There is nothing small about the Chili Bowl Nationals, despite the indoor racing event featuring midget cars on a dirt oval track. Nicknamed the ‘Super Bowl of Midget Racing’, this year’s iteration will feature Ty Gibbs, who will be making his debut at the Tulsa Expo Center in Oklahoma, alongside fellow Cup Series drivers Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The youngster has a point to prove at the dirt racing event, after a timid 2024 NASCAR campaign.

Despite his limited experience in this motorsports discipline, Ty Gibbs is looking forward to competing on SageNet Center’s iconic dirt track, revealing that the event reminds him of his early racing days with his dad Coy Gibbs.

Ty Gibbs takes a trip down memory lane

The stage is set for the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals. Ever since 1987, the event has attracted some of the finest dirt racing drivers from across the United States to the SageNet Center, with each of them aiming to secure the prestigious Golden Driller trophy. Even though 300 participants will be vying for a spot in the coveted event, only 24 will manage to eventually make it to the 40-lap championship feature, and Ty Gibbs will be hoping he’s one of them.

Ahead of his Chili Bowl debut, Ty Gibbs reflected on his childhood memories with his late father Coy and told FloRacing, “Thanks to Monster Energy for coming on board with this. This is super cool, really cool experience. I was definitely smiling a lot. Trying to stay focused. Just enjoying the whole thing, it’s been such a cool environment. Racing with Chad is really fun. I enjoy being here. I grew up around the Supercross world with my dad and I really miss that so it’s fun to kind of come back here. This kind of gives me the same feel. It’s always fun playing in the dirt too.”

It seems like Ty Gibbs has all the inspiration he needs to succeed at the Chili Bowl Nationals. His father Coy Gibbs tragically lost his life on November 6th, 2022, just a day after the young racing driver secured the Xfinity Series championship. The 22-year-old grew up around the sort of racing the Chili Bowl has to offer, and despite his limited experience, the North Carolina native will be hoping to prove himself against some of his NASCAR colleagues as well as experienced midget car drivers Tanner Thorson, Buddy Kofoid, and defending champion Logan Seavey.

The 2024 Cup Series season was quite a breakthrough for Gibbs, who made it to the playoffs at the highest level for the first time in his career. His No. 54 Toyota also finished 15th in the driver standings, a career-high result for Joe Gibbs’ grandson. With a new season on the horizon, the youngster will be hoping to gain some valuable momentum at the Chili Bowl nationals, so that he can hit the ground running at the season-opening Daytona 500 on February 14th.

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Gibbs is optimistic about his chances at the Chili Bowl Nationals

Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Christopher Bell will be counting their lucky stars. The Joe Gibbs Racing drivers had a restriction that prevented them from competing in dirt racing, which was a precautionary measure to avoid potential injuries. However, the racing team lifted those measures in late 2024, which will allow Gibbs to make his debut at the Chili Bowl Nationals, while Bell, who has won the event thrice before, will be aiming to reclaim his dominance at the SageNet Center.

Given the circumstances, Ty Gibbs is eager to make the most of the opportunity and is leaving no stone unturned to prepare for the upcoming Chili Bowl Nationals. The North Carolina native said, “Luckily I got to spend time getting ready for this race… It’s my second midget race, the last time was in Ventura. I actually got to run some laps in Millbridge this week… but nothing replicates this place. Seems like it’s really fun. I had a blast, I had so much fun. I didn’t get many laps but it’s pretty similar to how the Cup stuff is I guess. Just got to make the best of it. I had a lot of fun. Felt comfortable. Just need to get faster and get better. Always can be better. I’m really having fun out here.”

The biggest midget racing event of the year will take place from January 13th to 18th at the Tulsa Expo Raceway in Oklahoma this year. Ty Gibbs, who honed his dirt racing skills at North Carolina’s Millbridge Speedway, recently made his Midget racing debut at the Turkey Night Grand Prix in November 2024. The JGR driver finished eighth in the heat race and fifth out of 12 drivers in the semifinals, failing to qualify for the feature event by a single spot.

However, he will look to build on that experience to perform at the Chili Bowl Nationals. The 22-year-old will be partnering with fellow NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at CB Industries for the iconic event.