2024 Chili Bowl Nationals

Who's Racing Thursday At The Chili Bowl? Here's The Entry List

Who's Racing Thursday At The Chili Bowl? Here's The Entry List

Breaking down the roster for Thursday's Chili Bowl Nationals preliminary night at the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Jan 11, 2024 by Brandon Paul
Chili Bowl: It Started With A Bowl Of Chili

All eyes are on Tulsa, Oklahoma Thursday night as the fourth preliminary program at the 38th annual Chili Bowl Nationals captivates the Motorsports world - and if you can’t be here yourself, you can watch every lap live on FloRacing.

In a surprising turn of events, Kyle Larson is coming back to the Chili Bowl - using his one off-night from the Wild West Shootout to reunite with Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports. The seven-time preliminary winner and two-time Golden Driller champion has confirmed if he locks-in tonight (Top-2) then he’ll attempt to do the dirt double and return Saturday night for the Championship A-Main after racing Vado and then flying straight to Tulsa.

Larson’s biggest threat is none other than former KKM teammate, Tanner Thorson, who has since built his own Chili Bowl winning program since leaving Keith - ironically, that’s exactly what Larson did back in 2020. Thorson is Thursday’s defending winner and goes for his third overall prelim win tonight in his own #88 entry, and he’s even more pumped now that he gets a chance to beat Larson tonight.


Spencer Bayston, a lock-in last year and five-time Chili Bowl Championship A-Main starter, is back with a potent RMS Racing group and pilots the Sage Fruit #1S tonight. Brady Bacon, another five-time Championship A-Main starter, will try to follow teammate Kameron Key’s top-five as he guides the TKH Motorsports #21H. Ryan Bernal will look to keep Matt Wood Racing’s top-10 streak alive, running the NOS Energy Drink #87W after Copeland (P2), Brooks (P7), and Copeland (P5).

Ricky Thornton Jr. represents the dirt late model world tonight as he controls the Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports #19R - looking to punch his ticket into his first Chili Bowl Championship A-Main after coming up just short last year. There’s also New Zealander Brad Mosen, trying to best his fellow countryman Michael Pickens (P3), as he goes for Chili Bowl champion car owner Andy Bondio tonight.

Another international ace in Tom Harris, of the United Kingdom, goes tonight in a Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports ride. Along with Larson, he’ll be one of three KKM cars tonight, also including 15-year-old Gavan Boschele, who has ran 8th and 6th in two Chili Bowl prelim starts before the age of 16.

After locking-in last night with Jake Swanson, Alex Bowman Racing is back to battle tonight with the third and final entry for C.J. Leary - looking to finish top-10 in all three prelims this week. Hoping to do the same is Trifecta Motorsports, tabbing micro sprint ace Kyle Spence in the #9U tonight - following runs of P3 for McDermand and P4 for Faccinto earlier in the week.

Kaylee Bryson, an A-Main starter in each of the last two Chili Bowls, will make her debut in Sammy Swindell’s #91 tonight. World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year contender Landon Crawley also goes for RAMCO Speed Group this evening. Karter Sarff, the POWRi champion who looked mighty fine in Monday’s Race of Champions, could be a sneaky contender tonight as he goes for Chase Briscoe Racing.

Casey Shuman runs the second Brian Dunlap #32 this evening, trying to back up teammate Gary Taylor’s top-10 from earlier in the week. Chase Johnson, in a Kyle Beilman car, will attempt to make his fourth Chili Bowl Championship A-Main. A Thursday stunner in the past, Andrew Deal could always have something up his sleeves tonight.

Other former A-Main starters including JJ Yeley, Tim Buckwalter, and Matt Westfall, all race tonight as well. 

All of the Chili Bowl fun continues today with Thursday Heat Races beginning at 4pm CT. If you can’t be here to witness the Tulsa magic yourself, you can watch every lap live all week long on FloRacing.

FloRacing is the official live streaming partner of the Chili Bowl Nationals, which continues all the way through Saturday, January 13. If you’re not a FloRacing subscriber, click here to become one today.