Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is uniquely qualified to speak about the similarities between the Chili Bowl Nationals and the Daytona 500. Few drivers have competed as extensively in both marquee events—and found success at the highest level. Drawing on that experience, Stenhouse recently explained just how difficult it is to win either race during an interview with FloRacing.
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Stenhouse has made 18 career starts at the Chili Bowl Nationals. While Victory Lane has eluded him there, he recorded his best finish of seventh in 2021. His story at the Daytona 500, however, is markedly different.
In 2023, he captured the sport’s most prestigious race with JTG Daugherty Racing, stunning the NASCAR world in the process. To this day, Stenhouse regards that triumph as the single greatest moment of his career.
He said, “Winning at Daytona, getting out of the car, standing on top of it in front of thousands of fans… It was the peak of my racing wins. Winning a Chili Bowl would be really similar to standing on your car at the Daytona 500.”
The idea of everybody he respects watching the event along with fans makes him desire to win the midget race even more.
“It’s the biggest race of the year for each of the disciplines of racing, but they’re just very difficult to win.”
2023 Daytona 500 winner @StenhouseJr compares how difficult it is to win “The Great American Race” and #ChiliBowl.#Daytona500 ️ https://t.co/RiUJDMJ40u pic.twitter.com/2bKZrjIB9q
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 8, 2026
“I could only imagine what it would be like to win that race,” he added. Had it not been for his dirt racing roots, Stenhouse might never have gotten the chance to be a full-time Cup Series driver. He understands this and wants to give back to the discipline that gave him a career. He put a huge emphasis on its standards and noted that a successful dirt racer can be successful in every other discipline.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell is another standout driver whose rise is rooted in dirt racing. Like Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Bell began his career in midgets and has since developed into one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ top competitors. When asked to compare the Chili Bowl Nationals with the Daytona 500, Bell noted that the Chili Bowl holds a unique edge because it brings together drivers from multiple disciplines and experience levels.
By contrast, the Daytona 500 features only NASCAR drivers. Bell views the Chili Bowl as a true measuring stick, where competitors can test themselves against some of the best talent across all of motorsports, not just stock cars. Unlike Stenhouse, Bell has already captured a Chili Bowl Nationals victory, but the Daytona 500 remains elusive.
As a result, both drivers enter each season with something left to chase, hoping to complete their résumés with wins in the sport’s most iconic events.
