TULSA, Okla. — Making its annual debut once the list of Golden Driller hopefuls surpasses the century mark, the first round of entries into the 37th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire has been posted with 116 entries ready to chase history.
Opening Nov. 9, the first entry received was from Trifecta Motorsports for driver, Kyle Jones. The 2023 event marks the ninth time the Kennedale, Texas, shoe will attempt the Chili Bowl Nationals. During his 2022 run, Jones transferred from a C-Feature and ran to a 13th-place finish in Saturday’s first Dave.com B-Feature.
With two past champions, 18 A-Feature starters, and 27 event rookies in the field already, the list, as always, is the most diverse in all of racing.
Returning to defend his 2022 title, Nevada native turned Oklahoma resident Tanner Thorson will do so in his own equipment. Returning to his No. 88, the 13-time USAC National Midget winner was recently on track during the 81st running of the ARP Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway, in which he raced from 11th to lead late in the race before a spin relegated him to a 19th place finish.
The other champion on the list is none other than Sammy Swindell.
The most prolific name in Chili Bowl history, the five-time champion will make his 33rd appearance atop Tulsa clay this January. Having made the cut in 25 A-Features, Sammy’s record includes 13 podiums, 14 top-five, and 17 top-ten finishes on Saturday night. While not as busy, Sammy was on track 23 times during the 2022 season with runs against the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, Tezos All-Star Circuit of Champions, and the American Sprint Car Series.
Driver of the Shark Racing No. 1A with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, Jacob Allen will be behind the wheel of a Cruz Pedregon-owned entry in his first Chili Bowl. Bringing east and west together, the Pedregon Racing stable rounds out with event rookie Kalib Henry, who recently signed on with car owner Shane Liebig for the 2023 season.
Another quick dive into the list of rookies and one name will stand out for anyone who follows racing — Andretti.
Joining the field in 2023, Indiana’s Adam Andretti will take on the Chili Bowl for Jeff Johnson Racing. Competing in a myriad of divisions during his career, the younger brother of the late John Andretti races for Peterson Racing in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli in the TA2 class.