Defending NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love is getting a little bit of extra-curricular racing in during the off-season, and it comes in the form of the Chili Bowl Nationals.
The 20-year-old driver will be returning to the prestigious dirt midget event held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, every January, after taking a year off from the event. This year, though, there’s an interesting NASCAR connection at play.
Love will be piloting an entry that is owned by Blake Harris and fielded by 2nd Opinion Auto Center Racing. Harris is a regular on the NASCAR circuit, serving as crew chief for Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Indoor szn ? pic.twitter.com/W14WSX8JuR
— jesse love jr (@jesselovejr1) January 6, 2026
A native of Menlo Park, California, Love is a former winner in the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series. However, in three prior attempts, the two-time ARCA Menards Series West champion has not qualified for the ultra-competitive Chili Bowl Nationals A-Main.
During his last attempt in the SageNet Center at Tulsa State Fairgrounds, Love was leading his qualifier race on Thursday night prelims when he went for a nasty ride, flipping violently into Turn 1 and making contact with the pack of tire barriers blocking the entrance gate to the racetrack.
The 2026 Chili Bowl Nationals, as of the latest update to the entry list, is approaching 400 entrants, with 385 different drivers currently on the roster for the prestigious January event. Love isn’t the only driver from the NASCAR or ARCA world to be entered in the event, either.
When it comes to the NASCAR world, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Ty Gibbs are the three full-timers in the NASCAR Cup Series who are competing in the Chili Bowl Nationals this season. Both Larson and Bell are three-time winners of the event.
J.J. Yeley, Sheldon Creed, Corey Day, and Josh Bilicki are among the other NASCAR National Series drivers competing in the event. For Creed, who competes in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Love, this year marks his debut in the Chili Bowl Nationals.
Dillon Welch, a pit reporter for The CW Sports, is also entered in the Chili Bowl Nationals, marking a unique connection between the NASCAR world and the dirt racing world. Kaylee Bryson, Gavan Boschele, Brayton Laster, and Ryan Roulette are amongst other well-known NASCAR/ARCA names competing.
This year’s Chili Bowl Nationals is scheduled for January 12-17, 2026.
One Response
I’ve not been able to find his name anywhere other than a couple of Flo Racing interviews but isn’t Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also going to try again?