Chili Bowl Nationals

The inaugural event was organized by Lanny Edwards and partner Emmett Hahn in 1987 and named after a local company that sponsored it. That first race featured 52 midgets competing over two days.

The modern format spans five days of qualifiers for the Saturday night A-main event, with over 341 cars entered for the 2020 race. One fifth of the drivers compete on each qualifying night, which includes heat races, dash-type events, and a 25-lap feature. Drivers who finish poorly in their heat must advance through a series of alphabet events — a driver starting in the lowest "P" event must finish high in P, O, N, M, L, K, J, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, and B events in sequence to reach the A-main. The A-main field consists of between 24 and 26 cars, drawn from the top finishers of qualifying nights and the top seven from Saturday's two B-main events.

The winner of the second-night Race of Champions — contested among past Chili Bowl-winning drivers, nominees from former champion teams, and the reigning national Midget Driver of the Year — earns a guaranteed A-main starting position. If the previous year's Chili Bowl winner or the Race of Champions winner fails to qualify, they are added as the 25th and 26th cars in the field.

The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame uses the event to induct its next class of members. Since 2009, the event generally concludes on the third Saturday of January. Fans have long tracked the "flip count" of overturned cars; the count reached 77 in 2020, 69 in 2021, 67 in 2022, and was stopped at 29 in 2023.

The track is built inside the Tulsa Expo Center, home of the 76-foot (23 m) Golden Driller statue, which accommodates bleachers for 15,000 fans alongside the racing surface and a trade show all under one roof. The clay for the track comes from the adjacent fairgrounds. Because the track is indoors, the racing surface is unaffected by wind, sun, or adverse weather.

The event draws competitors from diverse motorsport backgrounds, particularly those with roots in midget car racing. The 2007 field included NASCAR drivers Tony Stewart, Justin Allgaier, J. J. Yeley, A. J. Fike, Josh Wise, Kasey Kahne, and Jason Leffler; World of Outlaws sprint car drivers Terry McCarl, Tim McCreadie, Danny Lasoski, and Sammy Swindell; NHRA drag racing champions Cruz Pedregon and Gary Scelzi; and IndyCar drivers A. J. Foyt IV, Tom Bigelow, and Billy Boat. Drivers in 2008 came from 29 American states, Canada, and Australia.

Tony Stewart, a two-time winner, described the event as the only place where the best midget drivers from USAC, Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, and the Rocky Mountain Midget Association join sprint car and Silver Crown competitors and World of Outlaws drivers in one venue, all competing for 24 starting spots. USAC Triple Crown winner Dave Darland noted the event draws drivers from New Zealand, Australia, NASCAR, NHRA, and IndyCar.

The A-main feature was originally a 50-lap race. In 2012, the distance was expanded to 55 laps to honor driver Donnie Ray Crawford III — who carried the number 55 and was killed in a domestic violence incident while traveling to the venue — and who was to have attended the University of Oklahoma the following week. For 2025 only, the feature was reduced to 40 laps.

The winner receives a trophy called the "Golden Driller" after the statue outside the building. Sammy Swindell holds the record with five victories. His son Kevin Swindell won four consecutive times. Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson are three-time winners. Dan Boorse, Tony Stewart, Cory Kruseman, Rico Abreu, and Logan Seavey are two-time winners.

1987 – Rich Vogler

1988 – Scott Hatton

1989 – Sammy Swindell

1990 – Johnny Heydenreich

1991 – Lealand McSpadden

1992 – Sammy Swindell (2)

1993 – Dave Blaney

1994 – Andy Hillenburg

1995 – Donnie Beechler

1996 – Sammy Swindell (3)

1997 – Billy Boat

1998 – Sammy Swindell (4)

1999 – Dan Boorse

2000 – Cory Kruseman

2001 – Jay Drake

2002 – Tony Stewart

2003 – Dan Boorse (2)

2004 – Cory Kruseman (2)

2005 – Tracy Hines

2006 – Tim McCreadie

2007 – Tony Stewart (2)

2008 – Damion Gardner

2009 – Sammy Swindell (5)

2010 – Kevin Swindell

2011 – Kevin Swindell (2)

2012 – Kevin Swindell (3) (first 55-lap race)

2013 – Kevin Swindell (4)

2014 – Bryan Clauson

2015 – Rico Abreu

2016 – Rico Abreu (2)

2017 – Christopher Bell

2018 – Christopher Bell (2)

2019 – Christopher Bell (3)

2020 – Kyle Larson

2021 – Kyle Larson (2)

2022 – Tanner Thorson

2023 – Logan Seavey

2024 – Logan Seavey (2)

2025 – Kyle Larson (3) (40-lap race)

2026 – Emerson Axsom

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