By T.J. Buffenbarger
(January 13, 2024) — The 39th edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals pushes off tonight with the 2nd Opinion Auto Qualifying Night along with the O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions. 71 teams are entered as of Monday morning with only one having a driver that has not been announced.
Here are my picks to lock into the Saturday finale along with a few other drivers on note worth keeping eyes on if you are involved in any kind of Chili Bowl pools (for entertainment purposes only).
Who I feel will be the most likely to lock into Saturday’s finale….
Kyle Larson headlines Monday’s activities participating in the preliminary night activities and the Race of Champions. Larson is chasing his third Chili Bowl Nationals title driving a Silva Motorsports entry. Larson has seven preliminary victories to his credit at Tulsa and at one point rambled off four preliminary wins in a row (2018-2021) before finishing second in 2022 and 24th last year.
After running into issues last year after a last-minute effort to compete at Tulsa, Larson is clearly one of the favorites to lock into the finale going into Monday’s preliminary feature.
Cannon McIntosh has three preliminary feature wins at the Chili Bowl going into Monday’s program. Over the past four years McIntosh has alternated first and sixth place finishes during his preliminary night. Driving for the massive 15 car for Keith Kunz Motorsports at the Chili Bowl, McIntosh should be among those in or around a lock in spot for the finale.
Tanner Carrick doesn’t receive as much attention as a lot of drivers going into his preliminary night each year, but his record speaks for itself with two feature wins in the past three seasons at the Chili Bowl.
I’ve been bullish about how talented Briggs Danner is for several years. Danner scored a third-place finish on his preliminary night in 2024. For 205 Danner will be paired with Alex Bowman racing and I expect to be near or exceeding his podium finish last year.
Keep an eye on…
Zach Wigel is a product of the popular USAC Speed2 Midwest Thunder midgets that spends a lot of time racing around Wigel’s home state of Ohio. Wigel was sporty at the Tulsa Shootout this year and is paired up with one of the super teams in midget racing today in Chad Boat Motorsports. Expect Wigel to make some noise in his maden voyage at the Chili Bowl and be a top contender for rookie of the year honors.
Justin Peck is primarily known as a sprint car driver in 2025, but Peck also did a considerable amount of midget racing early in his career. This will be Peck’s first preliminary night at the Chili Bowl since 2022 when he left with a disappointing 21st place finish, his previous efforts netted top 10 finishes five out the previous six efforts at Tulsa. Peck could surprise some people on Monday.
Brent Crews is one of the most highly touted young drivers in North American motorsports and I expect he will exceed his 24th place preliminary feature he netted in 2024.
Ashton Torgerson looked sporty last week during the Tulsa Shootout and will be a strong candidate to be near the front during his third Chili Bowl Nationals effort driving for Keith Kunz Motorsports.
Other notable entries on Monday includes….
• World of Outlaws competitor Bill Balog, who has some Badger Midget Auto Racing Association experience on his resume.
• Late Model standout Nick Hoffman.
• The fastest commentator in racing, Dillion Welch, who has multiple standout performances at the Chili Bowl.
• Midget car veterans Jerry Coons Jr. and Gary Taylor.
• Talented driver and social media standout Tanner Holmes, who may have the most laps turned this winter by any driver at Chili Bowl racing a full slate of outlaw kart races.
• Long time Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association competitor Keith Rauch.
• California standout in sprint and midget car racing, Shane Golobic.
Entries of note for our Great Lakes region audience includes….
• Young Canadian standout Jacob Dykstra.
• Ohio representation by 410 sprint car driver Cap Henry, 360 standout Devon Dobie, and Alex Cogley from the lightning sprint ranks.
• Kevin Newton, known more for his involvement in the business side of the sport with Honest Abe Roofing sponsorship, has extensive midget experience in the past with a NAMARS feature win at Kokomo and winged pavement sprint car victories at Winchester Speedway and other venues.