Joe Gibbs Racing recently green-lit their drivers to hit the dirt tracks this off-season, before the 2025 Cup series. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson remains a staunch advocate for grassroots racing, keen on elevating the profile of sprint and midget car racing. But what exactly is grassroots racing and midget racing?
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In essence, grassroots racing represents the foundational level of amateur racing, where anyone with a motor vehicle can throw their hat in the ring. On the other hand, midget car racing is a specialized branch of grassroots motorsports. In these races, drivers pilot single-seater cars that boast a high power-to-engine ratio.
The machines are typically powered by four-cylinder engines, tip the scales at about 900 pounds, and churn out approximately 300 horsepower. That’s precisely why, despite their capability to achieve high speeds, midget cars are also quite susceptible to rollovers.
This characteristic makes them an excellent training ground for young drivers like Brexton Busch and Keelan Harvick, teaching them car control skills.
Midget car races tend to be short, usually no more than 25 miles long, and take place on a variety of surfaces including dirt, asphalt, concrete, or even wooden tracks like the ones at New Jersey’s Nutley Velodrome.
The first-ever midget car race took place in 1933 in Los Angeles, but the lightweight and nimble nature of these cars, coupled with their swift handling, initially posed a significant challenge for drivers.
Chase Briscoe, reflecting last year on his experiences, noted that these characteristics of midget cars helped him in NASCAR races. After mastering the quick and tricky midget cars, NASCAR Cup cars seem comparatively slower and easier to manage.
One of the most prominent midget car events currently is the Chili Bowl. Every year, the Tulsa Expo Center transforms itself, constructing a race track from scratch to host two major events: the Tulsa Shootout and the Chili Bowl Nationals, which showcase Dirt Midgets akin to those that race in series like the USAC Midget National Championship.
While NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson took part in last year’s Chili Bowl, this year he’ll be overseas competing in his High Limit Racing event in Australia. However, drivers like Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs are expected to grace the Chili Bowl later this winter.
Kyle Busch will compete in the upcoming Chili Bowl Nationals
The 2024 season wasn’t one for the books for Busch, marking his first in 19 years without securing a win. Looking to reset and rebuild, the #8 Richard Childress Racing driver recently confirmed his participation in the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals.
Typically found on the sidelines cheering on his son Brexton at dirt track events, Busch is taking a more hands-on approach this off-season. He’s not only stepping back onto the dirt himself but is also making his debut in the USAC Nationals Midget series, thanks to a new partnership with Floracing.
Busch shared his motivation for this new direction, explaining, “The biggest reason why I’ve changed my mind now is having more experience with being on the dirt. Knowing a little bit more of what to expect. For years, I never really raced open-wheeled cars, never ran sprint cars or midgets or micros.”
He openly admitted that his size — being heavier and taller than many competitors — makes it challenging to compete in these lightweight, nimble cars, especially against the sprightly younger racers.
