Drivers from across the world are set for a week of competition around the SageNet Expo Center for the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals presented by NOS Energy Drink.
Among the more than 380 drivers entered in the event will be familiar faces from the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision, American Sprint Car Series, and Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.
They’ll compete throughout the week, Jan. 12-17, with the goal of making it to Saturday’s $20,000-to-win main event.
Here are the drivers to keep an eye on in Tulsa:
WORLD OF OUTLAWS NOS ENERGY DRINK SPRINT CAR SERIES
No. 1S Spencer Bayston (Lebanon, IN)
Team: RMS Racing
A-Main Starts: 6
Best Finish: A-Main 3rd (2018)
Before his full-season campaign commences with Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing in 2026, the Hoosier native joins RMS Racing for an 11th consecutive visit to the Expo Center. Bayston has made Feature starts in four of the last six runnings, but is searching for his first top-five finish since a podium result in 2018.
No. 67A Ashton Torgerson (Glendale, AZ)
Team: Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports (KKM)
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: B-Main 8th (2025)
After turning heads in 2024 with three Xtreme Outlaw Midget wins in his first national campaign with KKM, Torgerson stepped up to Winged Sprint Cars in 2025 and showed flashes of brilliance as driver of the Shark Racing No. 1A. Rewarded with a Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year hunt for the team ahead of 2026, Torgerson will seek to begin the year with a Chili Bowl triumph in a familiar Safety Kleen No. 67A LynK Chassis.
No. 71 Michael Kofoid (Penngrove, CA)
Team: Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports (KKM)
A-Main Starts: 5
Best Finish: A-Main 2nd (2024)
Kofoid scratched any possibility of a “Sophomore slump” with the World of Outlaws in 2025 as he bagged 12 wins behind the wheel of the Roth Motorsports No. 83 in a runner-up finish to David Gravel in the final standings. “Buddy” returns to Tulsa with KKM after finishing a mere 0.392 seconds away from Golden Driller glory in 2024 behind Logan Seavey.
No. 71G Zach Hampton (Mooresville, IN)
Team: Klatt Enterprises
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: H-Main 10th (2016)
After completing his rookie season with the World of Outlaws in the seat of the Bill Rose Racing No. 6, Hampton returns to the Expo Center for a third consecutive year to hunt his first A-Main start in the prestigious event. In the 2025 season, the Indiana driver earned his first top five at the Ironman 55 finale while also earning top 10s at Magnolia Motor Speedway, Eldora Speedway, and Ohsweken Speedway.
No. 89 Chris Windom (Canton, IL)
Team: CB Industries
A-Main Starts: 10
Best Finish: A-Main 5th (2010)
The sophomore driver of the Sides Motorsports No. 7S is back for his 21st year of chasing a Golden Driller. He returns to the CB Industries No. 89 for the seventh straight year and will try to make his way back into Saturday’s main event for the first time since 2023.
No. 92 Garet Williamson (Columbia, MO)
Team: It’s Gravy
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: D-Main 6th (2025)
The 2025 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year honoree returns for a sixth time to the Expo Center, but it’ll be his first time being paired with Stephen Fairfield’s No. 92 machine. Fairfield is no stranger to having World of Outlaws Sprint Car drivers in his Midgets, as Sheldon Haudenschild piloted the car to his first Xtreme Outlaw start at Millbridge Speedway in November.
Honorable Mentions:
No. 1 Sammy Swindell (Germantown, TN)
Team: Swindell Motorsports – Bertrand Motorsports
A-Main Starts: 25
Best Finish: A-Main 1st (1989, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2009)
The three-time World of Outlaws champion is back to try and make his 26th A-Main start, and first since 2020. The Swindell name has stayed active at the Chili Bowl throughout each decade of the event’s history, which includes nine combined Feature wins between Sammy and his son, Kevin.
No. 21 Daryn Pittman (Owasso, OK)
Team: Matt Wood Racing
A-Main Starts: 8
Best Finish: A-Main 2nd (2017)
The 2013 Series champion is back for a 17th straight year to try and clinch his first Golden Driller trophy. While his week-long focus is aimed toward making the A-Main for the first time since 2021, Pittman has earned three top-10s and two top fives through his last six finale appearances.
WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODEL SERIES PRESENTED BY DIRTVISION
No. 2H Nick Hoffman (Mooresville, NC)
Team: Jeff Taylor
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: B-Main 18th (2024)
The NOS Energy Drink driver is back aboard a Midget for the sixth straight time before beginning his World of Outlaws season in Volusia Speedway Park for DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals. Hoffman utilized the two-day Xtreme Outlaw World Championship at Millbridge Speedway to prepare for the week-long test in Tulsa.
No. 22* Drake Troutman (Hyndman, PA)
Team: Team22/Chandler Grand Prix
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: First Career Start
Fresh off a year that included the MD3 Rookie of the Year award with the World of Outlaws Late Models and three DIRTcar Summer Nationals wins, Troutman will try his hand at a completely new discipline on the biggest stage. Backed by the help of G.R. Smith Motorsports owner G.R. Smith and former NASCAR racer Shane Hmiel, Troutman will endure a busy week of travel as he’ll race at both Tulsa and the Wild West Shootout at Central Arizona Raceway.
Read More: Troutman Plans Chaotic January With Chili Bowl-Wild West Double Before Sunshine Nationals
XTREME OUTLAW MIDGET SERIES PRESENTED BY TOYOTA
No. 67 Jacob Denney (Galloway, OH)
Team: Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports (KKM)
A-Main Starts: 1
Best Finish: A-Main 17th (2025)
The reigning Series champion is back to pilot the No. 67 JBL Audio Midget for Keith Kunz in Tulsa after the 2025 season saw Denney win 11 Xtreme Outlaw Features and twin national titles with Xtreme and POWRi.
With the 2026 edition marking his sixth January trip to Tulsa, it will be Denney’s best opportunity to translate all the previous year’s lessons into the most prestigious indoor event in Midget racing.
No. 97 Gavin Miller (Allentown, PA)
Team: Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports
A-Main Starts: 1
Best Finish: A-Main 8th (2025)
Miller’s best showing at the SageNet Center came last January when he earned his first Chili Bowl A-Main start and kept his No. 97 SoundGear LynK Chassis inside the top-10 throughout the 40 laps contested for his highest career finish in the building.
The Pennsylvanian returns after finishing the 2025 Xtreme Outlaw season with a career-high runner-up points finish and a Series Feature win at Path Valley Speedway Park during Appalachian Midget Week.
No. 9U Kameron Key (Warrensburg, MO)
Team: Trifecta Motorsports
A-Main Starts: 1
Best Finish: A-Main 22nd (2024)
The 2025 Xtreme Outlaw Rookie of the Year is back for his second trip to Tulsa aboard the No. 9U Midget for Trifecta Motorsports. The “Show Me State” driver earned his first Series Feature at the Ironman 55 finale and drove to a third-place result in the overall standings. Key will chase his second career A-Main start in two years.
No. 5U Michael Faccinto (Hanford, CA)
Team: Trifecta Motorsports
A-Main Starts: 3
Best Finish: A-Main 9th (2024)
Faccinto took a new journey in 2025 when he ventured away from his homestead in California to the midwestern United States with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets. Finishing fifth in overall points on his first national Midget tour, the former Tulsa Shootout winner will be vying for his fourth career A-Main start – his second in three Chili Bowl runnings.
No. 67K Colton Robinson (Titusville, FL)
Team: Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: First Career Start
When Colton Robinson’s ability in a Micro Sprint caught the eye of Keith Kunz in 2024, the 16-year-old became one of three KKM rookies in the 2025 Xtreme Outlaw Midget season. Finishing the year with 16 top-10s and three top-five finishes, the Floridian has been rewarded a chance to compete amongst the KKM fleet in his Chili Bowl debut.
No. 94 Hayden Wise (Huntersville, NC)
Team: Ninety-Four Racing
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: E-Main 16th (2025)
The 15-year-old North Carolinian took to new heights in 2025 when she attempted her first Chili Bowl and Xtreme Outlaw Midget season with the support and guidance from her family and former USAC champion Jay Drake. With time spent in the New Year at the Tulsa Shootout across Non-Winged Outlaw, Restricted A-Class, and Winged Outlaw categories, Wise is going to be seeking her first A-Main start in the biggest event she’s faced in her early racing career.
No. 71K Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, OK)
Team: Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports
A-Main Starts: 5
Best Finish: A-Main 3rd (2020, 2023)
The 2024 Xtreme Outlaw champ is back for a chance at his sixth A-Main start in the Chili Bowl. McIntosh earned three Series wins in 2025 while becoming the first driver to own the Xtreme, POWRi, and USAC national championships. The 2014 Tulsa Shootout Junior Sprint champion returns to the KKM stable to try and become the first “Sooner State” driver to earn the Golden Driller since Broken Arrow, OK’s Tanner Thorson completed the challenge in 2022.
No. 98K Brandon Carr (Sheffield, YKS)
Team: Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: J-Main 9th (2025)
Carr exemplified his diverse racing skills in 2025 as a KKM driver in his first full year racing Midgets while maintaining activity in Pro Karting categories. Carr also achieved significant history in October when he became the first driver from the United Kingdom to score a national Midget win since Nigel Bates in 1968. Entering the 2026 season, he’s back in the J. Davidson Scrap Metal No. 98K in his second attempt at making the Chili Bowl A-Main.
Honorable Mention:
Chase McDermand (Springfield, IL)
Team: Chase McDermand Racing
Drivers: No. 9NZ Trent Way (Auckland, NZ), No. 14L Mack Leopard (Beavercreek, OH), No. 40B Josh Bilicki (Menominee Falls, WI), No. 40X Steven Snyder Jr (Rising Sun, MD)
A-Main Starts: 1
Best Finish: A-Main 16th (2023)
Entering his first year since wrapping up duties as a full-time racer on the national Midget scene, McDermand returns to Oklahoma as a team owner solely for four Toyota-powered Chase McDermand Racing machines.
Returning to the team in Tulsa includes NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Josh Bilicki and Steven Snyder Jr, who made multiple Xtreme Outlaw starts under the CMR banner in 2025. McDermand will also introduce Trent Way and Mack Leopard to the Expo Center behind the wheel of his Midgets for the first time.
AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES
No. 2Z Austyn Gossel (Fort Collins, CO)
Team: Lee Martin
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: First Career Start
Gossel will pilot a Midget for Lee Martin in Tulsa after a solid Sophomore season with the American Sprint Car Series in 2025. The “Centennial State” gasser came close to picking up a win in the 360 Sprint Car ranks in 2025 with finishes of second at Paducah International Raceway and Dodge City Raceway Park.
No. 12H Sam Hafertepe Jr. (Sunnyvale, TX)
Team: Ricky Bobby Racing
A-Main Starts: 0
Best Finish: B-Main 11th (2013)
The six-time ASCS National champion will return to the Chili Bowl in 2026 as a pilot for Ricky Bobby Racing. Hafertepe has yet to make an A-Main start inside the SageNet Expo Center, but he’s cracked inside the B-Main three times through 14 previous visits. While he normally drives the Hill’s Racing Team No. 15H in Sprint Car competition, the Texan is gunning to make the A-Main in attempt number 15.
No. 52 Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK)
Team: Emmett Hahn
A-Main Starts: 5
Best Finish: A-Main 8th (2020)
With a rich family history deeply rooted in Chili Bowl lore, Blake Hahn eyes a career-defining Golden Driller on the 40th anniversary of the event, which was co-founded by his grandfather, Emmett Hahn. The ASCS regular won three Features in 2025 as he prepares the No. 52 Bullet by Spike for a first A-Main appearance since a 12th-place finish in 2022.
