No one racer is larger than the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals itself but man it was really missing Rico Abreu, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson this year.
Like, bad.
Certainly, the race would in time establish the next generation of stars with Tanner Thorson, Logan Seavey, Buddy Kofoid and Justin Grant all capable of becoming the faces of the Tulsa Expo Center but The Big Three defined an entire decade in this building.
Between them, they won seven main events in a row from 2015 to 2021 and dominated their preliminary nights for the better part of a decade.
This isn’t some kind of NASCAR writer favoritism either as Abreu has certainly been the biggest loss of the three due to his relationship with the fans in that building and especially those in Turn 2. It’s something you have to experience in person to truly appreciation.
Let’s go Rico! Let’s go Rico! Let’s go Rico!
Bell and Larson basically decided five races in a row between themselves and the expectation of seeing the latest chapter written in their rivalry was part of how Emmett Hahn talked you into the building or watching on television.
For the past decade, they were the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, and then they left.
That isn’t a slight on the Late Model ambitions of Larson or the Sprint Car commitments from Abreu. And it’s certainly not a slight at Bell, who had that decision made for him, but this year felt different.
Another round of Seavey versus Thorson would have been a thrilling outcome, and it still might be, but the event lacked some electricity. They were gone and those were some big shoes, at least from a national standpoint, for the stars of national Midget and Sprint Car racing to immediately fulfill.
Then came the news that Larson had decided to file a last-minute entry with Keith Kunz Motorsports. It became the buzz of the entire building. His fans were excited. His rivals embraced his arrival. His critics wanted to see him fail.
When it comes to Larson, one way or the other, people care big time and they created the largest Thursday attendance from the past decade.
At least for a night, the race got one of its marquee stars back in the building, and he delivered all the dramatics he could muster, and several he would have preferred not to. He immediately crashed in his heat race, failing to advance into a qualifier as a result.
But then he won his C feature to advance into the B feature. He raced all the way through the field to finish second in his B feature and advance into the preliminary main event. It wad shades of his 2015 run, where he swept the C, B and A to advance to main event.
It’s part of what established his own legend in the building.
Larson passed three cars in the first corner upon taking the green flag in the feature but ran into the back of teammate Gavan Boschele. He never really recovered and just when he started to make passes again, he dug into the cushion and it sent him barrel rolling down the frontstretch.
It stunk for Larson, and for his legion of fans in the building, but it was tremendous theater.
Larson was one of the few racers you could stick in a preliminary C feature and still expect a chance to win the entire race. He had done it before after all. So those in attendance were treated to a show that only one of the all-time greats in this building could muster.
Of course, some will scoff at the gushing praise of Larson, but it’s absolutely warranted.
With that, Larson will go back to Vado to race the Kevin Rumley Super Late Model for the rest of the week and things are back to what they were when the week started — no Rico, no Bell and no Larson.
But for one night, randomly and unexpected, Larson was back in Tulsa with the hopes of creating Expo Center Raceway magic. Maybe in time, Abreu and Bell will return, either permanently or in similar one-off appearances.
But this also buys time for the race to create more stars.
Those in attendance have seen this week why Corey Day is one of the most electrifying racers in the dirt discipline. It was reminded about the raw talent and genuine affability of Spencer Bayston or the sheer intensity of Thorson.
Seavey in a Swindell Bertrand car is the stuff of future legends too.
So this is ultimately gratitude to Larson for going out of his way to give back to the building that has done so much for him while also lending that spotlight to those who are going to race on Saturday night to follow in his footsteps.
Nothing lasts forever in this building,
Ask Sammy and Kevin. Ask Smoke. This community lost Bryan Clauson before that dynasty could even truly begin. The Rico, Bell and Larson era might have been the Golden Era of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals. Maybe we can still get that back someday soon.
In the meanwhile, the energy of Larson making a soup run was enough to whet the appetite for creating that next generation on Saturday night.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.