Heading to the Chili Bowl Nationals? Check this out

“Midget racing’s answer to the Super Bowl,” the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, takes place Tuesday through Saturday, January 8th through 12th at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There are more than 250 entrants for the 27th-annual indoor midget racing event, which features four nights of qualifying preceding Saturday night’s feature events on the 1/4-mile clay oval.

The Chili Bowl Nationals has entrants from 32 states plus Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Finland. Among the high profile drivers on the entry list: three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champ Tony Stewart, World of Outlaws Sprint Car champ Sammy Swindell and his son, ARCA Racing Series driver Kevin, J.J. Yeley, Bobby East, Dakota Armstrong, Tracy Hines, Kyle O’Gara (nephew of IndyCar owner Sarah Fisher), Justin Allgaier, Bryan Clauson and 2012 K&N Pro Series East champ Kyle Larson.

Past winners of the event include Stewart (2002 and 2007), both Swindells (Kevin – 2010, 2011 and 2012 and Sammy – 1989, 1992, 1996, 1998 and 2009), Dave Blaney (1993), McCreadie (2006) and the late Rich Vogler (1987).

Also part of the Chili Bowl Nationals is the associated trade show, which is open to the public each day (Tuesday through Saturday) and free of charge. Racing products, apparel and more will be available with well over 100 vendors.

The schedule for the 2013 Chili Bowl Nationals is as follows:

  • January 8th – Warren CAT Qualifying Night and VIROC V
  • January 9th – River Spirit Casino Qualifying Night
  • January 10th – John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night
  • January 11th – Vacuworx Global Qualifying Night
  • January 12th – Lucas Oil/General Tire Chili Bowl Nationals Championship Saturday

Grandstands open Tuesday through Friday at 3 p.m. CT, with racing starting at 6 p.m. CT; on Saturday, grandstands open at 9 a.m. CT, with racing getting underway at noon CT. A limited number of tickets may be available for the event – call 918-838-3777 for information on available tickets.

Get official updates on the Chili Bowl Nationals at www.chilibowl.com throughout the event.

Check out Paula’s Examiner columns on motorsports:

Follow Paula on:

Contact Paula at paulathompsonfreelance@gmail.com

Advertisement

, Motorsports Travel Examiner

Paula Thompson is a long-time auto racing fan who enjoys experiencing her favorite sport in person, from local dirt tracks to NASCAR superspeedways. Join Paula as she looks at the major racing series' schedules, popular short tracks around the country, and special events featuring your favorite...

Today's top buzz...