Kyle Larson saw his bid for a third Chili Bowl Nationals title end abruptly Saturday night, just 15 laps into the 2026 main event, after a flip took the defending Golden Driller winner out of the feature.

When Kyle Larson won his second Golden Driller last year at the Chili Bowl Nationals, it felt a bit like destiny was being fulfilled. After flaming out in 2024, and failing to make the main feature, Larson was determined to put himself back atop the podium.

The 40th Chili Bowl Nationals presented by NOS Energy Drink opened Monday night with defending champion Kyle Larson winning the first preliminary feature. Larson advanced from the fourth starting position to claim his record ninth career Chili Bowl preliminary victory.

Defending Chili Bowl Nationals champion Kyle Larson was competing in Heat Race 6 on opening night of the 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals when he narrowly avoided a flip.

Dirt racing's finest assemble on the Tulsa Expo Raceway for the world's greatest midget race, the Chili Bowl Nationals.

Kyle Larson has simplified his approach to winning another Golden Driller in this year’s Tulsa Shootout.

A trio of NASCAR Cup Series stars will kick off the 2026 racing season in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Ty Gibbs are all slated to open the new year by competing in the 2026 Tulsa Shootout, the premier event in Micro Sprint racing.

Last year, the famed Tulsa Shootout celebrated 40 editions – four decades of history and memories, 40 years of champions, countless truckloads of dirt to transform the SageNet Center at Expo Square in Tulsa, Oklahoma, into a world-renowned dirt track.

The Chili Bowl Nationals is just about one month away, and the entry list continues to grow. Officially joining the party once again are two of the biggest names in motorsports, with five Golden Drillers between them.

The grandstands have been put up, the dirt has been dropped down, and that means the biggest event in micro sprint racing is right around the corner. With the Tulsa Shootout just a couple of short weeks away, it’s time to take another look at the entry list, which is now closing in on the record for entries.

ELK GROVE, Calif.—As an aspiring racer growing up in Northern California, Kyle Larson could not have imagined winning one NASCAR Cup Championship, let alone two.

Kyle Larson is now a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion following Sunday’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway. The Elk Grove, California, native plans to enjoy the title for a few weeks before getting back behind the wheel of a race car.

Dirt racing enthusiasts are eager to know: When will Kyle Larson step away from NASCAR full-time to go back to his Sprint Car roots year-round?

The championship four is set. One race remains to settle the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship. One past champion is in the field in Kyle Larson, and three drivers who are hoping to add their names to the legendary list of champions before them in Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and William Byron. And one thing all four of these drivers have in common is an extensive short track racing past that has helped define their present.

A third Larson parked their vehicle in victory lane at Salisbury, North Carolina’s Millbridge Speedway on Tuesday night. Seven-year-old Audrey Larson took the checkered flag for the very first time on Tuesday in the Cadet division, joining her older brother, Owen and her father, Kyle Larson, as winners at the 1/6-mile oval.