A feeling of déjà vu settled into the SageNet Center on Monday evening during the opening night of competition for the 40th annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink.
For the second consecutive year, Kyle Larson stormed from fourth to first to win the first preliminary feature of the week and lock himself into Saturday‘s 55-lap championship feature for Midget car racing‘s biggest event.
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As if that wasn‘t enough to cultivate the feeling of déjà vu, earlier in the evening, Christopher Bell rolled to a his second straight victory in the annual O‘Reilly Auto Parts Race of Champions.
WATCH: 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals
It‘s like Larson and Bell know a thing or two about racing inside the SageNet Center. After all, they both have won the Chili Bowl three times.
Larson started fourth in Monday‘s 30-lap preliminary feature and was leading by the 10th circuit, though he faced constant pressure from Briggs Danner and Cannon McIntosh.
A few mid-race cautions, including one that was the result of contact between Larson and the lapped car of Gaige Weldon, provided Larson with the clean race track he needed to punch his ticket directly into Saturday‘s championship feature.
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“My car felt good, and I was making decent decisions in traffic,” Larson 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.
“It‘s good to be back in position for Saturday.”
Kyle Larson
One year ago, Larson used a Monday night preliminary feature win to catapult himself to his third Chili Bowl victory.
“It‘s definitely a ways away,” Larson said of a repeat title. “I think if we can get a good draw for the Pole Shuffle like we did last year and put ourselves on the front row or second row, we‘ll have a good shot.”
Bell kicked off his Chili Bowl Nationals with a flag-to-flag victory in the annual running of the O‘Reilly Auto Parts Race of Champions, an invite-only event featuring racing champions from across the motorsports world.
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The driver of the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series qualified first and started from the pole for the 25-lap feature after drawing a 0 for the invert.
He dominated the event despite brief challenges from eventual runner-up Shane Golobic to secure his fourth Race of Champions victory and first as an owner-driver.
“This makes everything a whole lot more stressful,” Bell said after securing his first Midget car win inside the SageNet Center in his own equipment. “I was about ready to puke before the race. I was like, ‘Is it right? Is it wrong? What are we doing?‘
“I think it just makes the triumph so much more rewarding.”
Christoper Bell
Perhaps more important for Bell than winning the Race of Champions was the valuable track time on the always-tricky, temporary quarter-mile clay oval built specifically for this event each season.
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Bell believes the eventual champion of the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals will be one of the drivers who competed in the Race of Champions on Monday night. He just hopes it‘s him.
“The Race of Champions is the cream of the crop,” Bell said. “It certainly feels like the Chili Bowl winner is going to come out of this race. It feels good to be on top. We‘ll see. There is a lot of racing to unfold.”
The 40th running of the Chili Bowl Nationals presented by NOS Energy Drink continues Tuesday night. Action kicks off at 5 p.m. ET with complete coverage available live on FloRacing.
