Conor Daly Prepared for Chili Bowl Return, Eyes NASCAR Starts
Jan 4, 2022
Having already set a new record for number of entries, the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals may reach another benchmark on Saturday as teams begin to unload at the Tulsa Expo Center in Oklahoma.
400.
This is the eighth consecutive year that the race has eclipsed 300 and the list features champions and contenders from the NASCAR Cup Series, IndyCar, World of Outlaws, All Stars Circuit of Champions and USAC.
The current list is headlined by the previous two Cup Series champions in Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. Larson is seeking is a third consecutive Golden Driller Trophy and will once again have Sprint Car crew chief Paul Silva turning wrenches.
This year, Elliott will have Larson as a teammate with both Hendrick Motorsports drivers racing under the Kyle Larson Inc. banner.
Christopher Bell won the Golden Driller Trophy from 2017-2019 with Keith Kunz Motorsports and will return to that organization in 2022 after two years racing with Chad Boat. This year, Bell will have an astounding 14 teammates with Kunz: Gavan Boschele, Jesse Love, Tanner Carrick, Buddy Kofoid, Steven Snyder, Kaylee Bryson, Taylor Reimer, Jonathan Shafer, Mariah Ede, Brenham Crouch, Bryant Wiedeman, Tom Harris, Tucker Klaasmeyer and Rico Abreu.
That's two-time Chili Bowl race winner Rico Abreu, by the way, alongside USAC National Midget champion Kofoid. Wiedeman is the POWRi National Midget Champion.
Both major 410 Sprint Car champions are on the massive entry list in the form of World of Outlaws titlist Brad Sweet driving for Rusty Kunz Racing and All-Star Circuit of Champions title holder Tyler Courtney in a Clauson Marshall Racing car.
Other entries with national pedigrees include 18 race NASCAR Cup Series winner Kasey Kahne driving for Reinbold Underwood Motorsports
Chase Briscoe will return to the NASCAR Cup Series with Stewart Haas Racing but will once again compete for his self-owned No. 5 in the Chili Bowl. Other Cup Series notables include Alex Bowman in his own equipment alongside CJ Leary, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Newman driving for Clauson Marshall.
JJ Yeley will drive for Glenn Styres out of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada.
NASCAR and IndyCar regular Santino Ferrucci will make his third appearance at the Tulsa Expo Center and second driving for Dave Mac Motorsports while IndyCar veteran Conor Daly is racing for DIAEDGE Racing.
USAC Non-Wing Sprint champion Brady Bacon is driving for Kelly Hinck, defending runner-up Justin Grant is driving for RMS Racing alongside Thomas Meseraull. Five-time race winner and three-time World of Outlaws champion Sammy Swindell is driving for Swindell SpeedLab alongside teammate Logan Seavey.
World of Outlaws champion Tim McCreadie, who also won the Chili Bowl in 2006, is driving for Daugherty Motorsports.
With nearly 400 entries, the number of champions and Hall of Famers are almost too numerous too fully count. The complete list of entries can be viewed here. The day-by-day qualifying race assignments can also be viewed on the official website.
