At the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals, Christopher Bell displayed his talent with a dominant performance as the NASCAR off-season draws to a close. Tanner Thorson, another dirt racing racer who took part in the event, talked about his feelings about starting races, which he dislikes. In dirt track racing, Thorson is a well-known personality. In 2022, he defeated opponent Christopher Bell to win the title of Chili Bowl champion. Moreover, he is also a past USAC National Midget Champion (2016), establishing his reputation as one of the most renowned dirt midget racers. Thorson said he would rather not start races from the pole position. Thorson won the A-Main event on Thursday night, defeating three-time Chili Bowl champion Christopher Bell, who finished in P3. Rather, he enjoys starting slightly behind. In an interview with Matt Weaver, the 28-year-old Nevada native reflected on his Chili Bowl experience.
“Yes, I believe we’ve improved. I’m still battling for the same sense of belonging that I once had here. I don’t know why, but I can’t understand it. Therefore, perhaps we can improve things here a little bit.” In response to a question about the significance of track position, Thorson said, “I think it’s important, especially right now, the track is very tricky.” It’s incredibly technical, and I think that beginning in the front row is something I detest more than anything else. I’m not a huge person. We’ll examine what we can do in this situation. I hope we avoid becoming a slip and duck or a slip and duck and go situation.
At the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals, Joe Gibbs racing driver Bell showed off his abilities, starting with a dominant showing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Race of Champions. Bell started the race from pole position and kept up his lead the entire way, winning handily at the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On February 2 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time, Bell will make his Cup Series comeback at Bowman Gray Stadium for the much awaited preseason Clash. Watch the #20 JGR Toyota in real time on SiriusXM, MRN, and FOX. After his huge victory in the Chili Bowl comeback, Christopher Bell said, “That felt pretty normal.” Similar to their NASCAR rivalry, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports squared off in the Chili Bowl Nationals. Following, securing victory in the A-Main event on Monday night, Bell reflected on the win and expressed that he was “fairly happy” with his performance.
“That felt pretty normal. I had been making a lot of changes to the car and I felt good. I don’t know what else to say. I felt really good. It drove like I needed it to. Track was awesome. You could run low, run high. So, yeah, I was fairly happy there.”
Kyle Larson, a two-time Chili Bowl champion and former Cup Series champion, ended the race in P7. The two also faced off in the Tulsa shootout earlier this year, with both Cup Series greats winning separate events.
