Have you ever wondered how the Chili Bowl Nationals got its name? After all, what does a midget race inside a building in Tulsa, Oklahoma have to do with chili? Believe it or not, it really did start with a bowl of chili.

“That was always my family’s claim to fame, if you will,” said Tanner Berryhill. “That was my grandpa. He was the Chili Bowl.”

The Chili Bowl Nationals were started back in 1987 by Lanny Edwards and Emmett Hahn. The two promoters partnered with “The Chili Bowl Company" owned by the Berryhill family. Edwards and Hahn decided to name the event after the company.

“My father bought into a restaurant on 11th street (in Tulsa),” said Bob Berryhill. “And it was called the Chili Bowl.”

Eventually, the Berryhill family took the Original Chili Bowl restaurant and turned it into a company that sold their chili in grocery stores. 

“I do remember that I was at the fairgrounds at the expo and Emmett and Lanny were both there getting it all put together for what they were going to do,” recalled Berryhill. “One of them mentioned, ‘Heck, we need a sponsorship.’ And I said, ‘Well I’ll be your sponsor. And they said okay. And that’s how it started, very low key.”

“It essentially made the event happen,” Tanner Berryhill said. “He won’t tell you that, but it took his help and support to make the event become what it is today.”

The first Chili Bowl was called the “First Annual Chili Bowl National Indoor Midget Championships” and was held on January 8th and 9th of 1987. It was just a two-day event with 52 cars entered to compete. A far cry from the massive six-day event that sees more than 350 cars in action every January now.

After a handful of years, the Berryhills sold their company and their run as presenting sponsor of the race ended, but the Chili Bowl name lived on. 

Now, racers from all over the world will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the 38th year in a row to compete in the Chili Bowl Nationals. But even after 38 years we all have to remember that it all started with a grand idea and a great-tasting bowl of chili.

When Is Chili Bowl 2024?

The 2024 edition of the Chili Bowl Nationals will be the 38th edition of the event known as the “Super Bowl of Midget Racing.” The Chili Bowl Nationals will be held January 7-13 with racing taking place each night beginning on Monday, January 8 and concluding with the 55-lap main event on Saturday, January 13.

How To Watch The Chili Bowl Nationals

The entire Chili Bowl Nationals will be broadcast live exclusively on FloRacing for FloRacing subscribers. Fans can subscribe to FloRacing by clicking here.