Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is making his 18th Chili Bowl Nationals attempt this year. A three-time (2020-21, 2025) Chili Bowl Nationals champion, Larson has made the Saturday championship feature 12 times.
And he’s off to a great start in 2026.
After finishing seventh in Monday night’s Race of Champions (won by Christopher Bell), Larson returned to form with a convincing victory in the Monday preliminary feature. He started fourth in the 30-lap A Main and was leading by the 10th circuit, though he faced constant pressure from Briggs Danner and Cannon McIntosh.
…
Christopher Bell this year is making his 13th Chili Bowl attempt. The nearby Norman, Oklahoma native won three consecutive Chili Bowl championships from 2017-19. Last year, he returned to the Chili Bowl after a two-year hiatus, finishing 10th in the Saturday finale.
Bell on Monday night began his 2026 Chili Bowl week 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.
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.
— NASCAR.com —