Chili Bowl Midget Week

What is the Chili Bowl you ask? Simply put it’s motor racing’s answer to football’s Super Bowl. And because it’s held in winter in the middle of North America’s off-season, it attracts a huge number of drivers and teams from all over, some big ones at that.

“Nearly 400 competitors need to be whittled down to just 24 cars for Saturday night’s 55 lap final.”

Held annually two weeks after Christmas inside the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Chili Bowl Midget Car Nationals began in 1987 and takes it’s name from the Chili Bowl food company who initially sponsored the event. Thousands of tons of clay are trucked in for this once a year event. It runs over five days and for good reason. Nearly 400 competitor entries need to be whittled down to just 24 cars for Saturday night’s 55 lap final. And for the winner, they recieve a miniture Golden Driller trophy modelled on the statue outside the arena.

I know what you’re thinking. What makes cars going round and round in circles so special? It’s close, wheel to wheel action. It’s a game of inches. A little bit off and you are having a big crash. And these cars don’t just stop, spin and fall to bits. With their short and narrow wheelbase, they tumble. They take skill to drive quickly. I know, I drive one too! The fastest way around a dirt track is to go sideways. You need to be on the limit to be fast, and that makes it so exciting to watch and to be a part of.

The event is stictly for Midget Cars, but that doesn’t stop outsiders joining in the fun. NASCAR drivers, Indycar drivers and drivers from other dirt track classes. Famous names such as Sammy Swindell, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, AJ Foyt IV and current stars like Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr are only a few to have raced here. And because it is held indoors, the track maintains ideal racing conditions, creating even more stars like Rico Abreu, Christopher Bell and the late Bryan Clauson.

UK's Tom Harris head New Zealand's Michael Pickens

There is a lot of overseas interest too. Because Midgets also compete in Australia and New Zealand, the best from these nations often turn up such as well-known New Zealand champ Michael Pickens. There has even been entries from further afield, with British Stockcar racer Tom Harris competing the last few years.

The near 400 cars are split up into four groups, each of which competes on one of the four preliminary qualifying nights. And with only the top three from each qualifying night making it directly into Saturday’s A Main final, there is absolutely no room for error. The balance of competitors from each night get filtered into what the locals call “the alphabet soup” on Saturday. The top four or six competitors from each B, C, D right down to the O Mains move up to the next lettered Main in an attempt to make it up to the A Main. All these races are last chance eliminators so make for epic viewing.

NASCAR's Kyle Larson gets caught out and rolls

The latest edition threw up some surprises with Tyler Courtney, Travis Berryhill, Christopher Bell and Justin Grant winning ecah of the four prelim qualifying nights. Big names such as Sammy Swindell, favourite Kyle Larson and two-time definding Chili Bowl champ Rico Abreu all among those who were unable to qualify and were buried deep in the alphabet.

Racing on Saturday kicks off in the mid-morning, making this a full day of dirt track entertainment. The biggest mover through the alphabet was Thomas Meseraull who impressively came from the D Main to make it all the way in to the A Main. Justin Grant started on the pole position and led the early part of the 55 lap main event, before Christopher Bell passed him. Bell led the remainder of the race to win his first Golden Driller trophy. Regular Sprintcar driver Darryn Pittman came from the midfield to finish second and Justin Grant rounded off the podium.

All 400 teams are house inside the massive Expo Center

This place is petrolhead heaven. Or in this case Methanol-head heaven. To see it, hear it, feel it, is something else. ◀