Kyle Larson ended the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with a bang. He overcame a nerve-racking rivalry with Denny Hamlin, making optimum use of a late-race caution at Phoenix to clinch the championship. However, even as he heaved a sigh after the competition ended, another one is lining up for him. That would be with Christopher Bell at the Chili Bowl Nationals – and things might get more intense with a recent development.

Expanded time for Kyle Larson and Co.

“𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒑𝒔 – The Saturday A-Main at the #ChiliBowl has been reverted back to 55 laps for 2026 after being a 40-lap race in 2025,” FloRacing wrote about the newest $20,000 midget racing event at Tulsa, Oklahoma, on X.

The last time the Chili Bowl shifted to a 55-lap race was back in 2012. That decision was made after the tragic death of Donnie Ray Crawford. For the 2025 iteration, race promoters went back to 40 laps – and even within that shorter time, chaos unfolded. The Championship A-Main race witnessed not one, but two incidents in which Kyle Larson was involved. And yet the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion managed to pick up his third Chili Bowl win.

“Mandating the SP3 made a big difference in how the track progressed and held up, and talking with Matt, Steve, and Gravel, they feel like we shouldn’t have any problem going back to 55 laps,” explained Chili Bowl co-founder Emmett Hahn of the decision for the 2026 event. “Bottom line, we are here to put on a show for the fans, and with the harder tire, and the way Cody enforces our tire testing, we can definitely put on a show, and make sure we continue to honor the memory of Donnie and Ray Crawford.”

This will allow Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell to ramp up their rivalry, which was on full display last time. They had traded blows throughout the Tulsa Shootout and the Chili Bowl. Alongside them, other notable NASCAR participants include Ty Gibbs, Sheldon Creed, and Corey Day. Larson’s teammate, Alex Bowman, will continue fielding multiple Chili Bowl entries in 2026. The Alex Bowman Racing machines currently offer entries for five-time A-Main starter C.J. Leary and Briggs Danner.

The 40th annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink will take place January 12-17, 2026. Fans will watch the action live under the giant roof of the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kyle Larson will bring Hendrick Motorsports’ fame to the Chili Bowl. Similarly, another Cup team will be in the spotlight.

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Betting on a talented racer

Spire Motorsports has been on a rising trajectory for the past few seasons. In the Cup Series, the team is witnessing the talents of Carson Hocevar unfold. Similarly, the team also has plans for another talented racer in sprint car racing – standout open-wheel pilot Giovanni “Gio” Scelzi. They will campaign a 410 winged sprint car entry full-time for the 66-race Kubota High Limit Racing series. But before that, the California racer will compete in the Chili Bowl Nationals, in a Spire Motorsports’ Chili’s-sponsored entry prepared by legendary midget car owner Keith Kunz.

“Going on the road with High Limit is like a dream come true, and to do this with people I have deep respect and appreciation for makes it even better,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “We’ve worked with and for Kyle (Larson), Brad (Sweet), Kendra (Jacobs), and JP (Josh Peterman) for years. And I have an immense amount of gratitude to them for not only building a great series but for making a series that offers long-term growth to all of us in a sport we all love.” He added, “We are not a NASCAR team that is going dirt racing. We are dirt racers who happen to have a NASCAR team.”

Evidently, Kyle Larson will have a cohort of able competitors by his side. Let’s wait and see how the expanded Chili Bowl unfolds this time.