In 2025, Ty Gibbs could not win a NASCAR Cup Series race. He tallied five top fives and ten top tens, driving the No. 54 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. But at the same time, the year also marked many firsts for Joe Gibbs’ grandson. Those included participating in the Chili Bowl for the first time, and scraping a grand success. So, Ty Gibbs is now preparing for a grand comeback.

Ty Gibbs exudes confidence 

“It is a week long of just you know a lot going on lot of racing you know a lot fun times. And it is just super cool,” Ty Gibbs said in a recent interview with FloRacing. “When I left I was like dang wish could go back do that again. It’s so much fun. Love the track is awesome. I think Chili Bowl does great job with everything they do and so super pumped to go back you know hang out and race cars. Love it.”

Last year, Ty Gibbs was dangerously close to conjuring some rookie magic at the 2025 Chili Bowl. He started from the pole and won the second G-Feature, punching his ticket to the second F-Feature. From there, he charged through traffic and finished sixth, falling just short of advancing to an E-Feature. As the racer approaches his second Chili Bowl appearance, Ty Gibbs is fully enthusiastic about redemption.

“I love the Chili Bowl. I think it’s one of the greatest racing and sporting events there is in America.
And my love come into it and I’ve only done it once but I really enjoyed it and excited to go back and race this coming year and very pumped,” Ty Gibbs said.

Last year, Ty Gibbs’ Cup Series competitor Kyle Larson clinched his third Chili Bowl Nationals victory. After taking consecutive Chili Bowl crowns in 2020 and 2021, he earned his third with an iconic drive in the 40-lap main event in 2025. Featuring 385 drivers in the entry list as of January 7th, the 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa is sure to be a hit.

Ty Gibbs is coming off an eventful year in 2025. Besides his first Chili Bowl attempt and progress in the Cup Series, Gibbs made his World of Outlaws debut at Charlotte’s dirt track. He topped the first WEDG High Performance Karts Hot Laps session with a jaw-dropping 12.865-second lap, showcasing his adaptability on the 4/10-mile clay oval. This may be a sign that Gibbs will help the Chili Bowl be a success as well.

Meanwhile, he is not alone in his aspirations. Ty Gibbs will be flanked by some big racers at the event.

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A medley of shimmering talents

Among the nearly 400 racers entered into the Chili Bowl Nationals, many familiar names pop up. The list of NASCAR competitors is headlined by Kyle Larson, the defending winner of the event. Right next is Christopher Bell, another three-time winner (2017-19) like Larson. Additional entries include 2025 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love, 2020 Craftsman Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed, Cup veterans J.J. Yeley and Josh Bilicki.

Others are NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner Jake Johnson and ARCA competitors Gavan Boschele, Brayton Laster and Ryan Roulette. The entry list features drivers from 36 states and five countries (Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands). Outside NASCAR, three-time World of Outlaws champion Sammy Swindell is notably in the list.

One major change for the 2026 edition of the event is the length of the championship main event on Saturday night. It returns to a 55-lap distance after being 40 laps last year. The Chili Bowl will be between January 13th- January 18th.

No matter the mix of talented competitors or the changed format, Ty Gibbs may be very motivated. We can only wait and find out!