Clinton Boyles has been in the middle of the Chili Bowl debate with others, but his decision was easy. He can’t wait to get to Tulsa. Boyles hails from a family that has deep roots in midget racing.
In 2022, he spent the bulk of his time twisting wrenches for his brother-in-law, Hunter Schuerenberg, but is hungry to get back behind the wheel. His father, Joe Boyles, has made the Saturday night finale three times and finished fourth in 1999.
Clinton Boyles carved out his own niche in the Kansas City area, then migrated to Indiana to race open-wheel cars. He embodies the spirit of so many who make this trek each winter.
Boyles feels those who are skipping the event had less problems with the purse before they tasted victory.
“After you win, I think that may change your outlook on things,” he said. “Those guys grew into business professionals and can make a lot more money somewhere else. I respect that, but for the 99 percent of us who go to the Chili Bowl to make it to the A main or maybe make it to when the television production starts, is the goal. The purse isn’t why we are there.”
Boyles doesn’t have many quibbles with the current situation.
“I think that the Chili Bowl is right where it needs to be from both sides, the promoter’s side and the drivers’ side,” he said. “You can’t fit one more car in the building and everyone goes there knowing there are really only five guys who have a shot at the Driller. But we are there to have fun and be a part of what the Chili Bowl is.”
Then summing up what seems to be a prevailing attitude among many he added, “I love going to the Chili Bowl. It just doesn’t matter if it paid $500 to win or $50,000 to win, I’m going to be there.”
The year Joe Boyles finished fourth, California’s Bryan Stanfill was the Chili Bowl rookie of the year. In the time that has passed, Stanfill moved to Indiana and is now focused on helping his son launch a racing career. Stanfill still races a midget on a regional basis and plans to do some sprint car racing this season. It is all about having fun at this point, and any huge racing dreams have largely been put to rest.
Still, the lure of the Chili Bowl is there. It isn’t difficult to see that Stanfill still wants to be a part of it, too.
“It is hard to go down there when you aren’t a full-time racer and spend a week at the track. I think I can get in the show, but my goal is to make the C main,” Stanfill said.
Can Stanfill do it? “It’s possible because it’s not a horsepower race and there is luck involved,” Stanfill continued. “But you still have to be good. But hey, Robert Bell won a heat, so anything can happen.”
It really comes down to something as simple as this, is making the C main a good enough pay off for the effort and dollars expended? With a laugh, Stanfill said, “Me as a driver, yes. Me as an owner, no. So the business side of things, no. But the driver side? It’s the Chili Bowl.”
At the Chili Bowl, stars come and stars go. It’s the nature of things. Perhaps the number on the winner’s check will grow substantially as conversations about the purse continue. Nonetheless, when you talk to participants one message comes through loud and clear. Money is always nice, but when you come to Tulsa, it is all about the Driller.
This story appeared in the Dec. 28 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
