January 11, 2024 | By Bryan Hulbert

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. to make Chili Bowl return on Friday

TULSA, Okla. — Following Tuesday’s announcement that Kyle Larson will be back in action Thursday at the 38th annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy, another phone call to Keith Kunz by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will see the return of the Mississippi shoe on Friday night.

“Really looking forward to getting back to Chili Bowl. Obviously, took last year off and I missed it. I was sitting on the couch watching this week, and my wife looked at me and said, I can tell you really want to go; just go,” explained Stenhouse.

Feeling the itch to race event before the event, Justin Grant had been on Stenhouse about running his second car, but being mid-way through the event, time did not allow that to happen. A text to Kyle Larson later, and things fell into place.

“I was texting with [Kyle] Larson, telling him, the same time you were trying to get your deal together, I was trying to get a deal together, and he said to call Keith [Kunz], which I’ve run for him one other time at the Chili Bowl, and I didn’t really perform the way I wanted to, so I wasn’t sure if he would let me back in one of his cars, but I shot him a text, and he said, let me get on that, so here we are. Obviously, Keith has the best cars out there, and they show every night, so I’m looking forward to getting back in a Midget at the Expo to see what we can do.”

The late entry marks the 17th time Stenhouse has participated in the Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy, of which he has made the 55-lap championship event eight times, with a trio of top-ten finishes. Stenhouse will pilot the Keith Kunz Motorsports-Curb-Agajanian/NOS Energy No. 71R.

The 38th annual Chili Bowl Nationals takes place January 8-13, 2024, under the giant roof of the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Okla. Fans unable to attend the Chili Bowl Nationals can watch every lap live at http://www.floracing.com.

The General Admission Pit Pass is sold at the event and never sells out. They are $60 per weekday and $75 on Saturday.

For continued updates on the Chili Bowl Nationals, fans can follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with @CBNationals. All official press, updates, and results on the Chili Bowl Nationals can be found online at http://www.chilibowl.com.