Kyle Larson dominates early only to flip; Christopher Bell battles to top-10 finish as Emerson Axsom claims first golden driller at the 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa
TULSA, Okla. - The 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals, held at the Tulsa Expo Raceway inside the SageNet Center, once again drew a star-studded field of competitors, including several prominent drivers from the NASCAR world.
This iconic midget car event, often called the "Super Bowl of dirt midget racing," featured intense competition across qualifying nights and the championship finale on Saturday, January 17.
NASCAR stars brought their skills to the tight, high-banked indoor quarter-mile, but the ultra-competitive nature of the Chili Bowl meant mixed results for most. Here's a detailed breakdown of how each NASCAR-affiliated driver performed during the week-long event.
Kyle Larson, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion and a three-time Chili Bowl winner (2020, 2021, and 2025), entered his 18th attempt as one of the clear favorites. He made a strong start to the week, finishing seventh in Monday's prestigious O'Reilly Auto Parts Race of Champions (won by Christopher Bell).
Larson then dominated his qualifying night on Monday, charging from fourth to take the lead by lap 10 in the 30-lap preliminary A-Main. Despite pressure from Briggs Danner and Cannon McIntosh, and a mid-race caution involving contact with a lapped car, Larson secured the victory and a direct transfer to Saturday's 55-lap championship feature.
On championship Saturday, Larson earned the pole position after excelling in the pole shuffle. He led the early laps before Emerson Axsom took over on lap 4.
Running second, Larson was unfortunately collected in a flip on lap 15, resulting in a DNF and ending his bid for a fourth Golden Driller trophy. It was a disappointing end to what had been a dominant week for the versatile dirt and pavement star.
Christopher Bell, a three-time Chili Bowl champion (2017-2019) and Oklahoma native making his 13th appearance, kicked off the event in style. He captured a flag-to-flag victory in Monday's Race of Champions, driving his own equipment for the first time and securing his fourth win in the invite-only showcase. Bell described the nerves of ownership adding extra reward to the triumph.
On Thursday's qualifying night, Bell was arguably even more impressive, winning his heat and qualifier before charging from eighth to take the lead in the final seven laps of the preliminary A-Main for his ninth prelim night win overall.
In the Saturday championship feature, starting fifth, Bell ran consistently in the top five late in the race and held on to finish eighth — a solid result in a stacked 24-car field, though short of adding another title to his resume.
Jesse Love, the reigning NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, returned to the Chili Bowl after competing in 2024. Driving a car owned by Blake Harris (crew chief for Alex Bowman in Cup), Love finished 16th in Monday's Race of Champions.
On his Friday qualifying night, he advanced through heats and qualifiers, won a B-Main to reach the A-Main, and finished sixth — but dramatically flipped crossing the finish line on the final lap. The incident led his team to withdraw from Saturday's championship night, ending his week early.
Ty Gibbs, the 2022 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion in his second Chili Bowl appearance, had a challenging week. On Tuesday's qualifying night, he finished second in his heat, fifth in his qualifier, started seventh in the A-Main, and ended up 14th.
Attempting to transfer forward on Saturday, Gibbs was collected in an incident in the C-Main, resulting in a DNF and no advancement to the championship feature.
J.J. Yeley, a Chili Bowl legend with 30 attempts and eight championship feature appearances (including a 2007 runner-up and a historic 69-position advance in 2004), competed on Tuesday. He started the A-Main on the front row after strong prelim runs but faded to 10th.
On Saturday, Yeley advanced from a C-Main to a B-Main but spun early and finished 16th, missing the A-Main once again.
Sheldon Creed, making his Chili Bowl debut while racing full-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, showed promise on Tuesday. He advanced through a B-Main to the A-Main but finished 24th.
On Saturday, his attempt to climb through the alphabet features ended in the E-Main, where he was eliminated.
Corey Day, recently signed for a full NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season with Hendrick Motorsports and in his fifth Chili Bowl attempt, had a solid Wednesday qualifying night.
After not finishing the Race of Champions, he won his heat, finished fourth in his qualifier, started seventh in the A-Main, and came home sixth. On Saturday, starting ninth in a B-Main, Day was caught in a crash not of his making and finished 19th, ending his bid to return to the championship feature (where he previously finished third in 2024).
Gavan Boschele, set for most of the ARCA Menards Series schedule with Nitro Motorsports and driving a Kyle Busch-owned midget in his fourth Chili Bowl, advanced to the Tuesday A-Main and finished eighth.
On Saturday, he narrowly made the championship feature after a seventh in a B-Main, starting 23rd and racing to a respectable 14th in the 55-lap finale — his best Chili Bowl showing yet.
Jake Johnson, a 2024 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner making his Chili Bowl debut, had a tough Thursday, finishing 10th in a C-Main. On Saturday, he ended with ninth in an M-Main.
Ryan Roulette, an ARCA Menards Series competitor and U.S. Air Force pilot in his debut, finished eighth in Thursday's C-Main. He wrapped up with 10th in an L-Main on Saturday morning.
Overall, the 2026 Chili Bowl highlighted the depth of talent in midget racing, with Emerson Axsom claiming the Golden Driller in a thrilling finale.
NASCAR drivers like Larson and Bell showed flashes of dominance, but the event's unforgiving nature — from flips to traffic battles — ensured no easy victories. These stars' versatility across disciplines continues to make the Chili Bowl a must-watch crossover spectacle.