The annual Chili Bowl event is scheduled to take place between January 12 and 18. The 2025 event would mark the debut for Richard Childress Racing driver, Kyle Busch. But he isn’t the only NASCAR driver to race at the iconic event. Just weeks before the massive event, several NASCAR drivers have confirmed that they will start their stint on the dirt with the 2025 Tulsa Shootout.
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The 2025 Tulsa Shootout marks the 40th installment of the ‘Mecca of Micros’ event, which kicks off on December 31 at the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
An impressive lineup features 1,653 entries from 697 drivers spanning 43 states and three countries, including the NASCAR stars, Christopher Bell, Busch, and Kyle Larson, who are set to start the new year by competing in the pinnacle of Micro Sprint racing.
Bell, a veteran of the Tulsa Shootout who clinched the Winged Outlaw title in 2017, returns after a three-year hiatus, aiming for his second A-Main victory at the event in both the Winged Outlaw and Non-Wing Outlaw divisions.
The appearance comes as part of his warm-up for the Chili Bowl Nationals in January, where he seeks to add to his trio of titles. Bell made his Tulsa Shootout debut back in 2009, competing in the Winged A-Class division.
It will be Busch’s third appearance in the event, this time not only as a competitor but also as a proud father, racing alongside his son, Brexton.
As the reigning 600cc Winged Micro Sprint champion from Millbridge Speedway, Busch is getting ready to challenge in all four premier divisions — Winged Outlaw, Non-Wing Outlaw, Winged A-Class, and Stock Non-Wing — a step up from his previous focus solely on the Non-Wing Outlaw division.
Larson, with a Tulsa Shootout victory already under his belt, returns to the fray as he gets ready for a bid at his third Chili Bowl Nationals title.
Like Busch, Larson is committed to competing across all four premier divisions, making this event a family endeavor as well, with his son Owen Larson vying in the Restricted A-Class and Junior Sprints, where he will race against Brexton Busch.
Adding to the family legacy at the track, Wyatt Miller, scion of the NASCAR dynasty with Kelley Earnhardt as his mother, Dale Earnhardt Jr. as his uncle, and the legendary Dale Earnhardt as his grandfather, is stepping up his game.
Following his win in last year’s Tulsa Shootout Restricted A-Class main event, Miller is poised to compete across all four premier divisions, aiming to add to his burgeoning racing credentials.
Why did Bell take nearly 3 years to come back to the sprint cars?
Bell’s return to dirt after a nearly three-year hiatus wasn’t without its reasons. Renowned for his abilities on dirt tracks, Bell, a three-time winner of the illustrious Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, had distanced himself from dirt racing since mid-2022, with only a couple of micro sprint races to his name in the interim.
The break was partly influenced by the incident involving Alex Bowman, who suffered a back injury in a sprint car crash, missing four crucial races and ultimately missing out on playoff qualification.
The happening led Joe Gibbs to firmly discourage the participation of the JGR drivers in potentially risky non-NASCAR events to avoid jeopardizing their season.
However, a recent shift in Gibbs’ policy now allows drivers more freedom to engage in racing outside of NASCAR, which rekindled Bell’s participation in dirt track events.
Surprised yet encouraged by this policy reversal, Bell sees it as a boon for stock car drivers. He argued that with the current scarcity of practice and testing in NASCAR, the additional track time on dirt could enhance their skills and performance in the Cup Series.
