Meeting
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Scheduled Practice
4 p.m.
Front Gates Open/Qualifying – Super Late Models/Legends
5:55 p.m.
Opening Ceremonies
6 p.m.
50 Lap Super Late Model Feature(s)/25 Lap Legends Feature(s)
Saturday, Jan. 18
Time
Event
8 a.m.
Registration/Pit Gates Open
8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Tech Open
8:30 a.m.-close
Tire Barn Open
9 a.m.
Mandatory Drivers & Spotters Meeting
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Scheduled Practice
1 p.m.
Qualifying – Super Late Models (Top 2 locked into Chilly Willy 150)
1:55 p.m.
Opening Ceremonies
2 p.m.
SLM Qualifying Duels (50 Laps) – Top 10 from each duel advance into Chilly Willy 150
Sunday, Jan. 19
Time
Event
8:30 a.m.
Registration/Pit Gates Open
9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Tech Open
9:30 a.m.-close
Tire Barn Open
10:30 a.m.
Mandatory Drivers & Spotters Meeting
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Scheduled Practice (All classes for the event)
12:55 p.m.
Opening Ceremonies
1 p.m.
Super Late Model Last Chance Qualifier (Top 6 advance to Chilly Will 150)/Legends Main Events (50 Laps)/Intermission/Super Late Model Chilly Will 150
Kole Raz enters this weekend’s Chilly Willy at Tucson Speedway as the defending winner. (Photo: Rebecca Noble/NASCAR)
Entry list
The current entry list for the 2025 Chilly Willy stands at 24 Super Late Models.
Headlining the group of Super Late Models making the trip to Tucson Speedway is defending Chilly Willy winner Kole Raz. Coming off a solid 2024 that saw him break through for his first ARCA Menards Series West triumph at Kern County Raceway Park, Raz looks to become the first back-to-back Chilly Willy since Preston Peltier from 2022-23.
Among the drivers looking to dethrone Raz as Chilly Willy champion is Beathard, Colorado native Jace Hansen. Primarily a West Coast competitor, Hansen made a strong impression in his fourth attempt at the Snowball Derby in December, when he led 17 laps and came home in the fourth position.
Kasey Kleyn is set to compete in his third Chilly Willy on Sunday. Kleyn has developed a reputation as one of the most promising young competitors from the northwestern United States and is coming off a third-place showing from last year’s Chilly Willy.
The Legends class also features plenty of talented young competitors, with some of the notable names including ARCA Menards Series West competitor Tanner Reif and Jaron Giannini, who is the defending track champion at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Below are the Chilly Willy entry lists for both the Super Late Models and Legends classes.
BURBANK, CA (Jan. 14, 2025) — The CW Network announced its broadcast team for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Veteran broadcaster Adam Alexander will serve as lead play-by-play announcer and will be joined by Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray and NASCAR driver Parker Kligerman as race analysts. Dillon Welch and Kim Coon will serve as pit reporters, and Carla Gebhart will host the studio show “NASCAR Countdown Live” before every race.
The CW’s coverage of the 2025 Xfinity Series season begins on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Daytona International Speedway, with “NASCAR Countdown Live” (4 to 5 p.m. ET) followed by the race (5 to 8 p.m. ET). For the first time in series history, all 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races will be available on free, over-the-air broadcast television with additional content available through The CW’s digital platforms. All 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and ancillary content will be fully produced by the Emmy® Award-winning NASCAR Productions group, in close collaboration with The CW.
Adam Alexander is the preeminent voice for NASCAR, serving as the lead play-by-play announcer for The CW’s Xfinity Series as well Prime Video and TNT Sports’ Cup Series coverage. In addition to play-calling responsibilities, Alexander will also work with NASCAR Studios to develop content for NASCAR and CW platforms. Before joining The CW, Alexander led FOX Sports’ NASCAR Xfinity Series coverage, a position which he has held since 2015 as part of FOX’s coverage of the series. Alexander also co-hosted “NASCAR Race Hub,” FS1’s daily NASCAR news and informational program, and called select NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, along with serving as play-by-play announcer for various FOX college football and college basketball games.
Jamie McMurray is a former professional driver whose stellar career spanned 16 full-time Cup Series seasons from 2002-2018 and included winning the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in 2010. In 2019, he joined FOX Sports as a NASCAR analyst for “NASCAR Race Hub” and “NASCAR RaceDay,” among other duties. In 2020, he became an analyst for all FOX NASCAR pre- and in-race studio coverage of the Cup Series and Xfinity Series, in addition to calling multiple Xfinity Series and Truck series races and a Cup Series race in 2023.
Parker Kligerman is a NASCAR driver and media personality with a career spanning all three of NASCAR’s premier series. With three wins, 39 top-five finishes, and 105 top-10 finishes, he recently retired from the Xfinity Series after a two-year run as the marquee driver for Big Machine Racing, earning the team their first and second playoff berths. Since 2015, Kligerman has served as an analyst and pit reporter for NBC Sports. He has also created original motorsports programming and is currently the co-host of “The Money Lap” podcast.
Dillon Welch is an auto racing announcer and Emmy® Award-winning television producer. From 2014-16, Welch traveled nationally as the public address announcer for the United States Auto Club. He joined the Motor Racing Network in 2015 as a turn announcer and pit reporter for select NASCAR national series events. Beginning in 2018, he was visible on NBC Sports telecasts as a pit reporter and booth announcer covering NASCAR, IndyCar, and IMSA.
Kim Coon has spent the last 14 years covering NASCAR most recently as part of NBC’s coverage of the Cup Series and Xfinity Series. She has covered NASCAR for Motor Racing Network, as well as roles for IndyCar and American Flat Track. Most notably, she co-hosted “Off the Grid” on NBC as well as NASCAR’s popular “Glass Case of Emotion” podcast with driver Ryan Blaney.
Carla Gebhart is an Emmy® Award-winning anchor who currently serves as the Sports Director at WJZY-TV (FOX), the Nexstar-owned television station serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and the surrounding area. She hosts a nightly sports show for WJZY-TV called “Charlotte Sports Live,” where she reports the latest news from NASCAR, the NFL, NBA, and college athletics. She also hosts other shows related to the Carolina Panthers and NASCAR, which are syndicated regionally and nationally.
Comprised primarily of NASCAR’s younger, up-and-coming drivers, the Xfinity Series features the sport’s future stars often competing side-by-side against NASCAR’s biggest names — many of whom earned their stripes and won championships in the Xfinity Series. NASCAR Xfinity Series races in some of the nation’s largest markets — from Chicago to Dallas to Miami — and at the sport’’ most iconic tracks, including Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and the series championship at Phoenix Raceway. The full race schedule for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series on The CW can be found here.
Anthony Alfredo will race full-time for Young’s Motorsports in 2025 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the team announced Tuesday.
Alfredo, 25, will pilot the flagship No. 42 Chevrolet in what will be his fourth full-time Xfinity Series campaign, with sponsorship from Dude Wipes and Randco Industries. The Ridgefield, Connecticut, native finished 2024 15th in the driver standings as pilot of the No. 5 Our Motorsports Chevy, tallying two top fives and seven top-10 finishes, including a ninth-place Dash 4 Cash triumph at Dover Motor Speedway in April.
“I am very excited to join the Young’s Motorsports team this season. I certainly respect what Tyler and his team are building,” Alfredo said in a press release. “It’s clear they are determined to become a serious contender in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and I look forward to being a part of that. I am grateful for the opportunity and am ready to make the most of it.”
“This is huge for us,” team principal Tyler Young said in a press release. “Anthony is a wheelman. The NXS competition is stout. He absolutely has what it takes to win in this field. I am pumped we get to keep growing our Xfinity program with him this season.”
Andrew Abbott, who was crew chief for Leland Honeyman and the No. 42 in 2024, will continue to sit atop the pit box for the team in 2025. In 130 Xfinity Series races, Abbott has accumulated four top fives and 13 top 10s.
The 2025 campaign will be the second season for Young’s Motorsports in the Xfinity Series as the organization continues to grow its racing brand. The organization, which began action in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2012, collected one top five and two top 10s in its inaugural Xfinity campaign in 2024.
Alfredo will make his Young’s Motorsports debut in the Xfinity season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 15 (5 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Team outlook: Certainly, the championship organization expects to see an improved 2025 campaign. Although Dillon won a race at Richmond Raceway last year, he was penalized for aggressive driving at the finish and not given NASCAR Cup Series playoff eligibility. Meanwhile, the two-time series champion Busch suffered his first winless full-time season — his first since 2004, when he only competed in six races. Dillon will team with a new crew chief in Boswell, and Busch will start his third season at RCR with the veteran Burnett. NASCAR Xfinity Series championship contender Austin Hill will make several starts this season as well — with the hope he helps strengthen the team overall. Busch won three races in his first season with the RCR team in 2023 and last year scored season-best back-to-back runner-up finishes at Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway mid-summer in the weeks immediately after Dillon’s Richmond triumph. The Next Gen car is now firmly established — as opposed to a variable to solve — resulting in more parity across the grid as teams challenge the Team Penske dominance that has resulted in the last three NASCAR Cup Series titles.
Experience: 11 full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 stats: 32nd in final Cup Series standings; 1 win, 1 top five, 5 top 10s 2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 150-1
Outlook: The 34-year-old has five NASCAR Cup Series career wins — including trophies in the sport’s biggest races, from the Daytona 500 (2018) to the Coca-Cola 600 (2017). There is no question he knows how to win and how to raise his game. And with more than a decade at NASCAR’s elite level, the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion would like to prove himself a more consistent title threat. His 32nd-place result in the 2024 final standings is the lowest in his career. Dillon’s famous No. 3 RCR Chevrolet will have a new crew chief in 2025 in Boswell, the fifth crew chief for Dillon in just the last three years. The team is hopeful this new pairing will pay off. Boswell last worked at Stewart-Haas Racing, leading Chase Briscoe to a clutch victory in the 2024 regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway. Last season, Dillon led his most laps (36) since 2020 and scored his third win in the last five years. He’s qualified for the playoffs five times.
Experience: 20 full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series 2024 stats: 20th in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 5 top fives, 10 top 10s 2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 22-1
Outlook: The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2015, 2019) is absolutely ready to return to form following a frustrating 2024 season, which marked the first time in his 20-year full-time career he had not won a race. Even more puzzling, it came one year after he won three races in his 2023 debut season for the RCR team. Busch did earn a pair of season-best runner-up finishes heading into last year’s playoffs but only managed a single top 10 (7th, Atlanta) in that final 10-race championship portion of the schedule. Busch, who will turn 40 in May, would love nothing more than to push a restart button and kick off the year with a win in the only major race he hasn’t won yet — the season-opening Daytona 500, where he is a preseason favorite for victory. It’s a win he is still chasing despite already earning 63 series victories over the course of his career, ninth all-time and the highest victory total of any current full-time driver. There are high expectations for the 2025 season from Busch, his team and others. He goes into the season ranked 10th among drivers DraftKings expects to vie for the 2025 title.
BOLD PREDICTION: It’s not normally “bold” to predict Kyle Busch is in championship form, but the 39-year-old two-time champ essentially went through the most trying season of his nearly 20-career in 2024. He’s tired of answering questions about when he might retire and more eager to get his No. 8 RCR team back on track and answer questions about competing for a title. Dillon will absolutely also turn in a statistically improved 2025, and a new crew chief could be exactly what energizes the No. 3 team.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 14, 2025) — Today NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports announced that Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SPH), a nationwide distributor of propane, renewable propane, renewable natural gas, fuel oil and related products and services, as well as a marketer of natural gas and electricity and investor in low carbon fuel alternatives, has become the Official Propane of NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports through a multi-year partnership.
As the official propane of NASCAR, Suburban Propane will provide the propane for the new, propane-powered track dryers that NASCAR will add to its fleet starting this season. These dryers are used alongside NASCAR’s Air Tundras, as well as traditional jet dryers utilized for drying the racetrack. In addition, Suburban Propane becomes the official propane of Darlington Raceway, Daytona International Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Phoenix Raceway, Richmond Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and Watkins Glen International. As part of the partnership, Suburban Propane will provide on-site services for campers at each track property during NASCAR event weekends, and propane for in-stadium concessions.
As the official propane of Speedway Motorsports, Suburban Propane becomes the official propane of Sonoma Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Dover Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Suburban Propane will provide support services year-round to speedway operations staff and campers on-site at each track property during NASCAR event weekends.
“Uniting Suburban Propane, NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports represents a strong partnership among three longstanding and well-recognizable American brands serving a broad and diverse audience,” said Nandini Sankara, Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy and spokesperson for Suburban Propane. “As the official propane of NASCAR, we are excited to make a meaningful contribution at the racetracks and foster a dynamic collaboration that meets the needs of NASCAR and its fans.”
The Suburban Propane-branded and powered track dryers will debut in February 2025, servicing NASCAR races across the country. In addition, a new co-branded logo involving Suburban Propane and NASCAR will be displayed on all Suburban Propane bobtails and at customer service centers across Suburban Propane’s 42-state footprint.
“We’ve had very positive business relationships between Suburban Propane and some of our speedways for many years,” said Kevin Camper, Speedway Motorsports Chief Commercial Officer. “We’re now expanding those relationships company-wide and will work with Suburban to provide convenient propane refill stations accessible to fans near our campgrounds. It’s a pleasure to add a service-oriented company like Suburban Propane to our family of Speedway Motorsports Official Partners.”
With this new partnership, Suburban Propane expands its impressive roster of professional sports, corporate, and charitable partnerships throughout its 42-state footprint.
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.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in action during the 2024 Chili Bowl Nationals (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)
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
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.
Spectators cheer during the 2024 Chili Bowl Nationals. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)
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 walks up the ramp from the track during the 2022 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire at Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma on January 15, 2022. (Nick Oxford/NASCAR)
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.
Kyle Busch, shown here at Lee USA Speedway in 2023, will make his Chili Bowl Nationals debut this year. (Photo: Susan Wong/NASCAR)
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.
Christopher Bell looks over the track before the 2022 Chili Bowl Nationals finale at Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Jan. 15, 2022. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)
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.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. during the 2024 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Jan. 13, 2024. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)
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.
Ty Gibbs will make his Chili Bowl Nationals debut during the 2025 running of the event. (Photo: James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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.
J.J. Yeley during the 2024 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Jan. 13, 2024. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)
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.
Josh Bilicki during the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals at Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Jan. 14, 2023. (Photo: Nick Oxford/NASCAR)
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.
Brent Crews will seek to make his second Chili Bowl Nationals championship feature in 2025. (Photo: Nic Antaya/ARCA Racing)
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.
Corey Day finished third during the 2024 edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. (Photo: Ed Zurga/ARCA Racing)
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.
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 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.
Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell took charge of the opening night of the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals presented by NOS Energy Drink inside the SageNet Center on Monday evening.
Larson won the first of five preliminary features to lock himself into Saturday’s dirt midget car championship feature. Earlier in the evening, Bell raced to a dominant victory in the annual Chili Bowl Race of Champions.
The victory for Larson did not come easy. He started fourth in the 25-lap preliminary event and faded as far back as seventh in the opening laps.
Utilizing patience and timely cautions, Larson worked his way into contention late in the race.
With eight laps remaining, Larson moved to third. A caution with five laps to go allowed Larson to close the gap to leaders Shane Golobic and Cannon McIntosh.
Larson dispatched McIntosh shortly thereafter and looked to be setting up Golobic for a last-lap pass, but a caution for a flipped car in Turn 3 stopped the action and set up a green-white-checkered restart.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion made the winning move in Turns 3-4 coming to the white flag, throwing a perfect slide job that allowed him to take the lead from Golobic and score his eighth career Chili Bowl preliminary feature victory.
“The yellows definitely helped,” Larson told FloRacing. “I think it just kind of brings the pace down. People get kind of moving around, track is a litter dirtier, you get out of your rhythm. So yeah, it helped me.
“We just found a way, which was nice, but we’ve still got to get a lot better for Saturday.”
While Larson had to fight his way to Victory Lane Monday night, Bell had no such difficulty.
Starting from the pole in the Chili Bowl Race of Champions, Bell raced to an unchallenged victory in his return to Chili Bowl competition after a two-year absence.
It was his third victory in the Race of Champions, an invite-only event featuring a variety of drivers from across the dirt racing spectrum.
“I freaking love this place, man. It is the greatest,” Bell said. “I’m just glad I get to be here with all you great race fans. This is just so much fun, so much fun to come back and run these dirt cars.”
The 39th running of the Chili Bowl Nationals presented by NOS Energy Drink continues Tuesday night. Action kicks off at 5 p.m. ET with complete coverage available live on FloRacing.
