Kyle Larson led all 40 laps and won his third Golden Driller trophy during the 39th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink on Saturday night inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Larson, driving the Paul Silva-owned HendrickCars.com/FloRacing No. 1k, may have started from the pole, but it wasn’t an easy win. He was involved in two incidents during the 40-lap Chili Bowl Nationals finale and still managed to hold onto the win in midget car racing’s grandest event.
“All three are different,” Larson said. “The first one was just a big hurdle to get over mentally I feel like to get a win in here finally. Then the next year meant a lot because we didn’t have the best car that race but we played defense really well.”
With 17 laps to go, he made contact with Brenham Crouch’s left front tire. Jacob Denney and Crouch got together in front of him, leaving Larson nowhere to go. Larson’s car briefly stalled but quickly re-fired, and Larson continued without even losing the race lead.
“He was just stopped sideways in front of me,” Larson said. “I just kind of ramped over the left-front of his race car. I just kind of jumped him really. It stalled in mid-air. When it was getting ready to land, I was like, ‘Please, please, please re-fire.’ It re-fired, so I thought I would only get one break, not two.”
Larson hit the outside wall coming out of Turn 4 with four laps remaining. Larson got his car pointed back in the right direction as the caution flag came out before Daison Pursley could get around him for the race lead.
Larson held off runner-up second place Daison Pursley, who earned a career-best finish, Shane Golobic in third, Ryan Bernal fourth, and Landon Brooks completed the top five.
“Tonight, the track was challenging to make a lap by yourself, so when you can win a 40-lap race on a track that challenging, it’s pretty cool.” Larson said.
Larson, aka “Yung Money,” joined an elite company with his third win. He joins Christopher Bell, Kevin Swindell, and Sammy Swindell, who have won three or more Golden Drillers. Larson’s previous Chili Bowl were back-to-back in 2020 and 2021.
Christopher Bell started 12th and finished in 10th place.
The 40th annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink will be held on January 12-17, 2026, at the SageNet Center at Expo Square. You can follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://www.chilibowl.com.
2025 Chili Bowl Nationals Results
| Position | Start | Number | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1K | Kyle Larson |
| 2 | 3 | 86 | Daison Pursley |
| 3 | 8 | 17W | Shane Golobic |
| 4 | 9 | 87W | Ryan Bernal |
| 5 | 2 | 57W | Landon Brooks |
| 6 | 14 | 71 | Michael Kofoid |
| 7 | 4 | 39 | Logan Seavey |
| 8 | 7 | 97 | Gavin Miller |
| 9 | 6 | 68K | Emerson Axsom |
| 10 | 12 | 71W | Christopher Bell |
| 11 | 15 | 41 | Corey Day |
| 12 | 16 | 29S | Hank Davis |
| 13 | 22 | 29 | Tim Buckwalter |
| 14 | 21 | 71K | Cannon McIntosh |
| 15 | 17 | 23C | Tyler Courtney |
| 16 | 23 | 81F | Frank Flud |
| 17 | 18 | 67W | Jacob Denney |
| 18 | 19 | 87 | Justin Grant |
| 19 | 10 | 1C | Brenham Crouch |
| 20 | 11 | 26 | Corbin Rueschenberg |
| 21 | 24 | 56E | Tyler Edwards |
| 22 | 13 | 97K | Kale Drake |
| 23 | 5 | 88 | Tanner Thorson |
| 24 | 20 | 8J | Jonathan Beason |
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