After a couple of years ‘making excuses,’ his words, Kyle Busch has filed an entry for the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals for January.
The race is one of the most prestigious in motorsports, a week long dirt Midget event held every year at the Tulsa Expo Center, and the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will make his debut in the event.
It follows appearances in a Micro Sprint alongside his nine-year-old son Brexton, which he will also revisit next season.
“The Cup Season may be over, but the Racing season is still in full swing with the biggest events on dirt taking place over the next couple of months. The Chili Bowl is a legendary event and has always been on my wish-list. To be able to compete there, and then alongside my son Brexton at the Tulsa Shootout, is making this year one to remember,” Busch said.
Last winter, Busch said he couldn’t fit in a Midget but was open to a Sprint Car and even suggested he would drive with Kyle Larson at Paul Silva Racing.
“Not Midgets, no,” Busch said. “I don’t fit. I don’t fit in a Midget. I could fit fine in a Sprint Car (but) no one has ever called me for it. … Although I have called Larson out on it.
“I told him, if you can get me with (Paul) Silva and get me a ride at one of your races you’re at, we’ll either figure out if Silva is really good or if you’re really good.”
He also said at Tulsa Shootout that this is something he does to relate to his son and also making sure their equipment is up to par.
“It’s just practice,” said Busch of why he does it. “It’s just staying in the car, staying sharp and doing all those things.
“I used to do that with all the unlimited Truck (Series) starts (and) unlimited Xfinity (Series) starts and did that for a long time, but then got limited on that. Then I started doing some Super Late Model stuff, and started doing that a little bit more and more, but years went on and that stuff is just crazy, crazy expensive.
“The Micro thing, with Brexton going to the races he is going to, I can run on the same track as he can, and I can just get out there and run around and just get laps and do it for fun mostly. I have won a few shows. I won I think two winged shows at just different tracks across the country, not the big ones, I am not that good.”