Emerson Axsom came out of Tulsa as the latest champion of the Chili Bowl Nationals on Saturday. The youngster proved his merit against some of the most elite drivers in the country, among whom was defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. However, he did have his share of misfortune that helped Axsom grab the win.
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Larson, also the defending Chili Bowl champion, needed no lessons on how to win the race. He secured pole and won the A-Mains feature, positioning himself as a strong favorite to win the title throughout the week. In the finale, he lined up on the pole, outside Axsom, went on to lead the first three laps, before Axsom grabbed that position from him on the fourth.
The youngster told the press later, “I told myself that I’m not going to race him like he’s Kyle Larson. I feel like a lot of guys, including the national-level guys I race against every week, see Kyle, and they almost back down.
“If it were anyone else, they’d have raced harder.” Axsom’s mindset paid off, and he kept the Cup Series superstar for the subsequent laps.
On Lap 16, Larson made contact with a slow car down the backstretch and flipped his own. This accident eliminated him from the race and removed a big threat to Axsom’s neck. He went on to battle against other foes and ultimately came out on top.
In his post-race interview, Axsom spoke about how his thought process changed from when Larson was in contention and when he wasn’t. “He’s a very smart racer,” he said. “He would have been waiting for me to mess up. Once I saw him wreck, I felt like he was the only guy who had a shot against me early.
“When I was watching the screen, he seemed to be really close. It was like a little bit of weight off my shoulders. I didn’t have to be stressed about being perfect every lap.”
Emerson Axsom scored his first #ChiliBowl win tonight and had to run hard against Kyle Larson early on.
“(Larson)’s 90 percent is my 110 percent.” pic.twitter.com/okDMoa9WFz
— Christopher DeHarde (@CDeHarde) January 18, 2026
Axsom believes that Larson’s 90% is his 110%. To have such a strong contender out of the mix truly worked in his favor. He went on to state that the playing field was a lot more level with Larson out. Just as the rest of the world, Axsom isn’t yet able to believe the magnitude of his achievement. Larson, too, expressed how impressed he had been with the youngster’s race craft.
