This year, 17-year-old ARCA Menards Series driver Gavan Boschele will make his Chili Bowl Nationals debut with Kyle Busch Motorsports at the (SageNet) Tulsa Expo. The 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals will be held from Jan. 12-17 and televised on FloRacing’s official website or app.
As per reports, Boschele will be backed by crew chief Al Scroggins during the 2026 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, presented by NOS Energy Drink. Currently, the field is set at 385 entries and split into five groups throughout the week. Prelims and practices will be held on Sunday, Jan. 11.
Boschele took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and announced the same, writing:
“Counting down the days… @cbnationals. We’ll be on-track on Monday for the Race of Champions and our prelim night!”
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch reacted to the post and commented:
“Good luck brother!! 👊🏻”
2026 also marks the return of a 55-lap Saturday night A-Main after an entire season, when the race used to be over by 40. As explained by event operations director Matt Ward, the change was made to tackle the tire doping from previous years.
“We cracked down on it last year and Hoosier brought a harder left and right rear, which also helped,” Ward explained. “We got rid of the push truck, which doesn’t compact the track, and that was a key contributor to it taking rubber. So we got the side-by-side back and we’re going to test out 55 again and see how deep we can make it.”
That being said, less than a week remains until the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals kick off. Nearly 400 teams will try their luck at the Golden Driller Award, one of the most coveted prizes in North American Motorsports.
Kyle Busch Weighs in on Son Brexton’s NASCAR Future
NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch’s 10-year-old son, Brexton, is indeed a chip off the old block. He wins more often than his dad, and just last year, the budding speedster bagged his first-ever Golden Driller trophy at the Tulsa Shootout under the Junior Sprint division.
Needless to say, Brexton eyes a legendary career just like his legendary dad, who has things planned out for him already. In a recent interview with FloRacing, Kyle Busch said:
“The goal is to make it to NASCAR. So, eventually, he’ll get to some ARCA races, some Truck races, and onto Xfinity, onto Cup. That’s the plan, anyway. We’ll see how it goes. He’s got a lot of great help and sponsors with him along the way. So, we’re looking forward to making it all the way.”
Kyle Busch is currently ahead in his third full season in the NASCAR Cup Series with Richard Childress Racing. Next up for the Las Vegas native is the Cook Out Clash at Winston-Salem’s iconic Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 1.
Fans can watch the race live on FOX Sports, starting at 8 pm ET, or listen to exclusive radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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