Kyle Busch to make historic debut at 39th annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals

NASCAR star Kyle Busch will compete in the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals for the first time next year. On Thursday, Busch announced a partnership with FloSports that puts him in a Lucas Oil midget car for the 39th annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in January. His appearance will come after he competes at the USAC National Midget events at Bakersfield Speedway (November 26) and Ventura Raceway (November 30). 

“The Cup Season may be over, but the Racing season is still in full swing with the biggest events on dirt taking place over the next couple of months. The Chili Bowl is a legendary event and has always been on my wish-list. To be able to compete there, and then alongside my son Brexton at the Tulsa Shootout, is making this year one to remember,” Busch said in a press release.

Busch will compete in a field that includes more than 300 drivers at the so-called “Super Bowl of midget racing.” The event will run from January 13-18, 2025 at the StageNet Center. Busch also announced that he will be driving alongside his son Brexton at the Tulsa Shootout from December 31 – January 4.

The announcement also comes after a tough 2024 Cup Series season for Busch as he did not win any races and missed the playoffs. This week, the two-time Cup Series champion went to social media to send a message to his fans about the season.

Kyle Busch lays out the plan for the 2025 Cup Series Season

“Arguably the toughest year of my career. Full of trials, [and] heartbreaks,” Busch wrote on X/Twitter. “I know my RCR guys [are] gonna get after it this winter [and] we’ll come back strong [next] season. Grateful for all of our partners, helping us do what we love. [Thanks] Rowdy Nation for sticking with me. Y’all [are] the best.”

Last month, Busch spoke to On3 about his plans for the 2025 season. “We’ve actually kind of already been working on that a little bit,” Busch said. “We have run stronger since the Olympic break that we’ve had this year. Our team has come out after that break with a couple different faces on it and new players and places that have made us a little stronger. We have had better runs.

“And so that’s been a big part of what we’ve been doing already that we can do. And then of course also through the off-season we’ve got some new people that are joining our team and our organization at Richard Childress Racing from other organizations or from Stewart-Haas Racing, which is closing down at the end of the year. There were some really good folks over there that have taken positions with us, so we’re excited to get them on board and get them in and start the process.”