Bell, Larson Score Victories Monday at Chili Bowl Nationals

It was a stellar night for NASCAR drivers at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as festivities for the 40th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals got underway on Monday, first with the annual Race of Champions, and then with the typical Monday Night Prelims.

It wasn't easy, but @CBellRacing goes wire-to-wire for back-to-back Race of Champions victories at the #ChiliBowl powered by @NosEnergyDrink! pic.twitter.com/PrT5EuGicT
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 13, 2026

As they've been doing for much of their racing careers, both on the dirt and the asphalt and especially within the walls of the SageNet Center, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell went shot-for-shot again on Monday, both pulling off spectacular victories.

First it was Oklahoma-native Christopher Bell, who really didn't even give the field a chance when it came to the Race of Champions, which included defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, defending NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love, and ARCA Menards Series driver Kaylee Bryson, among others.

It started from the very beginning when Bell, driving his self-prepared No. 21 Rheem entry, laid down the fastest lap in time trials to win the pole, and then, when it was time to draw for the invert, pulled the best possible option "0", meaning he also got to start on the pole.

That, of course, made it so much easier for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to go wire-to-wire in the 25-lap feature, capturing his fourth victory in the Race of Champions, tying a record set by midget racing legend Sammy Swindell. However, Bell has never won the RoC and the Chili Bowl Nationals in the same year. Could this be the end of the curse?

Kyle Larson was quiet in the Race of Champions, finishing seventh.

Of course, in true Kyle Larson fashion, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion wasn't quiet for very long. After a decent recovery from an incident early in his Heat Race on Monday, the Elk Grove, California-native found himself with the fourth starting spot for the 30-lap A-Main.

Larson didn't waste much time getting to the front, making quick work of Shane Golobic, Briggs Danner, and then Cannon McIntosh to get himself the lead by the one-third mark of the event.

Although, Larson's entire race flashed before his eyes at the midway point, while dealing when lapped traffic, when the car in front swapped lanes, and the No. 1K got into the back of him (Gage Wheldon), sending him spinning. Luckily, Larson avoided significant damage.

When the A-Main got back going, there wasn't much competition for Larson in the short-term, pulling quickly away from Danner and McIntosh until the leaders reached lapped traffic at the end of the race, which allowed Danner to make a couple of lunges at a potential victory, ultimately coming short.

Back-to-back Monday victories for @KyleLarsonRacin after a great duel with @BriggsDanner78!

Both drivers lock into the Saturday A-Main for the 40th #ChiliBowl powered by @NosEnergyDrink. pic.twitter.com/Ng7j3poQQg
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) January 13, 2026

Larson and Danner (driving a car for Larson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman) are both locked into Saturday's A-Main by virtue of their top-two finishes on prelim night. Third through eighth will be in the B-Main, ninth through 14th in the C-Main, 15th through 20th in the D-Main, and 21st through 24th in the E-Main.

While the end result in the A-Main was a poor finish, former NASCAR driver Tanner Berryhill also scored a victory on Monday, winning his B-Main.

More NASCAR drivers will take to the racetrack on Tuesday, including Ty Gibbs and Sheldon Creed, amongst others. The action continues all week in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and culminates in the Alphabet Soup day on Saturday -- which encompasses more than 12 hours of racing.

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