DIRTRACKR Daily Podcast - Episode Transcript
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The Chili Bowl has had ENOUGH | Daily 1-14-2025
Kyle Larson wasn't the best on Monday, but he won at the Chili Bowl anyway. We'll unpack that and everything from day one, including a win for Christopher Bell, heartbreak for Briggs Danner, and we'll talk Chili Bowl officials ramping up the hunt for tire doping, traction control, and more. Let's go!
It's Tuesday, January 14th, I'm Justin Fiedler. This is DIRTRACKR Daily presented by Kubota Genuine Parts.
Chili Bowl night one in the books and we have our first two drivers locked into the championship main event for Saturday. A lot to unpack, and we'll start first with those two locked in drivers. Kyle Larson the winner, and Shane Golobic second. Golobic now locked into the main event for the third straight season, and last night was the fourth prelim show of his career that he led laps. Unfortunately though, he's still looking for his first win in the building. Early on he was in a fight with Cannon McIntosh, and then late, he got passed by Larson on a a restart for the win. Not what we wanted obviously, but locked in either way. As for Larson, I think last night was one of his more impressive drives. That 1K machine was not the best car, and it was pretty clear throughout the night, including in the Race of Champions. The other Paul Silva team car, with Tyler Courtney, didn't look super fast either. In the main event, I think Golobic, McIntosh, and probably Briggs Danner were better, but Yung Money really just smarter than everyone. He hung around the top five for much of the 30 lapper, stayed patient, then took advantage of an eager McIntosh late, and then the move around Golobic. It was the quintessential top driver elevates his car on a night where it wasn't the best type situation. Afterward, Larson even admitted that they have work to do come Saturday to really have a shot for the driller. I think Brent Crews definitely had the drive of the night. He got upside down in heat five, then went third to the win in his C Main, 13th to the win in his B, and then 17th to fourth in the feature. That will put him starting near the front of a Saturday B, with a very solid chance to transfer. Huge come back for him, especially when you consider how little he's raced on dirt lately. As for the bad, definitely a brutal end to the night for Briggs Danner. He was absolutely rolling in that Alex Bowman-owned ride, but that slider around Golobic for the lead in the main event ended in disaster with the flip on the cushion. Those guys already had that car stripped last night, and Danner will have to come from the E-Main on Saturday. Other drivers with tough nights included Nick Hoffman, who got upside down in the first B, and Tanner Holmes, who got beat up a bit through the evening. And a few more positives, I thought Ashton Torgerson looked good in a KKM ride, Jerry Coons sneaky sixth place run, Dillon Welch 22nd to 10th, and I liked what Zach Wigal was doing before he tangled with Tanner Carrick.
The other racing last night was the Invitational Race of Champions. It's always a bit of a peak into who's good early on in the Chili Bowl proceedings. On pure pace based on the qualifying session, I think Thorson and Pursley looked really fast, and Kofoid was able to lay down a solid lap even going out so late. In the race though, it was all Christopher Bell. He pretty easily led all 25 laps. If he starts anywhere near the front on Saturday night, he's going to be a problem. He seems really happy to be back on dirt, he was fast at the Shootout, and it doesn't look like he's been away from midgets for like two years.
Today at the Chili Bowl, they will do it all over again with a fresh group of drivers. Hot laps at 4PM central, with heat races starting at 5. The field tonight is highlighted by Buddy Kofoid. He's definitely going to be the heavy favorite for those making wagers at home and in the grandstands. He was the Tuesday winner a year go, he's won two of his last three prelim nights, and has led laps in three straight. He'll be up against Zach Daum, Thomas Meseraull, Hank Davis, Brad Sweet, Clinton Boyles, Jonathan Beason, Ricky Thornton Jr., and Kevin Thomas Jr. Tonight is also Ty Gibbs' debut at the Chili Bowl, and I'm going to throw out Landon Brooks as a darkhorse. He was a top ten runner a year ago on his prelim night, and he's in a Matt Wood car. Golobic obviously showing last night that the Matt Wood cars have plenty of pace. All the action will again be live on FloRacing.
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Staying with the Chili Bowl, I did want to talk about some things happening around the pits this week, especially when it comes to the tech process. A big story last year was the crackdown on technology when it came to communcation, with officials swapping out Raceceivers and checking for things like smartwatches in advance of main events. This year, the focus has very much shifted to the race cars. We saw similar at the Tulsa Shootout, and things have been much tighter this week when compared to previous years. Back in May of 2024, Cody Cordell was named tech director for these events, and he's brought some of his ASCS guys in to support the officiating process. If you aren't aware, Cordell was previously the crew chief for Noah Gass' sprint car team, before becoming the tech director for the ASCS under WRG ownership. New rules were also put in place in advance of these races, and Cordell and Matt Ward are not playing around. I talked to a bunch of people in the building yesterday to get a sense for how it was all happening, and it's clear that tech and safety are being taken seriously. I had one driver tell me it felt similar to a World of Outlaws or High Limit race, with pre-event tech including chassis tubing thickness checks, plus looking over safety equipment like belts, and head clearance in the cars. All cars were given certification stickers after that process. I have not heard if any where not allowed to race. It would be silly if that happened though, as teams had ample time and warning to make sure their cars were compliant. At the Tulsa Shootout, we did see teams disqualified over failed tire tests, and that is being heavily scrutinized again this week. The Saturday feature was shortened to 40 laps from 55 because of the surface taking rubber in recent years, and event organizers believe that tire doping played a part in those rubber down tracks. Tire samples were taken yesterday, and we'll see if anything comes out of that testing. A few different people told me they were happy to see the extra tire testing, and I know there were some quotes floating around from Emmett Hahn and some of the top drivers and teams. This deeper dive on the tech process also continued last night after the feature, with cars getting looked over again, and I was told by another friend that traction control was in the crosshairs. Body panels were removed from cars and ignition wires traced all around the chassis. Matt Weaver posted this photo to Twitter last night of the process. Don't tell him I stole this though, I tried to text him to ask permission to use it, but he wasn't out of bed yet. We've talked about some of the tricks out there with traction control, and while teams have gotten smarter, so have officials. Fuel also always a focus at Chili Bowl, and those checks were happening as well. We obviously won't know right away if anyone gets busted for the tire testing, but it could be a storyline that plays out in the future. I would not be surprised though to see some teams get penalized or DQ'd for some of these infractions. Especially since this event is a one-off, and the nature of the competition has led to a lot of shady stuff in the past. It feels like there has to be a few teams out there who will still try and take the risk for the added performance.
Alrighty, that's the Daily show for today. If you want even more dirt racing content, give DIRTRACKR a follow on social media. We are wherever you are, sharing all sorts of things, like show clips, photos, and more.
Hope you guys have a great Tuesday out there, we'll see you back here tomorrow!