Over the years, numerous top drivers from the United States and around the world tried racing at the Chili Bowl Nationals. While many succeeded, others had to be happy with the experiences they gained in the process. Often regarded as a hard nut to crack, the Chili Bowl comes with unpredictable twists and, of course, quite a bit of luck. Even if the driver is a veteran in his category, he might not excel in Tulsa, as JJ Yeley, a veteran in NASCAR, who drove for Joe Gibbs Racing, believes.

Chili Bowl could be a testing ground even for racing veterans

The Chili Bowl, which is rightfully called the Super Bowl of Midget Racing, attracts top drivers from multiple motorsport competitions. However, racing in this category can often take a toll on even the most talented drivers out there.

Yeley, a renowned dirt racer who raced in the Chili Bowl multiple times, is aware of this. As Yeley is set for another quest, he was asked about his preparation for this year’s Chili Bowl outing.

“It all starts with the heat race,” Yeley said in a recent interview with FloRacing on X. “It’s as simple as first race. Your first race goes bad. I mean, ultimately, it just kills your entire weeks. I mean it’s all about luck.”

“So like that talent level, I don’t think you can match that in any professional race anywhere in the world. Versus what comes here. Those cool things which you put into account when you come to the Chili Bowl,” Yeley further added.

Yeley emphasizes how early momentum and circumstances matter as much as talent, if not more. He points out how Chili Bowl brings some elite drivers like Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Rico Abreu, and Kasey Kahne from all disciplines together, which makes the competition pretty deep.

Despite all of his experiences, the 49-year-old made it to the championship eight times and finished runner-up just once. This goes on to show how a driver like him, who has 396 races to his name in 20 years, can fail to claim a victory.

Like him, even Christopher Bell has mentioned how even elite racers must adapt to a much more varied field over here.

“Here you have Cup Series, Xfinity Series, World of Outlaws, USAC drivers. There is no other event in the world that has this diversity and that makes it the barometer of driving talent,” said Bell.

The Chili Bowl for this year is already underway as the drivers are undergoing preliminary rounds for the final race on Saturday. Besides a host of NASCAR stars, Yeley returned to the SageNet Center for his 30th attempt.

On Tuesday, he finished in fifth place in the heat and then second in the qualifier. Thanks to this, he will start A Main on the front row, but unfortunately, he went down to 10th in the feature.

Even after the 29th attempt, JJ Yeley failed to grab a Golden Driller, which shows how tough the competition is. However, for another Joe Gibbs Racing star, Christopher Bell, the success story is a bit different.

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Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing is a star in the Chili Bowl

While many drivers struggled in the Chili Bowl, Christopher Bell is certainly not one of them. The JGR star man has won the Golden Driller thrice in 12 attempts. All back-to-back from 2017 to 2019.

Last year, he returned to the event after skipping two years. As he went for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race of Champions, an invite-only event, here’s what Bell said after securing his first Midget car win inside the SageNet Center in his own equipment:

“This makes everything a whole lot more stressful. I was about ready to puke before the race. I was like, ‘Is it right? Is it wrong? What are we doing? I think it just makes the triumph so much more rewarding.”

The Chili Bowl, which NASCAR calls “the biggest Midget Racing of the year,” sees a host of NASCAR drivers participate every year. Besides Yeley and Bell, last year’s champion, Kyle Larson, will participate in this year’s edition.

Additionally, the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love, Sheldon Creed, Ty Gibbs, Josh Bilicki, and Corey Day are also participating.