Has Jeff Gordon ever raced in the Chili Bowl Nationals? All you need to know

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon is widely known for his accomplishments on asphalt tracks. However, before Gordon’s meteoric rise in NASCAR, Gordon competed in sprint car racing, including midget and open-wheel racing.

Jeff Gordon has raced in the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals early in his career. He was 18 years old when he participated in the 1990 Chili Bowl Nationals and ended up finishing 16th in the A-Main. Even though he didn’t win the event, his participation underscores his roots in dirt track racing and his willingness to compete against some of the best drivers in the sport at a young age.

After the Chili Bowl debut, Jeff Gordon shifted his focus to other opportunities in racing, including his career-defining move to NASCAR, where he became one of the sport’s greatest drivers and an inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019.

The Chili Bowl Nationals is a prestigious indoor midget car racing event held annually in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since its inception in 1987, the event has attracted top drivers from various disciplines, including dirt racing, NASCAR, IndyCar, and ARCA.

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Jeff Gordon is returning to the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals as Grand Marshal

The vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports will serve as the Grand Marshal for the 39th annual Chili Bowl Nationals next week. It’s not the first time; he was previously named Grand Marshal in 2022.

Reflecting on his long absence from the Chili Bowl after competing in 1990 and how unexpectedly he became the grand marshal of the event in 2022, Jeff Gordon said (via Tulsa World):

“I don’t know why it took me so long to come back after competing in 1990, but I started coming back five or six years ago. You just can’t miss this event. They asked if he (Rick Hendrick) could be the grand marshal, and unfortunately, he could not be here this weekend. I told the Hahn family that Rick is not able to do it, and then about a week later I got a call, and they said, how about you being the grand marshal.”

The 39th edition of “The Super Bowl of Midget Racing” will take place from Jan. 12 to 18 at Tulsa Expo Raceway. Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs are making their Chili Bowl Nationals debut. Meanwhile, several NASCAR drivers who are competing in the event are Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, JJ Yeley, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.