The inaugural Chili Bowl was organized by Lanny Edwards and partner Emmett Hahn in 1987. Its name derived from a local company that sponsored the first event. That debut drew 52 midgets competing across a two-day program.
The event grew steadily over the following decades. By 2020 more than 341 cars had entered for a single edition, making it one of the most heavily subscribed short-track events in North America. The structure evolved to span five qualifying nights held across the week leading up to the Saturday night A-main. Each qualifying night carries heat races, dash-type events, and a 25-lap feature. Drivers who finish poorly in their heat must work through a cascading ladder of consolation events — designated P through B — to reach the A-main field. Originally the event concluded on the second Saturday of January; since 2009 it has typically ended on the third Saturday.
A Race of Champions, contested among past Chili Bowl winners and nominated guests, awards its winner a guaranteed starting position in the A-main. Should the defending champion or Race of Champions winner fail to transfer, they are added as the 25th and 26th cars in the field.
The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame uses the event as its annual induction ceremony.
The Tulsa Expo Center provides a self-contained environment for the event. The venue seats approximately 15,000 fans and houses all competing cars, bleachers, and a trade show under a single roof. The clay surface is sourced from the adjacent fairgrounds and is unaffected by weather, wind, or sun — giving the indoor track a consistency that outdoor venues cannot match.
The A-main was originally contested over 50 laps. Following the death of driver Donnie Ray Crawford III in a domestic violence incident while he was preparing to attend the 2012 event, the feature was expanded to 55 laps in his honor, corresponding to his car number. For the 2025 edition only, the race distance was reduced to 40 laps.
The winner receives the "Golden Driller" trophy, named after the 76-foot statue that stands outside the Expo Center.
The Chili Bowl draws competitors from across American motorsport. The 2007 field included NASCAR Cup drivers Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, and Justin Allgaier; World of Outlaws sprint car regulars Terry McCarl and Sammy Swindell; IndyCar drivers A. J. Foyt IV and Tom Bigelow; and NHRA champions Cruz Pedregon and Gary Scelzi. By 2008 the entry list spanned 29 American states, Canada, and Australia.
Stewart, a two-time winner, described the event as the one place that concentrates the finest dirt open-wheel talent from USAC, Badger Midgets, the Rocky Mountain Midget Association, World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, and Silver Crown — all competing for roughly two dozen spots in a single feature.
Rich Vogler won the inaugural 1987 A-main. Sammy Swindell holds the record with five victories (1989, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2009). His son Kevin Swindell won four consecutive titles from 2010 through 2013. Christopher Bell took three straight wins from 2017 to 2019. Kyle Larson won in 2020, 2021, and 2025. Rico Abreu, Tony Stewart, Dan Boorse, Cory Kruseman, and Logan Seavey are among the two-time winners.
Full A-main winners by year:
1987: Rich Vogler
1988: Scott Hatton
1989: Sammy Swindell
1990: Johnny Heydenreich
1991: Lealand McSpadden
1992: Sammy Swindell
1993: Dave Blaney
1994: Andy Hillenburg
1995: Donnie Beechler
1996: Sammy Swindell
1997: Billy Boat
1998: Sammy Swindell
1999: Dan Boorse
2000: Cory Kruseman
2001: Jay Drake
2002: Tony Stewart
2003: Dan Boorse
2004: Cory Kruseman
2005: Tracy Hines
2006: Tim McCreadie
2007: Tony Stewart
2008: Damion Gardner
2009: Sammy Swindell
2010: Kevin Swindell
2011: Kevin Swindell
2012: Kevin Swindell
2013: Kevin Swindell
2014: Bryan Clauson
2015: Rico Abreu
2016: Rico Abreu
2017: Christopher Bell
2018: Christopher Bell
2019: Christopher Bell
2020: Kyle Larson
2021: Kyle Larson
2022: Tanner Thorson
2023: Logan Seavey
2024: Logan Seavey
2025: Kyle Larson
2026: Emerson Axsom
The Chili Bowl has become the defining indoor dirt-track event in North America. Its multi-night qualifying structure ensures that only genuine performance — sustained across heat races, consolation events, and a Saturday night feature — determines the final field, making the Golden Driller one of the most hard-earned trophies in American grassroots racing. The event's ability to attract stars from NASCAR, IndyCar, and the World of Outlaws simultaneously underscores midget car racing's role as the common foundation of American open-wheel motorsport.