CONCORD, N.C. - Alex Bowman and his dirt midget race team have four entries in this year’s Chili Bowl Nationals. With sponsorship from Ally Financial, Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, brings his most significant contingent yet to contest midget racing’s biggest event held annually in SageNet Center at Tulsa (Oklahoma) Expo Square.
Chili Bowl veterans Jake Swanson (car No. 55a), CJ Leary (55v) and Kevin Thomas, Jr. (55x) join Alex Bowman Racing (ABR) newcomer Briggs Danner (55i) for this year’s nearly week-long fete. They are among the more than 370 entries competing in the event, which kicks off Sunday with practice. Monday marks the first night of qualifying.
Swanson, Leary and Thomas ran with ABR in the 2024 race, and each has scored hard-fought A-Main appearances in the past. Danner is also accomplished, making his fourth Nationals start as the 2022 and 2023 United States Auto Club (USAC) East Coast sprint car champion.
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“Jake’s car is the same car (from 2024), so it’s been done since the summer,” said Bowman during his NASCAR Awards banquet media session in early December. “CJ's car is a new car, but we built it last season, so it’s pretty done. The other two have been a lot of work.”
This is a labor of love for Bowman, who’s spent the past year and recent offseason in preparation.
“I’m in a good spot,” continued Bowman, who’s also raced the Chili Bowl on seven occasions, the last being in 2023 in which he reached the D-main. “Typically, I’m thrashing on Christmas day still. This year I should be done by this weekend, barring any issues. I feel like you always run into something building new cars. I love that stuff. I love spending time in my shop. I am way further ahead than I normally am.”
Swanson, a long-time friend and competitor, has a similar racing background to Bowman, both scoring championships in USAC’s West Coast dirt track racing scene. They have known each other since childhood.
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Leary, the 2019 USAC Sprint Car National Champion, has competed with ABR in the Chili Bowl since 2018. Avon, Indiana’s Thomas is a sprint car standout, capturing numerous national USAC Series victories.
“CJ has been the base of the midget program,” Bowman said in December. “Of course, I grew up racing with Jake, and I’ve known KTJ a long time. Excited to work with Briggs this year too.
“Having those guys with a lot of experience helps,” Bowman added. “CJ is really mechanically smart, being able to bounce things off of him. Last year was really the first time for me making all the decisions on the car, so having guys that are sharp too – definitely helps that.”
Hendrick Motorsports and HendrickCars.com drivers Kyle Larson (a two-time Chili Bowl champion) and Corey Day are among those notably competing in this year’s “Super Bowl of Midget Racing.”
The entire race week can be seen on FloRacing starting at 5 p.m. during qualifying nights Jan. 13-17, while racing begins on championship Saturday, Jan. 12 at 10 a.m.