Matt Weaver
For those who have received an invitation, the Chili Bowl Race of Champions is a litmus test. Those who get to watch simply get to have a good time with the first star-studded featured event of the week.
The point of the race is best articulated by race director Matt Ward.
“This is a neat part of the Chili Bowl, where we can showcase champions and drivers across the sport in a race that some, otherwise, would not have the chance to go head-to-head,” Ward said. “It’s become something that teams and fans look forward to.”
It’s a 25-lap feature in which 16 drivers, or the teams they drive for, were selected to compete based on criteria of merit throughout the season or in the Tulsa Expo Center over the years.
The starting lineup for the race, which will take place prior to Monday night prelim features, will be set by group qualifying. Drivers will draw for their qualifying order and qualify in groups of three to four. Drivers get two warm-up laps, and then three green flag laps to set their time.
There will be an inversion of no more than eight with everyone else lined-up straight-up by their times.
Spencer Bayston won the Race of Champions last year but found himself immediately behind, even if just emotionally after crashing on Sunday in practice. He believes the damage was minimal and his RMS Racing group will have the car back to 100 percent in time for track activity on Monday.
Defending Chili Bowl race winner Logan Seavey says the additional track time afforded to those invited on Monday is significant.
“It’s huge to be a part of,” said Seavey. “It’s a huge advantage for anyone in the race. Last year, it completely changed our week being able to get on the track those two extra times.
“You only get a few laps to get going on your prelim night and if you don’t get going, you don’t want to spend that night searching around. To get a whole extra day, 30-40 laps extra is way ahead of everyone else in the field.
“And now that we’ve won, we’ll be locked into this for a while so that’s huge too.”
Seavey won the USAC National Midget Championship this year but there are some in the Race of Champions that only race these cars a handful of times a year. As a result, the track time afforded to them by their invitations is hugely important.
Chase Briscoe races full-time in NASCAR.
“I don’t race on the USAC tire (that the race has moved to this year) much so I can’t even really tell you the difference,” Briscoe said. “I do think there is a lot to learn with this tire being harder.
“So as we get to race on it more this week, I can better learn what we need to change and how it reacts to the track as it changes. All those variables.”
Ricky Thornton Jr. races full-time in Dirt Late Models. Corey Day, Tanner Thorson and Jesse Love are full-time Sprint Car and NASCAR guys respectively.
“This place, there is a huge gap between the guys who get around here really good and those who still are looking for more,” Love said. “So to be able to race with some of those guys on Monday is a huge advantage too just to get the reps.”
Thorson, who won the Chili Bowl in 2022, says he uses Race of Champions every year to experiment.
“I do something completely out of the ballpark different in my car to make it better,” Thorson said. “Some years, that works, and we make it better and some years we don’t but we learn from it. When I won in 2022, I tried something new and went further that direction on Saturday and was even better.
“Last year, tried something new and it wasn’t that good until the final four laps when fuel load burned off and it was really good. This year, I’m going with something completely different again. I might bust out the four coils again. You never know. But I’m looking for something to get that right rear into the track to replicate the soft tire.
2024 Chili Bowl Race Of Champions Roster
1 – Sammy Swindell – Do we need to explain why?
1s – Spencer Bayston – In last year, through a 2018 podium finish, Spencer secured his spot by winning the 2023 O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions.
2J – Justin Grant – Winner of the 2022 O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions.
3W – Brandon Waelti – Voted in via fan vote.
5 – Chase Briscoe – The Stewart-Hass driver will race via Chili Bowl invitation.
5CB – Karter Sarff – Winner of the 2023 POWRi Midget Championship, the 2024 event marks the first time Karter will compete in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions.
19 – Tim McCreadie – Recently added to the roster, the 2006 Chili Bowl Nationals champion will wheel the Hayward Motorsports No. 19.
19R – Ricky Thorton, Jr. – Possibly the best driver in Late Model competition right now, the former Arizona resident nearly walked out of the Tulsa Shootout with a Golden Driller for the second year in a row.
29S – Hank Davis – Grabbing his first career preliminary night win in 2023, the Sand Springs, Okla. shoe will take the Matt Seymour Racing No. 29 into his first O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions.
39 – Logan Seavey – In last year by way of car owner credentials, Logan Seavey punched his own card into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions by winning the 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy.
41 – Corey Day – Invited by the Chili Bowl, one of the most challenging areas of the country to win in Sprint Car racing, has been and continues to be California, and 17-year-old Corey Day wins a lot, including the 2023 Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC) title.
47X – Zach Daum – Xtreme Outlaw Midgets paved the way last year, this year, Andy Bondio credentials will put Daum into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions.
66K – Brent Crews – Invited by the Chili Bowl Nationals, Brent captured the 2023 SCCA Trans-Am TA2 title.
71 – Jade Avedisian – The 2023 Chili Bowl Rookie of the Year, and highest finishing woman in event history, forged a season long legacy by being the first woman to win a National Midget title with the Xtreme Outlaw Series.
71P – Cannon McIntosh – Winning on Monday has become a common theme for Cannon, putting him back into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions.
84 – Jesse Love – Invited by the Chili Bowl, Jesse Love got the nod via his 2023 ARCA Menards Series Championship.
88 – Tanner Thorson – The 2022 event champion is back in search of a third win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Invitational Race of Champions.
91 – Kaylee Bryson – Voted in via fan vote.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.
