Kyle Larson knows better than to run his mouth. While the NASCAR champion continues to find his footing at the Chili Bowl Nationals this week, another larger drama is making rounds around the paddock, and this time, another driver is in the spotlight for going up against a 70-year-old legend. And now, the five-time Chili Bowl champion isn’t holding back.

Sammy Swindell claws back at Tanner Thorson

The Race of Champions did not disappoint the fans and was nothing short of entertainment. As Sammy Swindell was left reviewing his outing, the 70-year-old legend had a very blunt reply to Tanner Thorson’s moves.

“He’s got to take the shit like everybody else; it’s like I’m not supposed to get out of his way. If he thinks I’m too old, we can walk outside,” Swindell said.

While Christopher Bell won the 25-lap showcase dominantly, things looked a bit different out back. Tanner Thorson competed among the front-runners but ultimately finished sixth overall, at the expense of Swindell.

The tight quarters and limited passing opportunities inside the Expo center made for a hectic feature, where he jockeyed aggressively for position, and lapping cars added extra challenges.

Sammy Swindell got caught up in the storm, and now there’s no going back. Describing his intense moment with the 29-year-old driver, Swindell was irked and furious as he saw himself bringing it home in 19th place.

” I’ve never seen him I don’t know what he’s talking about. You know, he could be a man and come down and talk to me about it, whatever, but it’s hard for me to do anything when I’ve never seen him. I mean, there was one guy that ran down on the curb there inside of me when I was on the bottom, but if I see a front tire, I don’t know who the hell it is,” the Tennessee native added.

For someone who has a 5-1 Chili Bowl Nationals championship win against Thorson, the 70-year-old surely knows how to seal the deal. And as he sets his gaze on his 25th A-Main feature, one cannot discount him as a championship threat even amid the legendary Kyle Larson-Christopher Bell battle.

Speaking of Larson, the NASCAR champion had a difficult start to the week, especially during the heat races, but as the days progressed, things looked a bit different for the driver looking to win his 4th Golden Driller.

Top Stories

Richard Childress Hands Son-in-Law Major RCR Power Amidst Bold Organizational Leadership Shift

Notorious Cup Star Daytona Update Has Fans Fearing the Worst for Tony Stewart’s NASCAR Return

Kyle Busch Issues Brutal Wake-Up Call Amidst NASCAR Community’s Championship Format Hype

“Don’t Wanna Watch This”- Dale Jr. Issues Shocking Confession as NASCAR Finally Listens to Fans

Kyle Busch Confirms Lost Faith in NASCAR’s New Generation With 7-Word Welcome for Tony Stewart

Kyle Larson makes history at Tulsa

The 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals opened on Monday night with the first of five preliminary nights, along with the annual race of champions inside the Tulsa Expo raceway, and all tides turned in Larson’s favor.

Kyle Larson worked his way forward from fourth and took the lead from Cannon McIntosh on lap 10, then led the rest of the way to win the opening night feature.

Reviewing his performance, the Elk Grove native couldn’t be happier.

“My car felt good, and I was making decent decisions in traffic,” he said. “Then one lapper (Weldon) tried to rip back around me, and then lane changed into (Turn) 3, and I tagged him. It kind of calmed the race down.”

This win was Larson’s second consecutive opening night victory at the Chili Bowl and his ninth career preliminary feature win, the most in event history.

With the result, Larson secured an automatic spot on Saturday’s 55-lap A Main event. And with just 3 days till the day, it can be said with much certainty that Larson is ready to go all in.