ARCA Menards Series driver Brayton Laster is partnering with Wisconsin-based Zach Boden Racing for his first-ever attempt at competing in the O’Reilly Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Laster will be piloting the No. 06 Zach Boden Racing entry for the prestigious dirt midget event held every January at the Tulsa Expo Center. K.C. Arborist Tree Care will partner with the Greenwood, Indiana-native as a primary sponsor for the event.
Several of Laster’s long-time partners will also be on board for the event, including @Cyber_Fox_, Rubber Down Rewind, O’Bryan Weld Works, Running’s Racing Designs, JJ Custom Rugs, PeerlessPump.com, Pushkin, Beyond The Garage, Matrix Apparel, and others.
“It is super cool to have an opportunity with Zach [Boden] and his entire team that he’s built over the last couple of years. He puts in the time and effort you need to go out there and have a good week,” said Laster. “I don’t have very many laps in a dirt midget, or even much open-wheel experience. I just want to go complete as many laps as I can, and build up as much experience as I can.”
The 23-year-old driver does have some experience on the dirt, though, having competed in Dirt Late Models across Indiana and the Midwest from 2018 to 2023, in a variety of different series, including the World of Outlaws Late Models, Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series, UMP Summer Nationals, Ultimate Heart of America Late Model Series, and more.
Laster just completed his first full-time campaign in the ARCA Menards Series, driving for Wayne Peterson Racing in the No. 06. Among the highlights of his season was a career-best seventh-place result at Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois. The finish was also the best finish for the organization in more than four decades.
Zach Boden Racing primarily competes around Wisconsin in the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association. Boden himself was the 2022 Series Champion and the 2017 Rookie of the Year. The upcoming event will mark the team’s fifth attempt in the Chili Bowl Nationals, and the second time they’ve taken multiple cars.
“We are really excited to be going back to the Chili Bowl for the fifth time now. Being able to bring our program south to Oklahoma with Brayton driving our second car is going to be a very fun and exciting experience,” said Zach Boden, owner of Zach Boden Racing. “Bringing our passions and racing knowledge together to put Brayton in the most comfortable situation we can for his first-ever attempt competing at the Chili Bowl is the goal. We would love to take a third car and still have that seat open for anyone wanting to come in and help grow our program, and be a part of our team for the 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals.”
The 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals will take place at Tulsa Expo Raceway from January 12-17. Coverage of the event will be on FloRacing.
