TULSA, Okla. — That familiar sound returns to the fairgrounds. The buzz of midget cars flying around the dirt track inside the SageNet Center. The 40th Chili Bowl is back in T-Town.
"There's no other place to be in January than Tulsa, Oklahoma," driver and Locust Grove native Daison Pursley said. "All eyes are watching this event."
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Thousands of fans from all over the country come to Tulsa for the event. Combined with the Tulsa Shootout at the beginning of January, officials estimate a $60 million economic impact.
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"This is one of those events that brings a lot of folks here, who otherwise would never come back here, and continue to come back here," Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said.
This is the largest field in Chili Bowl history. 404 drivers competing for that golden driller. Some of those at the top? Right here from Green Country, including Pursley, who finished runner-up to Kyle Larson here last year.
"I feel like I've been in that spotlight, or the up-front area to where I know what to expect and what it feels like," Pursley said. "So, definitely just have a little more confidence as far as I'm more prepared."
After a wreck nearly left him paralyzed in 2021, people now know Pursley's name for his driving on a track that means a little more to him.
"I got to come here when I was 4 or 5 years old and just watch it all, so I feel like I take it for granted a little bit," Pursley said. "Nonetheless, if I'm holding that little golden guy in my hands on Saturday night, I'll start to really reflect on what that means."
That little golden guy got a bit bigger for 2026. A brand-new trophy will be unveiled for the winner this year. And the grand marshal? A guy with two golden drillers -- NASCAR legend Tony Stewart.
"I never won the Daytona 500," Stewart said. "But winning the Chili Bowl meant more to me than if I would've won the Daytona 500 for sure."
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