On Wednesday, the 2-time Chili Bowl Nationals champion Kyle Larson announced a surprising return to the prestigious dirt racing competition. While he would have expected a cruise control passage to Saturday’s main event, if the recent developments at the SageNet Center are anything to go by, Larson’s 2024 Chili Bowl journey might be over.

Needing to come back from a P20 start to finish in the top two places to qualify for Saturday night’s main Midget Car event, Larson sped up things initially. However, two flips have forced the 2021 Cup Series champion to retire from the race and put his hopes of a third Golden Driller in danger. While Kyle Larson will have another chance with the alphabetical soup in place, his tight schedule would prevent him from returning anytime before Saturday.

Kyle Larson’s 2024 Chili Bowl chances almost quashed with demanding Wild West Shootout commitments

Following two years of boycott, it was surprising to see Kyle Larson back at the Tulsa Expo Raceway. Following a phone call to former team owner Keith Kunz, the 31-year-old ensured that KKM had a car ready for his return to the Golden Driller. With Tanner Carrick sealing his spot for the main event, Kyle Larson used his spare car to have another shot at the prestigious trophy.

Beginning the race at 20th was already a major obstacle for Kyle Larson. Also, a major issue would be how Midget Cars don’t allow as much space and opportunity to overtake opponents like NASCAR racing. However, Larson had clawed his way back. Having flipped once in the race, he knew his car couldn’t take much more damage. Unfortunately, his worst fear came true.

After a brief resurgence, Kyle Larson rose to 11th. However, a second flip for the #98 KKM car at the second exit ended all hopes as track officials arrived to escort the driver and the car back to the garage. Suffice to say it’s a sad ending for the Hendrick Motorsports star on his return to one of his favorite competitions.

While the Chili Bowl Nationals does allow a driver to compete for a chance at the main event through its placement races in the upcoming days, Larson will be unable to attend those. Having already confirmed his presence in New Mexico for the Wild West Shootout, further participation in the Chili Bowl seems unlikely for Kyle Larson.

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A ‘Dirt Double’ is off the books for Larson

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One of the major reasons for Kyle Larson’s return to Chili Bowl is the possibility of completing a Dirt Double in 2024. Larson will run in the Wild West Shootout for the second time in his career. With the Shootout not racing on Thursday, Larson found a window of opportunity to fly to Tulsa on Thursday night and seal the deal for an appearance in Saturday’s A-Main.

With a chance to win both the trophies in a single stretch, Larson wasn’t about to let this glorious chance slip his hands. Had Kyle Larson not crashed and finished in the top two in the qualifying race, he’d have been contending for two finales on Saturday. What gave him the idea of achieving this was Vado’s weather constraints forcing the Wild West Shootout to prepone its races to Saturday morning.

If everything had gone as planned and Larson had managed to finish second without crashes hindering his chances, he’d be racing on Saturday without another appearance in the Chili Bowl. However, with this crash, he’ll have to race on Friday to fight his way to the A-Main race. However, his schedule at the Wild West Shootout means he’ll have to choose between the two competitions, which is a tough pill to swallow.

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