TULSA, Okla. – Defending Vacuworx Invitational Race of Champions winner and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson will lead a star-studded field of entries into battle on Tuesday for Warren CAT Qualifying Night at the 32nd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.
Larson, driving the No. 01 iRacing.com Bullet by Spike-Speedway Toyota for Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports, is seeking his first Chili Bowl title this week and knows that no matter what happens during his qualifying night, he will race in Saturday’s 55-lap finale.
Event co-founder and promoter Emmett Hahn confirmed during Monday’s pre-event press conference that both Larson and defending Chili Bowl champion Christopher Bell (who races Thursday) will have a provisional into the big dance, should they need to utilize it.
Larson’s day will be busy, as he’ll attempt to lock into the top 12 for Saturday’s main event as well as try to defend his VIROC win from last year. If he’s successful, it will mark his third win in the all-star invitational in the last five years.
Aside from Larson, fellow NASCAR star Justin Allgaier will also be racing in Tuesday’s qualifying program, driving the No. 7A Factory Boss Racing entry as he chases his first championship A-Main start since 2009.
The eight-car Clauson-Marshall Racing juggernaut will see ‘Sunshine’ Tyler Courtney in action alongside rookie Gio Scelzi, while Logan Seavey joins Larson out of the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports stable.
Other notable names in the field include USAC sprint car star Chad Boespflug; multi-time Lucas Oil POWRi National Midget League champions Brad Loyet and Zach Daum; two-time Rumble in Fort Wayne champion Justin Peck; former micro sprint star and Tulsa Shootout winner Joe B. Miller; past United Sprint Car Series 360ci champion Derek Hagar; and World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series regular Brad Sweet.
Among the Chili Bowl first-timers racing on Tuesday in addition to Scelzi are Clayton Christensen, Kelsey Ivy, Austin Langenstein, Kyle Hirst and Australia’s Mark Cooper.
Notably, none of the former Chili Bowl champions entered for the week are in Tuesday’s qualifying field.
Action at the Tulsa Expo Center kicks off with hot laps at 4 p.m. local time, followed by heat races at 5.
A full look at Tuesday night’s Warren CAT Qualifying Night entry list is available on the next page…
