With 355 drivers from 33 states and five countries converging on Tulsa for the 33rd annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl, getting everything to fit within the confines of the River Spirit Expo Center continues to be a challenge every year.
Time management is also a challenge, so for the first time, the Chili Bowl has become a six-day event, giving fans one more day of racing. It all gets started Monday.
The addition of a day will result in a slight change in the qualifying format. With five days of qualifying, only the top two drivers each night will lock into Saturday's main event instead of three, like in the past. That locks in 10 drivers, with the remaining 14 starters coming from Saturday night B-mains.
Once again many big-name teams from many forms of racing have entered multiple-car teams. Leading the way is Keith Kunz, who is bringing 11 cars to the show. As a car owner, Kunz has won the past four Chili Bowls. Two-time champion Christopher Bell returns in a Kunz car along with Rico Abreu, who won in 2015-16.
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Some of the NASCAR drivers entered include: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Justin Allgaier, J.J. Yeley, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Chase Briscoe, Landon Cassill, Alex Bowman, Kasey Kahne, and Tanner Berryhill.
The full week's schedule can be found here.
The complete entry list is here.
Live coverage through the week is available online through Racin' Boys. Cost is $29.99 per day or $144.99 for the full 8-day package.
Saturday night's main event will be telecast on MAVTV starting at 8:30pm/et.