We’ve parked. We’ve practiced. Now, we race. The chase for the Golden Driller officially begins Monday in Tulsa with the first of six racedays at the 40th annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy. FloRacing has you covered for all the action from start-to-finish, beginning with the Chili’s Grill & Bar Pre-Race Show at 3 p.m. CT followed by Dirt Draft Hot Laps at 4 p.m. CT. 

• Chili Bowl Nationals Race of Champions Roster Unveiled
• Everything You Need To Know About The 2026 Chili Bowl
• More Info About How To Watch The 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals

Monday’s opening preliminary night - the first of five, which each lock-in the top-two finishers to Saturday’s 55-lap Championship A-Main - tentatively features 74 entries on the ChiliBowl.com website. All week long, we’ll take you through some of the stars to keep your eye on as you watch on FloRacing - the official live streaming partner of the event.

For the first time in event history, the defending champion of the Chili Bowl, Kyle Larson, will kick off the week by competing in Monday’s preliminary night - which has only been around since 2019. His path to that third Golden Driller last year ran through the opening night when he topped the preliminary feature with a late-race pass over Shane Golobic.

Speaking of Shane Golobic, if you desire ultra-consistency, “Sugar Shane” is your man. The Matt Wood Racing leader has finished top-five in nine of his last 10 prelims, and it would be 100% if he weren’t collected in an innocent wreck battling for the lead. He contends for the win every single year he races on Monday, earning three-consecutive second-place lock-in results behind Cannon McIntosh, Tanner Carrick, and Larson.

Going back to Cannon McIntosh and Tanner Carrick, those two KKM kids had been feuding over Mr. Monday Night honors before Larson swooped in last year and stole their glory. In fact, last year was the first time since Monday was added in 2019 that Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports did not win the opening night. Those two are Keith and Pete’s horses tonight as we kickoff the week.

While we’re talking about Larson, Golobic & McIntosh, those are three of the 24 competitors in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions tonight - which also includes Chili Bowl champs like Christopher Bell, Logan Seavey, Tanner Thorson, and Sammy Swindell, along with a host of other studs from all forms of motorsports. Mixed with Monday’s prelim, the ROC calls for a group qualifying session and then a 25-lap sprint to kickoff the week.

Those three have established themselves as the rightfully deserved favorites, but the list of contenders on Monday runs far beyond them. Look at these other aces that are set to run tonight…

• USAC’s rising star, Briggs Danner in an Alex Bowman Racing ride
• Arizona legend Jerry Coons Jr, who has qualified for 26 consecutive prelims
• Oklahoman Trey Marcham, the only man to make Monday A-Main every year
• World of Outlaws Late Model title contender, Nick Hoffman in a NOS car
• High Limit Racing regular Justin Peck driving for Rossi/Petty Racing
• Xtreme Outlaw winner Kameron Key in his Trifecta debut in Tulsa
• Tulsa Shootout champion Joe B. Miller driving his own 51B
• Pavement young gun Gavan Boschele in Kyle Busch’s 51
• ASCS Rookie of the Year Garrett Benson teamed with Tim Engler
• Gary Taylor trying to deliver Brian & Mike Dunlap their first A-Main
• Two-time A-Main starter and broadcaster, Dillon Welch
• Drake Edwards leading off for Chad Boat’s camp
• Local under the radar racer Alex Sewell in a new JST car

That’s only a sliver of the excitement in store tonight with 70+ entries expected for the first of five prelims. The full tentative entry list for tonight can be found below.

Also beginning tonight is the chase for Rookie of the Year honors with 17 rookies slated to hit the track for their first-ever Chili Bowl preliminary. Included on that list is Ohio’s Jakeb Boxell in a 4-Kings Racing ride, New Mexico’s Ryder McCutcheon in an MBBT machine, Indiana’s Matt Lux driving for Abacus Racing, and Ohio’s Mack Leopard with Chase McDermand Racing, among others.

All of the Chili Bowl fun begins today with Monday Heat Races beginning at 4pm CT. If you can’t be here to witness the Tulsa magic yourself, you can watch every lap live all week long on FloRacing with coverage set to begin at 3pm CT during the all-new Chili’s Grill & Bar Pre-Race Show.

FloRacing is the official live streaming partner of the Chili Bowl Nationals, which continues all the way through Saturday, January 17. 

Chili Bowl Nationals Monday Prelim Roster

• P1 – Paul White (Waco, TX)  
• 1K – Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, CA)  
• 2B – Tanner Berryhill (Bixby, OK)  
• 2H – Nick Hoffman (Mooresville, NC)  
• 2NP (R) – Broddy Enter (New Ulm, MN)  
• 3 (R) – Gage Trube (Blue Springs, MO)  
• 3P – Justin Peck (Monrovia, IN)  
• 3V – Jim Vanzant (Prescott, AZ)  
• 3Z – Trey Zorn (Russell, KS) 
• 5F – Danny Frye III (St. Peters, MO)  
• 5L (R) – Matt Lux (Manilla, IN)  
• 6B – Brylee Kilmer (Goldsby, OK)  
• 7B – Garrett Benson (Concordia, MO)  
• 7C (R) – Chase Richards (Burlington, IA)  
• 7D – Michelle Decker (Guthrie, OK)  
• 7J – Shawn Jackson (Bear, DE) 
• 8D – Colin Deming (Hobbs, NM)  
• 8M – Kade Morton (Coweta, OK)  
• 8X – Jeff Schindler (Evansville, IN)  
• 8XL (R) – Christian Miller (Hudson Oaks, TX)  
• 9 – Emilio Hoover (Broken Arrow, OK)  
• 9B – Brian Schwabauer (Hastings, NE)  
• 9E (R) - Andy Eickhoff (Albion, NE)
• 9U – Kameron Key (Warrensburg, MO)  
• 11G – Hayden Mabe (Sand Springs, OK)  
• 14L (R) – Mack Leopard (Beavercreek, OH)  
• 16K – Billy Rayburn (Phoenix, AZ)  
• 17 – John Barnard (Sherman, IL)  
• 17K – Cole Parker (Coal City, IN)  
• 17W – Shane Golobic (Fremont, CA)  
• 20H -Noah Harris (Broken Arrow, OK)
• 23 – Jack France (Cleckheaton, WYK)  
• 25 (R) - Blaine Baxter (Liberty Hill, TX)
• 25GP (R) – Dustin Morris (Phoenixville, PA)  
• 27 – Keith Rauch (Denver, CO)  
• 27G – Steve Gresham (Seymour, IN)  
• 31C – Nathan Crane (Kenosha, WI)  
• 31K – Jesse Schlotfeldt (Arlington, WA)  
• 32 – Gary Taylor (Snohomish, WA)  
• 32A – Alex Sewell (Broken Arrow, OK)  
• 32T – Trey Marcham (Newcastle, OK)  
• 35L (R) – Gaige Weldon (Hinton, IA)  
• 39H (R) – Sam Hinds (Westfield, IN)  
• 40J (R) – Dave Collins Jr (Lake Mills, WI)  
• 44J (R) – Corey Mullins (Greenbrier, TN)  
• 44K (R) – Jakeb Boxell (Zanesville, IN)  
• 44X – Bryson Smith (Nixa, MO)  
• 45H – Logan Prickett (Shelbyville, IN)  
• 50 – Daniel Adler (St. Louis, MO)  
• 51B – Joe B. Miller (Millersville, MO)  
• 51H – TBA (TBA)  
• 51Z – Zach Boden (Cambridge, WI)  
• 55D – Nick Drake (Mooresville, NC)  
• 55i – Briggs Danner (Allentown, PA)  
• 55K – Todd Kluever (Sun Prairie, WI)  
• 56 – Bill Johnson (St. Peter, MN)  
• 57F – Blake Green (Mounds, OK)  
• 60X – Dillon Welch (Carmel, IN)  
• 68D – Eric Blumer (Sun Prairie, WI)  
• 68W – Jake Andreotti (Castro Valley, CA)  
• 71G – Zach Hampton (Mooresville, IN)  
• 71K – Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, OK)  
• 77A (R) – Preston Norbury (Chino Valley, AZ)  
• 80A – Taylor Courtney (Indianapolis, IN)  
• 83 – Drake Edwards (Surprise, AZ)  
• 85 – Jerry Coons Jr (Tucson, AZ)  
• 86C – David Camfield Sr (Decatur, IL)  
• P92 – Jimmy Light (Pittsboro, IN)  
• 93 (R) – Ryder McCutcheon (Alamogordo, NM)  
• 98 – Tanner Carrick (Lincoln, CA)  
• 99 (R) – Jan Evans (Wenatchee, WA)  
• 118 – Tyler Hewitt (Marion, IN)  

Chili Bowl Nationals Schedule 2026

Monday, Jan. 12 – 2nd Opinion Auto Center Qualifying Night + O’Reilly Auto Parts Race of Champions

• Building Opens: 10:00 a.m. ET  
• Pit Pass Booth Opens: 12:00 p.m. ET  
• Hot Laps: 5:00 p.m. ET  
• Racing: 6:00 p.m. ET  

Monday, Jan. 13 – Warren CAT Qualifying Night

• Building Opens: 10:00 a.m. ET
• Pit Pass Booth Opens: 12:00 p.m. ET
• Hot Laps: 5:00 p.m. ET
• Racing: 6:00 p.m. ET

Wednesday, Jan. 14 – York Plumbing Qualifying Night

• Building Opens: 10:00 a.m. ET
• Pit Pass Booth Opens: 12:00 p.m. ET
• Hot Laps: 5:00 p.m. ET
• Racing: 6:00 p.m. ET

Thursday, Jan. 15 – Hasty Bake Qualifying Night

• Building Opens: 10:00 a.m. ET
• Pit Pass Booth Opens: 12:00 p.m. ET
• Hot Laps: 5:00 p.m. ET
• Racing: 6:00 p.m. ET

Friday, Jan. 16 – Hard Rock Casino Qualifying Night

• Pit Pass Booth Opens: 10:00 a.m. ET
• Hot Laps: 5:00 p.m. ET
• Racing: 6:00 p.m. ET

Saturday, Jan. 17 – QuikTrip Championship Saturday

• Pit Pass Booth & Pit Gate Open: 9:00 a.m. ET
• Feature Hot Laps: 10:00 a.m. ET
• Opening Ceremonies: 7:30 p.m. ET

Past Chili Bowl Winners

Kyle Larson won the 2025 Chili Bowl nationals. He also won in 2021 and 2020.

Here's a list of the last 16 Chili Bowl winners.

• 2025: Kyle Larson
• 2024: Logan Seavey
• 2023: Logan Seavey
• 2022: Tanner Thorson
• 2021: Kyle Larson
• 2020: Kyle Larson
• 2019: Christopher Bell
• 2018: Christopher Bell
• 2017: Christopher Bell
• 2016: Rico Abreu
• 2015: Rico Abreu
• 2014: Bryan Clauson
• 2013: Kevin Swindell
• 2012: Kevin Swindell
• 2011: Kevin Swindell
• 2010: Kevin Swindell

When Is Chili Bowl 2026?

The 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals begin on Monday, January 12, with the main feature taking place on Saturday, January 17. 

Watch Every Chili Bowl Since 1987

With the help of MAVTV and Greg Stephen’s Motorsports Video, FloRacing has assembled every championship feature event replay since the inception of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in 1987.

Fans can watch all 38 main events from the Chili Bowl Nationals (1987-2025) on FloRacing by clicking here.  

Archived Footage On FloRacing

Video footage from all events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloRacing subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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