If you’ve never been to Tulsa in January, you might think it’s just a cold, quiet city in the plains. You’d be wrong. Inside the SageNet Center, the air is thick—literally—with the smell of methanol and the roar of engines that sound like a swarm of angry bees. We’re talking about the Chili Bowl Nationals. It’s the Super Bowl of midget racing.
Getting the chili bowl 2025 schedule right is the difference between seeing a future NASCAR star clinch a prelim and sitting in the parking lot because you mistook the start time.
This isn't just another dirt race. It’s a week-long grind. Over 300 cars are crammed into the pits. Drivers from every discipline—Sprint cars, IndyCar, NHRA, and late models—all squeeze into these tiny, high-horsepower machines. They’re all chasing a Golden Driller trophy that’s barely bigger than a toaster but carries more prestige than almost any other trophy in American motorsports.
The Monday Kickoff: Cummins Qualifying Night
Monday, January 13, 2025, is when the chaos begins. Most people think Monday is just a "warm-up." It isn't. If you mess up your heat race on Monday, you’re basically buried for the rest of the week.
The building opens early. Usually, the pits are buzzing by 8:00 AM. Practice starts around 9:00 AM, and it’s the only time all 300+ cars are on the track in one day. It’s loud. It’s messy. By the time the opening ceremonies hit at 5:00 PM, the tension is already through the roof. Monday sets the tone. You’ll see the first batch of drivers fight for those top two spots that lock them straight into Saturday’s A-Main.
Think about the pressure. You have one shot. If you flip or blow an engine on Monday, you’re looking at a long climb through the "alphabet soup" on Saturday. That means starting in a K-Main or J-Main and trying to pass fifty cars just to get to the big show.
🔗 Read more: Miami Heat New York Knicks Game: Why This Rivalry Still Hits Different
Moving into the Mid-Week: Tuesday through Thursday
The schedule stays pretty consistent for the middle of the week, but the dirt changes. That’s the thing about the Tulsa Expo Raceway—the dirt is alive. It dries out, it takes rubber, it gets "slick to the fence."
Each night—Tuesday (Jan 14), Wednesday (Jan 15), and Thursday (Jan 16)—follows a similar rhythm.
- Draw for Heat Races: Happens in the afternoon. This is pure luck. A bad draw can ruin a night.
- Heat Races: These usually kick off around 4:00 PM or 5:00 PM.
- Qualifiers: The top finishers from the heats move here to earn passing points.
- The Main Events: C-Mains, B-Mains, and finally the 30-lap A-Main for that night.
Tuesday night is often dubbed "Warren CAT Qualifying Night." Wednesday usually features the "Hardwood Stove Qualifying Night." By Thursday, the "John Christner Trucking Qualifying Night," the track is usually starting to get tricky. Drivers like Tanner Thorson or Logan Seavey—guys who know how to search for grip where nobody else is looking—really start to shine here.
Honestly, Wednesday is my favorite. The "new car" smell is gone, the drivers are getting aggressive, and you start to see who actually has the speed to challenge for the title.
Friday: The Final Chance and the Vacuworx Invitational
Friday, January 17, is the last qualifying night. It’s often the "Hoseheads.com Qualifying Night." But there’s a twist. Friday also hosts the Race of Champions (the VIROC). This is a special invitational for past winners and champions. It’s a sprint. It’s fast. It’s all ego.
💡 You might also like: Louisiana vs Wake Forest: What Most People Get Wrong About This Matchup
By Friday night, the "Soup" is starting to take shape. You’ll know exactly where everyone stands. The points are tallied. The "Saturday lineup" is posted on the wall near the pit gate, and it looks like a phone book. If you see your favorite driver listed in the M-Main, start praying.
Saturday: The Alphabet Soup and the Main Event
Saturday, January 18, 2025. This is the big one. This is why people fly in from Australia and New Zealand.
The chili bowl 2025 schedule for Saturday is a marathon, not a sprint. Races start as early as 9:00 AM or 10:00 AM with the lowest mains. We’re talking P-Mains and O-Mains. These are guys just trying to survive. It’s desperate racing.
As the day goes on, the stakes get higher. Each race transfers the top few finishers to the back of the next "letter" up.
- You win the L-Main? You go to the back of the K.
- Win the K? You go to the J.
It’s an incredible story when someone makes a "run through the soup." I remember seeing JJ Yeley or Sammy Swindell do it back in the day—passing car after car, hour after hour, just to get a shot at the A-Main.
📖 Related: Lo que nadie te cuenta sobre los próximos partidos de selección de fútbol de jamaica
The A-Main usually doesn't start until late Saturday night, often around 10:00 PM or 11:00 PM. 24 cars. 55 laps. No room for error. The winner gets the Golden Driller and a permanent spot in the history books alongside legends like Tony Stewart and Bryan Clauson.
How to Watch If You Can't Get to Tulsa
Tickets for the Chili Bowl are notoriously hard to get. People keep their seats for decades. They literally put them in their wills. If you aren't in the building, you have to stream it.
FloRacing has been the home for the Chili Bowl for a while now. They broadcast every single lap from Monday through Saturday's sub-mains. However, the Saturday night A-Main usually moves to MAVTV or a different PPV platform depending on the broadcast deals for that year. Always check the official Chili Bowl website (chilibowl.com) a week before to ensure you have the right subscription. Don't wait until Saturday night at 9:00 PM to try and figure out your login. You'll miss the intros.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Schedule
A common mistake is thinking you can just show up "whenever" on Saturday and see the good stuff. If you wait until 7:00 PM, you’ve already missed ten hours of the best racing you’ll ever see. The drama is in the C and B mains. That’s where the heartbreak happens. Seeing a favorite driver get knocked out in a B-Main because of a flat tire is part of the Chili Bowl experience.
Another thing? The "Pole Dash." On Saturday, the drivers who locked in during the week don't just sit around. They run a series of short races to determine the starting order of the first few rows of the A-Main. It’s high-stakes and happens right before the main ceremonies.
Actionable Steps for the 2025 Races
If you’re planning to follow along or attend, here is your checklist:
- Download the MyRacePass App: This is the gold standard for live timing. You can see lap times and positions in real-time, which is vital when there are ten different races happening in an hour.
- Hydrate and Prep for the Fumes: If you're there in person, the methanol fumes are real. Some people wear masks; others just tough it out. If you're at home, get your snacks ready early. Saturday is a 12-hour broadcast.
- Watch the "Chili Bowl Rookies": Every year there’s a kid from karting or micro-sprints who shocks everyone. Keep an eye on the Monday/Tuesday results to spot the underdog.
- Monitor the Weather: Even though it’s indoors, the outside temperature affects the track surface. If it’s brutally cold outside, the building holds moisture differently. This changes the "groove" on the track.
The chili bowl 2025 schedule is a grueling test of man and machine. It’s loud, it’s dusty, and it’s arguably the purest form of racing left in America. Whether you’re watching the first heat on Monday or the final lap on Saturday, just know that anything can happen in the "Mecca of Midgets."