Posted on by Tadd Haislop

TULSA, Okla. — Christopher Bell’s face was as red as his Toyota Racing fire suit. There’s no telling whether this was the result of exhaustion or frustration. Either would apply.

Having just climbed out of his No. 71W Keith Kunz Motorsports midget car, Bell stood with his hands on his hips and watched Tanner Thorson celebrate in a cloud of confetti. Those who arrived to greet the 27-year-old NASCAR Cup Series driver were met with shoulder shrugs and tepid smiles.

Bell finished second to Thorson in the 2022 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals main event Saturday, one position from what would have been his fourth Golden Driller trophy.

Some might call this result an upset, but Bell knows better. He suggested as much earlier in the week, when he explained how one simple mistake can doom any driver on the quarter-mile dirt track.

RELATED: How NASCAR drivers finished at Chili Bowl

Between Bell’s three consecutive victories in 2017-19 and Kyle Larson’s back-to-back triumphs in 2020-21, NASCAR Cup Series drivers had won the last five Chili Bowls prior to Saturday night. The 2022 edition of the Super Bowl of midget car racing served as a reminder that NASCAR drivers’ success at the Chili Bowl is more of an exception than the rule.

That is, assuming one considers Bell and Larson to be NASCAR drivers in this setting. Thorson does not.

“These guys, even though they’re NASCAR guys, they’re still dirt guys,” the 25-year-old Thorson said of Larson and Bell, both of whom built their careers racing open-wheel cars on dirt. “When people say ‘NASCAR guys,’ I don’t think of them as NASCAR guys. Because I grew up racing with them.

“They’re dirt guys to me.”

Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell and Tanner Thorson in action during the 2022 Chili Bowl. (Nick Oxford/NASCAR)

Most considered Bell and Larson the co-favorites to win the Chili Bowl even though a refrain was repeated all week: “Everybody knows how easy it is to have something happen to take you out of it,” Bell said Thursday after his record eighth preliminary feature victory.

Added NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, speaking with FloRacing on Friday: “There’s a lot of strong competition, and it just seems to get deeper every year. You can’t make any mistakes.”

In his pursuit of Thorson during the closing laps Saturday, Bell made a mistake. He was attempting to find speed at the top of the track, padded with clumps of dirt, when he crossed the fine line with which dirt racers routinely flirt.

“Whenever the top gets like that, it’s side bite to run against it and it’s grip to run against it,” Bell explained. “So you want to run against it as hard as you can. But there’s a line and a limit. You can hit it at X mph, but if you go one mph over X, you’re going to push.

“You have to do it once to find out where the limit is, and unfortunately I did it before (Thorson) did it.”

The 2022 Chili Bowl perfectly displayed that strong competition of which Gordon spoke. More than a dozen drivers with NASCAR ties entered the event, but only Bell, Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. reached the A-Main.

Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champ, flipped his car in an F-Main on Saturday. Ryan Newman finished 13th in his C-Main. Alex Bowman finished 11th in his B-Main. It’s no coincidence that the Cup Series drivers with the most Chili Bowl experience reached the deepest levels of the event.

And really, of those drivers, only Bell was a true contender for the win. Larson struggled all week to find the speed that contributed to his pair of Chili Bowl titles. The defending Cup Series champion finished sixth in the main event.

Chili Bowl winners
Podium finishers Tanner Thorson, middle, Christopher Bell, right, and Rico Abreu pose after the 2022 Chili Bowl. (Nick Oxford/NASCAR)

These are the reasons Bell’s face had returned to its normal color by the time he reached the post-race media conference portion of the night. By that time, he was able to joke with Thorson.

“Want to see my trophy?” Thorson joked with his rival as he sat down to speak with the press.

Bell, sitting next to Thorson, replied with a smile: “I know what it looks like.”

For Bell, there’s no shame in a runner-up finish to one of the best midget car racers in the world. He may have three Chili Bowl titles, but Bell knows any of them could have been lost the same way a 2022 victory slipped through his fingers.

Though Bell stumbled in the closing laps, the reality is he did not lose the Chili Bowl. Thorson took it. Bell would not have been chasing Thorson had the latter not slid below for what turned out to be the winning pass on Lap 36 of 55.

“It got really slick right beneath the cushion,” Bell said of the track conditions. “I could tell I was really starting to slow down in my mid-corner speed in Turns 3-4. The thought came across my mind to start trying to pick up the middle off of Turn 4.

“And Tanner beat me to it.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Christopher Bell’s shot at four will have to wait another year.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who doubles as a top-shelf dirt racer, lost the lead late in the Chili Bowl Nationals to Tanner Thorson, who powered to his first win in one of the most prestigious races in the country on Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It’s the first Chili Bowl victory for Thorson, an ace driver who previously competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

RELATED: How NASCAR drivers did this week

Bell was going for his fourth win in the dirt Midget race held in his home state Oklahoma. Only two drivers have won this event at least four times: Sammy Swindell is the all-time leader with five wins, and Kevin Swindell has four.

Bell started Saturday night’s A-Main from the pole position and led the opening 36 laps of the 55-lap event. He lost the lead to Thorson following a caution, but appeared to be in position to pass for the lead — and perhaps win — with six laps to go. A flip by Brady Bacon brought out the caution, though, and Thorson maintained the lead.

Bell would finish second, with Rico Abreu, Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Tanner Carrick completing the top five.

Thorson’s win broke a two-year winning streak by Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champ. Larson finished sixth and was one of three Cup Series regulars in the top 10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. had a Chili Bowl for the ages and finished Saturday night ninth. His week included a photo finish heat-race victory over former Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne on Friday, followed later with a runner-up finish in the night’s A-Main race.

Larson was seeking to become just the third driver to win three in a row.

The Chili Bowl is an annual dirt Midget race that has been held since 1987 and always draws interest from some of auto racing’s most talented drivers. Preliminary heat races began Monday and lasted through Saturday.

Larson, Bell and Stenhouse Jr. were among the 10 drivers locked into the A-Main heading into Saturday, leaving more than 300 drivers competing for the final 14 spots. Those that had not yet qualified for the main event spent the entirety of Saturday attempting to qualify through a prolonged series of races known as “Alphabet Soup” as drivers who had not previously qualified for the championship race had to drive their way in through a series of transfers, starting with two P-Feature races. The top six finishers advanced upward to the corresponding O-Feature races, in which there were already several drivers who had qualified based on their performance earlier in the week. Then the top six finishers from each O-Feature race advanced into the N-Feature races, where other drivers were also waiting and so on.

MORE: Best Chili Bowl photos

Finishes for notable drivers included:

Kaylee Bryson: Bryson made history this weekend, becoming the first woman in the event’s 36-year history to make the championship A-Main. Bryson started 10th in Saturday’s second B-Feature and drove her way up to first, then held on to win and automatically advance. She finished 18th.

Chase Elliott: The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champ has embraced the grassroots world in recent years, foraying into the dirt scene and adding experience in a variety of disciplines. In his second Chili Bowl, Elliott had plenty of ups and downs. The ups: In Monday’s opening action, Elliott won his heat race from the pole position and went on to finish eighth in his B-Feature race. He also finished ninth in the Vacuworx Invitational Race of Champions, an impressive run for a driver with such little experience on dirt.

That slotted Elliott into the F-Feature in Saturday’s championship day, where he would climb from his car after a frightening flip uninjured, but with a 19th-place finish.

Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott climbs into his car as he prepares to race in the 2022 Chili Bow. (Nick Oxford/NASCAR)

Alex Bowman: Bowman fell a few spots short of qualifying for the A-Main on Saturday. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is a constant in the dirt world, building his own cars and showing off progress on his social platforms, and he’s always one to watch in Tulsa. Coming off a four-win NASCAR Cup Series season in 2021 driving the No. 48, Bowman finished second in his C-Feature race Saturday. That put his No. 55X car into the B-Features, with a shot at making the championship race in sight.

Bowman would finish 11th in his B-Feature after starting 17th, a strong run-up but not enough to earn one of the seven transfer spots.

Prior to Saturday, Bowman won his 10-lap qualifying race to advance to the day’s A-Feature, where he finished ninth.

Ryan Newman: What a week for the “Rocket Man.” His third Chili Bowl produced a strong run in his Friday heat race and some additional clarity about his future.

Ryan Newman gets into his car before the feature race during the 2022 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire at Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma on January 14, 2022. (Nick Oxford/NASCAR)
Ryan Newman gets into his car before the feature race. (Nick Oxford/NASCAR)

Boasting a smile this weekend in the pits, Newman told NASCAR.com his main goal in racing this year is to have fun — with winning a close second. After racing full time in the Cup Series from 2002-21, Newman does not have a ride for 2022. But he does not consider himself retired. He specifically named dirt late model racing, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the USAC Silver Crown as competitions he intends to enter in 2022. He called them “bucket list items (he) missed along the way” through a couple of decades in the Cup Series.

And although he didn’t advance out of the C-Feature on Saturday night, he surely ended the night with another smile.

Chase Briscoe: Briscoe has had his share of heartache at the Chili Bowl, and Saturday he fell one spot short of advancing to the B-Feature. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver started seventh and had worked his way up to fifth — the final transfer position — before losing the spot to Spencer Bayston with two laps to go. Briscoe would go on to finish sixth, with the top five drivers advancing up to the B-Feature races.

All that after being involved in a first-lap wreck, which the driver says damaged the front axle and right front shock of his No. 5 machine.

Dillon Welch: A NASCAR reporter for MRN and NBC and lifetime racer who excels every time he gets in the seat, Welch qualified for the A-Feature for the second time in his racing career. Welch hadn’t raced a Midget event since last year’s Chili Bowl, but he still advanced out of the B-Feature — driving from 11th to sixth late to claim a spot in the A-Main, where he finished 22nd.

Jesse Love: The two-time ARCA Menards West Series champion capped his week by finishing 19th in his Saturday D-Feature race.

J.J. Yeley: The veteran Yeley, who has had a number of memorable Chili Bowl moments over the years, finished 11th in the first of two E-Feature races to end his Chili Bowl run. Yeley had finished second in the F-Feature to advance up to the E.

Carson Hocevar: Hocevar, 18, finished second place in his J-Feature race Saturday, advancing upward. In the I-Feature he would finish 12th out of 15 drivers and failed to advance. The Niece Motorsports driver is coming off a 10th-place finish in the Camping World Truck Series in 2021. This was his Chili Bowl debut.

Ryan Ellis: Ellis finished 11th the first L-Feature race Saturday. Earlier in the week, Ellis finished sixth in his eight-lap heat race on Friday. That placed him in one of the evening’s C Features, and he finished ninth again to end the night.

Jesse Little: Little started his day in the M-Feature, where he finished ninth and did not advance. Making his Chili Bowl debut, Little finished eighth in his heat race during Tuesday’s racing. He then finished 10th later that evening in the C-Feature.

Posted on by Tadd Haislop

TULSA, Okla. — Anybody who laid eyes on Ryan Newman knew he had accomplished his No. 1 goal in his heat race Friday at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.

Sure, the 44-year-old from South Bend, Indiana, finished third after starting ninth and collected valuable passing points. But the sizable grin on his face was the product of the joy that comes with simply racing a midget car on a quarter-mile dirt track.

At this point in his career, that kind of fun is the priority.

“But number two, we want to win,” Newman said with the same smile.

RELATED: How NASCAR drivers are running at Chili Bowl

Newman in 2022 is racing in his third Chili Bowl, an event known as the Super Bowl of midget car racing. This is the type of stage on which the 2002 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year and 2008 Daytona 500 winner plans to compete in the near future.

Newman, who raced full-time in the Cup Series from 2002-21, does not have a ride for 2022. But he does not consider himself retired. And he said Friday the Chili Bowl is the “only thing on paper” he has planned this year, but that will change.

Newman specifically named dirt late model racing, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the USAC Silver Crown as competitions he intends to enter in 2022. He called them “bucket list items (he) missed along the way” through a couple decades in the Cup Series.

Chances are, he will be the same star on those stages that he was Friday in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman in action during the 2022 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire at Tulsa Expo Raceway in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Jan. 14, 2022. (Nick Oxford/NASCAR)

Countless phone cameras held by spectators were aimed at Newman when climbed out of his No. 75B Clauson-Marshall Racing midget car following his heat race. Those cameras captured the driver’s embrace with two daughters, followed by his fist bumps with surrounding team members. “That’s Ryan Newman,” one fan gasped at the scene.

Even at an event littered with some of the best from NASCAR’s national series, Newman stands out as a celebrity figure. Fans are as thrilled to see him as he is delighted to attack that so-called bucket list.

MORE: Christopher Bell’s profile rises with Chili Bowl success

The Chili Bowl specifically is special to Newman because of the partner and team name on the panels of his car.

The Indiana Donor Network’s Driven2SaveLives program, which raises awareness around organ, tissue and eye donation, launched in 2016 in the wake of IndyCar driver Justin Wilson’s on-track accident and death. Race fans began signing up as organ donors in honor of the late driver.

Later that year, another open-wheel driver, National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Bryan Clauson, was killed in an on-track accident. Like Wilson, Clauson saved five lives as an organ donor.

The Driven2SaveLives program continues on in a partnership with Clauson-Marshall Racing, a team Newman bought into as part-owner in 2017. Newman joined the Driven2SaveLives program in 2020 ahead of his Chili Bowl debut.

“The program we have here is pretty amazing,” Newman said. “It’s an honor to be promoting someone like Bryan Clauson and the legend he was and is.”

Newman’s car at the 2022 Chili Bowl does not sport the letters “Ryan Newman” or even his “Rocket Man” nickname. It instead lists “Cody Brommer,” an organ donor who saved five lives following his death seven years ago at age 21 due to multiple head traumas from playing football. Brommer’s jersey number was 75, hence Newman’s entry.

Newman carried the names of other organ donor heroes on his Chili Bowl cars in 2020 and 2021, as well.

Asked why he’s back for his third Chili Bowl, Newman looked at his car: “To have what we have this weekend, with Cody Brommer’s name on the car, to represent someone who’s an organ and tissue donor, somebody who saved five lives because of his life, and the difference it makes for so many other people out there.”

The next chapter of Newman’s career will bring new challenges, the first of which arrives in Tulsa. He finished fifth in his qualifier Friday. He then finished 13th in the evening’s preliminary A Feature, a new career high for such an event after finishing 21st in 2020. That puts him in a C-Main for Saturday.

“We know it’s a tough task,” Newman allowed. “It’s not 30 midgets showing up for 20 spots. We’ve got I think 82 tonight. It’s no easy task to make it into the A, and obviously the big race (Saturday).

“But to be able to have fun is really what it’s all about.”

So that’s where Newman’s career will go from here — toward the amusement. It’s less of a return to the levels of racing on which he built his NASCAR career and more of a quest to find fulfillment driving midgets, late models and modifieds.

And yes, his family is a factor. As Newman prepared for Friday night’s feature at the Chili Bowl, his family helped him strap into his car. When he returned from the race, they again were the first to welcome him back.

These moments — with Newman surrounded by the people he loves and partnered with teams and sponsors for which he cares deeply — will undoubtedly contribute to the fun he plans to have with this portion of his career.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Charlotte Hornets are set to host the first-ever 23XI Racing Crossover Night when the NBA team hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, Jan. 21 at the Spectrum Center.

The event will include appearances by 23XI Racing drivers Bubba Wallace, driver of the No. 23 Toyota Camry team in the NASCAR Cup Series and Kurt Busch, driver of the newly formed No. 45 Toyota Camry team. Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and longtime season-ticket holder will also be on hand.

RELATED: Buy tickets to 23XI Racing Crossover Night

“The Hornets and 23XI Racing have much more in common than shared ownership; our principles and mission within the community are very much aligned,” said Hornets President & Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield. “Hosting 23XI Racing Crossover Night is a tremendous way to further strengthen our bond and open up future opportunities for collaboration between our organizations and leagues.”

Fans will have the opportunity to check out a 23XI Racing showcar in the concourse and win team prizes and giveaways throughout the evening. 23XI Racing-themed in-game activations are also scheduled.

“We’re very excited about this unique collaboration with the Charlotte Hornets and the opportunity to bring our teams together,” said 23XI Racing President Steve Lauletta. “Being based in the Charlotte region offers a natural ability for our two organizations to interact and work together in a variety of ways. As we enter our second year, we want to continue building the 23XI brand and fan base, and partnering with organizations like the Hornets allows us to introduce their fans to NASCAR, Bubba, Kurt and what we do both on and off the race track. Our hope is fans of both the Hornets and 23XI will attend and we can show the synergies between the organizations and create new fans for both teams.”

RELATED: Learn more about 23XI Racing

Tickets for 23XI Racing Crossover Night can be purchased online at hornets.com, ticketmaster.com, on the Hornets App or via phone at 1-800-4NBA-TIX.

Posted on by Staff Report

Driver movement is coming fast and furious, providing a preview of the 2022 landscape that so far includes an Xfinity Series powerhouse wading into the Cup Series full time, a team in its first season purchasing a longtime organization, a championship crew chief stepping down from atop the pit box and plenty more rumors swirling as the season charges on.

Our 2022 Silly Season Tracker is below, listing what we know for full-time Cup Series teams in 2022. We’ll update this page often, as teams finalize their plans for next season. Anything highlighted in red indicates news on that driver and ride for beyond 2021, and clicking on the red line will give you more information on the move and its impact.

No.
Driver
Crew Chief
Team
1
Ross Chastain
Phil Surgen
Trackhouse Racing Team
Chastain lands in the second car at Trackhouse. He had been at Chip Ganassi Racing, which sold its NASCAR operations to Trackhouse in June. Crew chief Phil Surgen will also make the move over and remain teamed with Chastain.
2
Austin Cindric
Jeremy Bullins
Team Penske
Team Penske has announced that Austin Cindric will make the jump to the Cup Series full-time to pilot the No. 2 car in 2022.
3
Austin Dillon
Justin Alexander
Richard Childress Racing
4
Kevin Harvick
Rodney Childers
Stewart-Haas Racing
5
Kyle Larson
Cliff Daniels
Hendrick Motorsports
Kyle Larson signed a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports that goes through the 2023 season and includes majority sponsorship from HendrickCars.com.
6
Brad Keselowski
Matt McCall
RFK Racing
Roush announced that Brad Keselowski will come on board in 2022 in a driver-ownership role and will drive the No. 6, a seat held by Ryan Newman in 2021. Matt McCall will be the team's crew chief.
7
Corey LaJoie
Ryan Sparks
Spire Motorsports
8
Tyler Reddick
Randall Burdett
Richard Childress Racing
9
Chase Elliott
Alan Gustafson
Hendrick Motorsports
10
Aric Almirola
Drew Blickensderfer
Stewart-Haas Racing
The 2022 season will be Aric Almirola's final in the Cup ranks as he will retire at the conclusion of the season. Drew Blickensderfer will take the reins atop the pit box for the No. 10 team as Mike Bugarewicz shifts into the performance director role with the organization. Blickensderfer won the Daytona 500 in 2021 with Michael McDowell.
11
Denny Hamlin
Chris Gabehart
Joe Gibbs Racing
12
Ryan Blaney
Jonathan Hassler
Team Penske
Todd Gordon, Blaney's crew chief, has announced he will retire from Team Penske at the end of the 2021 season. Jonathan Hassler, who has been the crew chief for the second half of the season on the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford team, will call the shots in '22.
14
Chase Briscoe
Johnny Klausmeier
Stewart-Haas Racing
16
Assorted drivers
Matt Swiderski
Kaulig Racing
Xfinity Series regulars AJ Allmendinger (14 races plus Busch Light Clash and All-Star Race), Daniel Hemric (8 races plus Daytona Duels) and Noah Gragson (14 races) will split the ride for the season. Allmendinger won Kaulig's first Cup race in this ride at the Indianapolis Road Course in 2021.
17
Chris Buescher
Scott Graves
RFK Racing
Graves was the crew chief for the final five races of 2021 for the No. 17 team. He will be in charge of that team for 2022. Buescher and Graves teamed for the 2015 Xfinity Series title.
18
Kyle Busch
Ben Beshore
Joe Gibbs Racing
19
Martin Truex Jr.
James Small
Joe Gibbs Racing
20
Christopher Bell
Adam Stevens
Joe Gibbs Racing
21
Harrison Burton
Brian Wilson
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing has announced that Harrison Burton will be their full-time driver for the 2022 season in the No. 21 Ford Mustang. Brian Wilson moves over from Team Penske's Xfinity program to lead the team.
22
Joey Logano
Paul Wolfe
Team Penske
23
Bubba Wallace
Robert “Bootie” Barker
23XI Racing
Barker entered the new role in September as Wallace's crew chief and guided the organization to its first win at Talladega Superspeedway, doubling as Wallace's first Cup Series victory.
24
William Byron
Rudy Fugle
Hendrick Motorsports
31
Justin Haley
Trent Owens
Kaulig Racing
Kaulig Racing has announced it will be running full time in the Cup Series in 2022, with Justin Haley piloting an entry. Owens was formerly the crew chief for Ryan Preece at JTG Daugherty Racing.
34
Michael McDowell
Blake Harris
Front Row Motorsports
McDowell will return for his fifth season at Front Row. Drew Blickensderfer will not be back as the crew chief. Blake Harris, previously a car chief for the No. 19 team, will call the shots atop the box.
38
Todd Gilliland
Seth Barbour
Front Row Motorsports
Gilliland will replace Anthony Alfredo who leaves after one season in the ride. Gilliland moves up following two seasons with Front Row's truck operation.
41
Cole Custer
Mike Shiplett
Stewart-Haas Racing
42
Ty Dillon
Jerame Donley
Petty GMS Motorsports
Dillon is back in the Cup ranks with new coalition Petty GMS Motorsports, joining Erik Jones in the two-car stable.
43
Erik Jones
Dave Elenz
Petty GMS Motorsports
Erik Jones will return to his No. 43 Chevrolet in 2022 — but with a new team name after the Petty/GMS merger. Elenz will be the team's new crew chief coming over from JR Motorsports where he has was a two-time Xfinity Series champion crew chief. The majority interest of RPM was sold to GMS Racing owner Maury Gallagher and with that comes the charters that belong to them (the Nos. 43 and 51).
45
Kurt Busch
Billy Scott
23XI Racing
Busch will be heading to the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season as he will drive for the Michael Jordan-Denny Hamlin co-owned organization. Cup Series veteran Billy Scott, who spent the 2016-19 seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing, will be the crew chief. Busch and Scott got a win together in 2018.
47
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Brian Pattie
JTG Daugherty Racing
Stenhouse confirmed at the end of September that he signed a one-year extension to return to the No. 47 in 2022. Team co-owner Brad Daugherty earlier revealed that the organization will be fielding only one car in 2022.
48
Alex Bowman
Greg Ives
Hendrick Motorsports
Alex Bowman signed a two-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports.
51
Cody Ware
TBD
Rick Ware Racing
Ware will be back in the No. 51 for a second season in 2022. RWR will also field the No. 15 but with an assortment of drivers piloting that car.
78
B.J. McLeod
Lee Leslie
Live Fast Motorsports
99
Daniel Suarez
Travis Mack
Trackhouse Racing Team
Suarez will be back for a second year at Trackhouse, although he will have a teammate as the organization expands to two cars for the coming season.
Posted on by Tadd Haislop

TULSA, Okla. — Christopher Bell’s anger was evident. He sprung out of his No. 71W Keith Kunz Motorsports midget car and, without removing his helmet or making eye contact with a single team member or spectator nearby, he turned to and stormed into the team’s hauler and disappeared.

This is what the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals mean to the driver of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. This is not some offseason diversion.

In many ways, this is home.

RELATED: NASCAR drivers in Chili Bowl competition

Of course, the 27-year-old went on to win Thursday’s preliminary A Feature, his seventh consecutive such result at the Chili Bowl. His frustration was the result of a second-place finish in his qualifier, which he might have won for an evening sweep had he not been held up by slower cars.

“It was so frustrating,” Bell told NASCAR.com later, by this point with a smile on his face. “On paper, it said I should be able to drive right by them. The guy in front of me was really struggling. I feel bad because I kind of waved my hand at him after the race. He didn’t do anything wrong. I just couldn’t get by, and I knew I had to go if I wanted any hope of making the race Saturday.”

Most drivers would not have accomplished what Bell did Thursday, when he stormed to that second-place finish in his qualifier with a gutsy move on the last lap. He followed that performance with his eighth preliminary A Feature victory in nine years, tied for the most in Chili Bowl history.

Then again, most drivers do not have the experience Bell carries on this quarter-mile dirt track.

The Chili Bowl is quite literally home for Bell, a native of nearby Norman, Oklahoma. Known as the Super Bowl of midget car racing, the event feels like home to the race car driver as much as it does to the person. Bell’s first Chili Bowl as a competitor came in 2011, when he was barely old enough to hold a driver’s license, though he had attended the event as a spectator many times before.

Eleven years later, he’s the star of the show.

A palpable energy overtakes the crowd of 15,000 in the dust-filled Tulsa Expo Center when Bell takes the track — and with good reason. Bell’s victory Thursday marked his 58th national midget car feature win, by far the most for a Toyota Racing driver. (Kyle Larson ranks second with the 35 victories he acquired while racing for Toyota.)

Bell’s eighth preliminary A Feature win placed him in a tie with Sammy Swindell for the most in Chili Bowl history. Swindell holds the record with five Chili Bowl main event victories. Bell’s three main event victories came consecutively from 2017-19.

“It’s crazy,” Bell allowed, reflecting on the preliminary wins record. “Everybody knows how easy it is to have something happen to take you out of it. It’s unbelievable how many things have to go right to put yourself in this position. I’m incredibly thankful that I’ve been able to do it.”

Bell was not always this dominant at the Chili Bowl. He finished 24th in his first preliminary feature in 2011, followed by a 20th and a 12th the next two years before breaking through with a win in 2014. That year brought Bell’s first main event appearance and an impressive third-place run, but he placed 23rd and 12 in his main events the next two years before winning in 2017.

Bell’s NASCAR career flourished alongside his dirt racing efforts. Months after he won his first Chili Bowl main event, he won the Camping World Truck Series championship. A year after his third straight Chili Bowl win, in 2020, Bell made his first Cup Series start as a full-time driver for Leavine Family Racing.

MORE: 2022 Cup Series schedule

Asked how his Chili Bowl experience has evolved as a result of his success, Bell said the changes have nothing to do with him and everything to do with his surroundings.

“Just seeing the event grow has been the biggest thing,” he noted. “It’s incredible to see the amount of people; the amount of talented race car drivers.”

Bell’s success and subsequent rise to fame has at least a little to do with that growth. That’s what happens when a home-grown talent reaches the highest level of stock-car racing without severing his roots in dirt.

If Bell parlays his Thursday-night win into another Saturday main event victory in 2022, which would be his fourth at the Chili Bowl in six years, the growth will continue.

Posted on by Team Release

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Sam Hunt Racing (SHR) announced today that Jeffrey Earnhardt will pilot the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra for multiple races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022.

ForeverLawn, a major benefactor in Earnhardt’s career, will join forces with Sam Hunt Racing for Jeffrey’s campaign. Earnhardt, a 32-year-old Xfinity Series veteran, is looking forward to re-joining the Toyota Racing family with Sam Hunt Racing. He has 131 previous starts in the Xfinity Series, racking up one top-5 and three top-10 finishes. Earnhardt has 217 overall NASCAR national touring series starts across Cup, Xfinity and Trucks. Additionally, he has experience in NASCAR’s Pinty’s and Euro Series, ARCA Menards East Series, as well as Rolex GrandAm Sports Car Series.

RELATED: Driver, team changes to know for 2022

“Having Jeffrey join Sam Hunt Racing is really exciting for our entire team and the Toyota Racing family,” said Sam Hunt, the 28-year-old team owner. “Jeffrey is a great guy, and he’s someone I’ve always admired for how he carries himself on and off the track. He’s a great person, and his sponsors at ForeverLawn match a lot of what SHR stands for. It’s going to be a fun season with him and the ForeverLawn team, and we’re excited to get to work.”

Sam Hunt Racing began its journey in the Xfinity Series in late 2019 by making its first start in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The SHR team shocked the industry with its speed after qualifying 15th in its first attempt. The 2020 Xfinity season was a part-time effort for the team as it began to expand and grow.

In 2021, SHR hosted eight drivers of various skill levels in its first full-time season, racking up one top five, two top 10s, and nine top-15 finishes.

“I’m really excited to be back in the Toyota camp. My past experience with them was incredible, and they do a great job supporting their drivers,” said Earnhardt. “Sam and I formed a nice friendship over the years, and I’m impressed with what he’s achieved in a short amount of time. I feel like we share the same work ethic, and both of us are working hard to achieve our dreams. Having ForeverLawn in our corner is truly a gift. They have become my family, and our relationship extends well beyond racing. We have three like-minded parties working together towards a common goal. It’s going to be an exciting year.”

RELATED: See the 2022 Xfinity Series schedule

SHR welcomes ForeverLawn, a landscape company that specializes in improving spaces and communities through innovative synthetic grass solutions. Sam Hunt Racing is excited to have ForeverLawn in the family.

“We’re excited to continue supporting Jeffrey in this partnership with Sam Hunt Racing,” says Dale Karmie, co-founder of ForeverLawn. “Sam Hunt Racing is an up-and-coming team with quality people and equipment with an impressive record of success. We’re excited by the opportunity these races provide for us to deepen our relationship with this high-caliber team.”

All of Earnhardt’s races will be announced at a later date. 

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced on Thursday the initial entry list for the first-ever Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.

The landmark event will be a two-day exhibition that consists of practice, qualifying heats and a last-chance qualifier, setting the stage for a 150-lap main event at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 6 (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Full Weekend Schedule for Busch Light Clash | Race format explained

There are 36 drivers on the initial entry list and 23 will make the final show on Sunday night under the lights.

Entry Car No. Driver Team Crew Chief Manufacturer
1 1 Ross Chastain TrackHouse Racing Phil Surgen Chevrolet
2 2 Austin Cindric Team Penske Jeremy Bullins Ford
3 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Justin Alexander Chevrolet
4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Rodney Childers Ford
5 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Cliff Daniels Chevrolet
6 6 Brad Keselowski Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Matt McCall Ford
7 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Ryan Sparks Chevrolet
8 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Randall Burnett Chevrolet
9 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Alan Gustafson Chevrolet
10 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Drew Blickensderfer Ford
11 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Chris Gabehart Toyota
12 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Jonathan Hassler Ford
13 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing John Klausmeier Ford
14 15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Jason Houghtaling Ford
15 16 AJ Allmendinger Kaulig Racing Matt Swiderski Chevrolet
16 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Scott Graves Ford
17 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Seth Chavka Toyota
18 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing James Small Toyota
19 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Adam Stevens Toyota
20 21 Harrison Burton Wood Brothers Racing Brian Wilson Ford
21 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Paul Wolfe Ford
22 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Bootie Barker Toyota
23 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Ryan Fugle Chevrolet
24 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Trent Owens Chevrolet
25 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Blake Harris Ford
26 38 Todd Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Seth Barbour Ford
27 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Mike Shiplett Ford
28 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Racing Jerame Donley Chevrolet
29 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Racing Dave Elenz Chevrolet
30 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Billy Scott Toyota
31 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Brian Pattie Chevrolet
32 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Greg Ives Chevrolet
33 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Billy Plourde Ford
34 77 Landon Cassill Spire Motorsports Kevin Bellicourt Chevrolet
35 78 BJ McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Lee Leslie Ford
36 99 Daniel Suarez Trackhouse Racing Travis Mack Chevrolet
Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — New tracks are set to debut in the 13th season of the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series with drivers competing on virtual circuits that more closely mirror the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Six tracks make a first-time appearance on the 19-race calendar, including the much-anticipated Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which opens the season with an exhibition race Feb. 1.

“We’re raising the bar with the most competitive virtual racing in the world and leaning into iRacing’s technology to blur the lines between virtual and reality,” said Nick Rend, NASCAR’s managing director of gaming and esports. “The eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series has grown monumentally over the past two seasons with new investments made by teams, drivers and world-class partners. This season will be no different as we anticipate more intense competition among drivers testing their clout on new and historic tracks alike.”

RELATED: Learn more about the Coca-Cola iRacing Series | Keegan Leahy celebrates 2021 title

The LA Coliseum virtual exhibition race will run in conjunction with the NASCAR Cup Series’ preseason debut at the same real-life venue on Feb. 6. iRacing played a vital role in the track’s design with NASCAR Cup Series drivers and eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series competitors simulating test runs on different setups to develop its configuration for NASCAR.

In addition to the LA Coliseum, virtual events will also debut at the newly reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Dirt Race, Dover International Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway. For the first time in its history, the series will conclude at Phoenix Raceway on Oct. 25.

“The 2022 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series season is shaping up to be one of our most exciting yet,” iRacing president Tony Gardner said. “With a refreshed schedule, led by our opening exhibition at the LA Coliseum, a track developed in iRacing, the pursuit of this year’s championship will take some exciting new turns this year. We’re excited to kick off the chase for one of the largest purses in sim racing, with well over $300,000 on the line, and look forward to crowning a champion in Phoenix!”

Competition will again be tight with 20 teams and 40 drivers contending for the championship. The 2021 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series champion, Keegan Leahy, returns to defend his title. Team owners including Denny Hamlin-Michael Jordan, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kansas City Chiefs player Kyle Long are securing drivers for the upcoming season. And professional esports organization Charlotte Phoenix will join the competition. Teams have begun to announce their 2022 driver lineups this week on Twitter.

The full 2022 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series schedule is as follows*:

  • Feb. 1: LA Coliseum Exhibition
  • Feb. 15: Daytona International Speedway
  • March 1: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • March 15: Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • March 29: Richmond Raceway
  • April 12: Bristol Dirt Race
  • April 26: Dover International Speedway
  • May 10: Kansas Speedway
  • May 24: Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • May 31: World Wide Technology Raceway
  • June 21: Nashville Superspeedway
  • July 5: Road America
  • July 19: Pocono Raceway
  • Aug. 16: Watkins Glen International
  • Aug. 30: Darlington Raceway
  • Sept. 13: Bristol Motor Speedway^
  • Sept. 27: Talladega Superspeedway^
  • Oct. 11: Homestead-Miami Speedway^
  • Oct. 25: Phoenix Raceway^

^Denotes Playoffs Event

*Subject to change

All races will be broadcast live on eNASCAR.com and iRacing.com/live, as well as the NASCAR and iRacing Facebook and YouTube channels. Race streams will kick off at 9 p.m. ET.

For more information on the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, visit www.eNASCAR.com. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

Posted on by Staff Report

Todd Gordon, the former veteran crew chief and 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion, is joining the roster of hosts on SiriusXM’s exclusive 24/7 SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel and will co-host “Late Shift” every Monday night with Brad Gillie (7–10 p.m. ET) beginning Jan. 17.

“Since 2016 I have been a regular contributor on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to talk about racing and share my perspective with fans across the country,” Gordon said. “I have really enjoyed the interactions with our fan base and look forward to connecting with even more listeners and bringing my insights to fans of racing each and every Monday night alongside Brad Gillie.”

Gordon retired at the end of the 2021 season after 10 seasons as a crew chief with Team Penske. Gordon spent the 2020-21 seasons as the crew chief for Ryan Blaney after previously serving in the same role in the Cup Series for Team Penske’s Joey Logano, Sam Hornish Jr. and AJ Allmendinger. During his two-decade-long career as a crew chief, Gordon helped produce 25 Cup Series wins, including a Daytona 500 victory in 2015, as well as a Cup Series championship in 2018 with Logano.

The SiriusXM NACAR Radio channel is available to subscribers nationwide in their cars (Channel 90) and on their connected devices via the SXM App. For more visit www.SiriusXM.com/NASCAR.