For five straight years, the Chili Bowl Nationals belonged to only two drivers: Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson. From 2017 through 2021, no one else cracked the court in Tulsa. Bell struck first, ripping off three straight wins, the last sealed with a ruthless last-lap pass on Larson. Larson answered the only way he could, firing back with back-to-back victories of his own. And now, as the duo stands inside the building where it all unfolded, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion couldn’t help but recollect his last outing.

Speaking on Flo Racing’s official page, the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion didn’t hold back on the rivalry.

“I was just extremely mad at myself just because that’s as close as I had gotten to winning the Chili Bowl,” he said. ” I don’t know if I’m ever going to get another shot to win it. So yeah, I was just, and then obviously too, like Bell’s beat me a lot. So I was, I would have been mad if anybody, but I was extra mad because it was just, once again.”

The frustration dates back to the 2019 Chile Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, the one that became legendary among racing fans. Kyle Larson looked unstoppable that night, leading deep into the A-Main and looking like he might finally grab the golden driller he’d chased for years.

But with just one lap to go, Christopher Bell made a stunning low-line move and slipped past him to win by a whisper, leaving Larson heartbroken and flaring with emotion right there in the infield.

At that point, he had competed in the Chili Bowl for several years without a win, and the 2019 race felt like the one where it could finally happen.

Although he drove aggressively and led late, a slight mistake through turns three and four allowed him to seize the advantage. It was the combination of years of effort and near misses for Larson in the prestigious indoor dirt midget race.

However, that narrative shifted dramatically in the following year at the 2020 Chili Bowl Nationals when the Hendrick Motorsports ace finally captured the title he had been chasing. Reflecting on that redemption, Larson managed to pull his mood up.

“And then, you’re just like, man, I don’t know if I’ll ever have another shot to win. And then you put yourself in position, do a good job, pass Logan for the lead, and just count the laps down. But it was obviously super nervous and just mad that I let the nerves kind of creep in,” Larson added.

On the 13th attempt, he passed Bell with about 17 laps to go and held the lead to the checkered flag, finally ending his long winless streak at the event and earning his first golden driller. It was a huge emotional turnaround from the heartbreak of 2019.

Fast forward to today, and the duo still wants to outdo each other. And with Larson’s most recent win in Australia, the NASCAR champion looked poised to win another golden driller trophy this year. However, in a series of events, it all went south.

Larson’s Tulsa dream comes crashing down

Kyle Larson’s 2026 Tulsa Shootout run was disappointing, to say the least. The Elk Grove native fell short of the golden driller as Daison Pursley made his move to win his first-ever Tulsa trophy on Saturday.

Larson’s luck seems to have run out, fresh off his high-limit international racing win where he bagged the $110,000 (AUD) prize. After competing in four divisions last year, the 33-year-old focused solely on the Winged A Class this time around.

The streamlined effort nearly paid off, but he ultimately came up just short of capturing the golden driller. Instead, 21-year-old Daison Pursley broke through, earning his first career title after 15 years of trying.

Starting from the pole, Pursley led every lap and never relinquished control of the race.

Larson rolled off from sixth and methodically carved his way forward, eventually pressuring the 21-year-old at the front. The two even made contact through turns three and four, but the eventual 2026 Golden Driller winners refused to blink.

In the closing laps, Pursley wrestled a sideways car and kept it under him while the HMS driver faded back to 4th at the finish, ending his near-perfect win streak.