3 things to watch before NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1 start
By Joe Capraro
Things to watch: No. 2 – Back to their roots in the Chili Bowl
The annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals midget racing championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma have been popular with NASCAR drivers in recent years.
It's almost here. #ChiliBowl2022 pic.twitter.com/196QX0rMW4
— Chili Bowl Nationals (@cbnationals) December 20, 2021
In fact, reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson won the Chili Bowl in 2020 and 2021, and two-year Cup Series veteran Christopher Bell won it in each of the three years before Larson’s run.
Larson and Bell are both set to return in 2022, and they will be joined by seven other Cup Series regulars, including 2020 champion Chase Elliott. Eight-year IndyCar veteran Conor Daly is also set to compete.
They’ll be competing alongside 66-year-old midget racing legend Sammy Swindel, who has made appearances in NASCAR and Champ Car races, and two-time Chili Bowl winner Rico Abreu, along with nearly 400 others.
Take a ride with @1sam91 at the 2021 @cbnationals!
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) December 17, 2021
Swindell and the Chili Bowl may have the most interesting single-event legacy in all of auto racing; he won the event five times over a 21-year span from 1989 to 2009. Former winners also include NASCAR’s Tony Stewart and Dave Blaney as well as Indy Racing League veteran Billy Boat.
The Chili Bowl has traditionally drawn top drivers just for the fun factor. It’s also a magnificent fan experience, so if you’re anywhere near Tulsa, this is one event not to miss. It’s the best of the best of local racing, condensed and distilled into a week of dirty fun.
Preliminary rounds are being held this week, and a champion will be crowned on Saturday, January 15.