The wait is over! The preliminary night lineups are finally here for the 35th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.

With over 300 entries already registered, each of the five preliminary nights is LOADED with 60+ cars and countless superstars. 

Watch the 2021 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals LIVE on FloRacing!

Without any further ado, let’s take a look at some of the top contenders on each of the Chili Bowl’s five preliminary nights next week.

MONDAY, JANUARY 11

The youngest of all five preliminary programs, Monday has only been around since the expansion in 2019. It’s still so relatively new, we don’t know what to expect yet. Cannon McIntosh, who won last year in his first start with Keith Kunz Motorsports, is the only former Monday winner in the field.

Cannon will have to deal with a laundry list of contenders including Sunshine Tyler Courtney in his Clauson-Marshall No. 7C; World of Outlaws star David Gravel in the RMS No. 1D; reigning USAC National Midget champion Chris Windom in a Boat No. 89; former Chili Bowl podium finisher Zach Daum in his own equipment; and Matt Wood Racing’s hitter Ryan Bernal.

Other names to watch on Monday include NASCAR Cup Series Rookie Chase Briscoe; Tulsa Shootout winner Mitchel Moles; 2006 Chili Bowl champion Tim McCreadie; experienced rookie Carson Macedo in a Tarlton car; Blake Hahn in his own No. 52; C.J. Leary driving an Alex Bowman ride; legend Jerry Coons Jr. in a Central Motorsports car; Gary Taylor in a Brian Dunlap machine; and Clinton Boyles running for RAMS Racing.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12

Tuesday is normally easy money for Yung Money; Kyle Larson has won six of the last nine Tuesday features, including the last three-straight. After an unbelievable 46-win season in 2020, Larson is back to defend his Chili Bowl title with Paul Silva on the wrenches of his No. 01.

Among Larson’s biggest challenges are former prelim winner Jonathan Beason with Hard 8 Racing; Michael Faccinto in a Dave Mac Motorsports No. 08K; Shane Golobic leading the way for Matt Wood Racing; Cole Bodine wheeling for Clauson-Marshall Racing; former Chili Bowl top ten finisher Chase Johnson with Sean Michael; Thomas Meseraull in a stout RMS car; and Keith Kunz’s promising rookie Daison Pursley.

Some other names to watch include Danny Stratton with Six 8 Motorsports, Dillon Welch in a Boat ride; Tanner Carrick in another KKM entry; Shane Cottle driving for Johnny Herrera; micro sprint icon Frank Flud in a Hayward car; Mike Hess back with Jim Neuman; and sprint car sensations Cory Eliason, Tony Bruce Jr., and Derek Hagar.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13

Perhaps the toughest night of the week statistically, the mid-week program currently showcases 19 former Chili Bowl main event starters. Per usual, it’s headlined by Rico Abreu, who has won five of the last six Wednesday features. This year, he’s already making headlines with his new partnership with Rowdy Energy and Pit Pay App on his KKM No. 97.

Rico will have to contest the likes of five-time Chili Bowl champion Sammy Swindell; local ace from Collinsville Tyler Thomas; Tulsa Shootout ace Brian Carber making his debut with KKM; former Rookie of the Year Gio Scelzi with Boat; World of Outlaws champion Brad Sweet aligned with Rusty Kunz at RMS; and former preliminary winner Alex Bright moving to Rodela and Malloy.

Also in the mix on Wednesday is NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott in his rookie attempt; Casey Shuman aboard a Brian Dunlap ride; Jake Swanson in the second Alex Bowman car; Colby Copeland and Kevin Thomas Jr. both running for Matt Wood; former main event starters in J.J. Yeley, Jake Neuman, and Robert Dalby; young Petry Motorsports ace Emerson Axsom; and Parker Price-Miller switching to RAMS Racing.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14

Nobody has dominated any particular night as much as Christopher Bell has dominated on Thursday. He’s on a five-year streak of topping Thursday, the longest in Chili Bowl’s 34-year history. He’s led 118 of a possible 130 laps, and he’ll again be the man to beat this year in his CB Industries No. 84X with iRacing onboard.

Bell’s biggest battles will be with Swindell Speedlab’s hired gun Logan Seavey; KKM prodigy Buddy Kofoid in the Mobil1 ride; Matt Wood’s youngest superstar in Zeb Wise; Jason McDougal in a BEAST car with Klatt Enterprises; and Spencer Bayston making his debut with the RMS Racing squad.

Additional drivers to watch include Modified standout Nick Hoffman in his rookie run with RAMS Racing; former main event starters Andrew Felker, Andrew Deal, and Joe B. Miller; Brady Bacon aboard a Hinck No. 21H; ASCS champion Sam Hafertepe Jr; NHRA gasser Austin Prock; Oklahoma’s Tanner Berryhill in his own ride; Kaylee Bryson pairing with KKM for the first time; and Chance Crum aboard a Clauson-Marshall entry.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15

The smallest of all five preliminary fields at the moment, Friday normally ends up being one of the most stacked nights each year. Currently, three former Friday winners are on the docket with Tanner Thorson (’20) driving for Dave Mac, Justin Grant (’17-19) switching to RMS Racing, and Damion Gardner (’08) back with Klatt.

Other hitters to follow on Friday include Tucker Klaasmeyer and Jesse Love out of the KKM camp; 2017 Chili Bowl runner-up Daryn Pittman; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wrapping up the Clauson-Marshall entries; and Aaron Reutzel concluding the CB Industries lineup.

Also in the mix will be Hunter Schurenberg with Reinbold-Underwood; Chase Jones in his Gray No. 81G; Ethan Mitchell in the Bundy Built ride; Jesse Colwell moving over to the Dalby No. 14; former lock-in Ronnie Gardner in the Six 8 car; Justin Allgaier in a Team Ripper machine; Ace McCarthy bringing the big blue bus back with Dave Mac; and multi-time Chili Bowl main event starter Kasey Kahne teaming with Matt Wood for the first time.

The action begins in Tulsa, Oklahoma next Monday with morning practice followed by the first preliminary night that evening. You can watch all five preliminary nights and Saturday’s alphabet soup until the C-Main live on FloRacing.