Pennsboro Lost & Found, Chili Bowl Tire Crisis Averted

1. Chili Bowl Pokes Bear, Gets Tire Rule Right

Already facing a ton of negative headlines heading into 2023 with Kyle Larson’s very public refusal to run the Chili Bowl Nationals over a purse that hasn’t kept up with the times or the costs required to contest the event, the crown-jewel midget race incurred the wrath of many in the racing community Wednesday when it announced a limited tire rule for January that would have rendered many teams’ current tire inventories obsolete. 

Then, as of today, the event changed its tune, instead opening the rules up to allow for any midget tire to be run.

EVENT UPDATE >> Any Midget Tire Will Be Allowed At The 2023 Chili Bowl Nationals! Find out more at https://t.co/LjRQjR66Vl pic.twitter.com/Fd5qL9usdJ

— Chili Bowl Nationals (@cbnationals) October 27, 2022

Whether this was poor communication, as implied in the Chili Bowl’s press release regarding the rule change, or an about face by an event finding itself on the defensive after years of staggering growth, let’s first be clear that the end result is a good thing for all involved, fans and competitors alike. An open tire rule not only means that race teams sitting on inventories of race tires will not incur additional costs in contesting a gargantuan week-long racing event but also means the racing events themselves will be open to tire strategy among competitors.

However, watching how responsive the Chili Bowl Nationals were to social media outrage, I also wonder if the event’s getting just a little bit skittish knowing that this year’s entry list is likely to be diminished when compared to recent seasons. Larson is not the only driver that’s spoken out in 2023 about the costs of contesting the Chili Bowl, and the Wild West Shootout late model event that runs the same week as the Chili Bowl is offering considerably more prize money, with prelim feature wins paying $10,000, the finale $25,000 and a whopping $300,000 bonus available to any driver who can sweep the races.

We’re another day closer to the 2023 Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout presented by @oreillyauto

Will you be joining us in the desert for another year of great racing? #WWS2023 pic.twitter.com/QWSa6ZKGfg

— Wild West Shootout (@WildWShootout) October 25, 2022

Is there a new sheriff in winter dirt racing? If nothing else, there are two names on the ballot now.

2. Pennsboro Was Lost, Now Is Found

With North Wilkesboro Speedway (in no small part thanks to…