AXSOM IS 2026 CHILI BOWL NATIONALS WINNER
Feature photo by: Nick Oxford/NASCAR… Emerson Axsom during the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals on Saturday night in Tulsa, Okla.
Story courtesy TJ Slideways.com
TULSA, Oklahoma (January 17, 2026): Emerson Axsom will take the golden driller back to Indiana after winning the finale of the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals Saturday night at the Tulsa Expo Raceway inside of the SageNet Center.
For Axsom emotions were flowing for winning the biggest race at one of his favourite venues, which Axsom has been coming to for a majority of his career for the Tulsa Shootout winning multiple Golden Drillers at that event and now has the biggest of all the trophies available to go with those triumphs with his Chili Bowl Nationals title.
“I was about to cry after I took the chequred,” said Axsom. “I don’t even know, like there’s just a feeling in me that you can’t explain it. You just can’t explain what it feels like to win here, this building is awesome. I mean, it’s been, it’s been great to me my whole life. I love this place, and I don’t think I’m going to ever stop coming back.”
Axsom had to pass defending Chili Bowl Nationals champion Kyle Larson to take the lead early in the 55-lap main event. Instead of waiting for the race to play out, Axsom took the fight to the defending champion right at the start.
“I knew Kyle was going to be good. I didn’t want to let him get out front, because I feel like as a driver, I’m better if I just can control the race,” said Axsom in victory lane. “I found the top, and as soon as he moved up, I was throwing a bomb, and I was going to race him as hard as I could. I didn’t care if it was lap five or not. I wanted to get out to the lead and just control the race and run my own race. And, man, we did just that.”
After getting the lead, Axsom had to contend with multiple challengers that included his teammate Logan Seavey, USAC standout Justin Grant, and a late race surge by another USAC competitor in Kevin Thomas Jr.
“Every time I saw a guy’s nose I just defended as much as I could and was watching the board as much as I could,” said Axsom.
“I think I blocked two or three Logan sliders just from the board. I knew when I saw the 39 and second that he was in just as good stuff as I am, so I had to be perfect. I made a couple mistakes and saw (Thomas) on the bottom on the white flag, and I didn’t know what to do down here. I was going to slide myself, but I figured I’d just run the bottom and that was the safest option, and whatever with outcome was, it was, and I just, I don’t know, I just made every right move.”
The first attempt to start the finale only lasted to the first corner when Colby Copeland brought out the caution flag after ending up backwards against the wall in turn one. Copeland was able to restart at the tail of the field.
The second attempt to start the race saw Larson drive to the lead with Axsom and Blake Hahn in pursuit. Seavey was able to move Hahn back to fourth on lap two.
Axsom started to pressure Larson for the lead on lap three as the pair raced back in fourth with Axsom taking the lead on lap four and solidified the position with a slide job on Larson in turn two to take the lead.
Axsom, Larson, and Seavey were able to pull away from Hahn and the rest of the field while Justin Grant made his presence felt up front moving into fifth position on lap 11.
By lap 15 Axsom had built up a 0.583 second lead when Larson’s race ended one lap later when he tangled with C.J. Leary going down the backstretch after Leary experienced a mechanical issue. Larson ended up nosing into the fence and got upside down. After going to the work area, the damage was too severe for Larson to continue.
Axsom was able to get a jump on the field during the restart and started to open a sizeable lead into the first corner when the caution appeared for Wout Hoffmans car stopped on the racetrack.
The second attempt at the restart with 17 laps completed, Seavey was able to hang onto Axsom’s back bumper. Just as it appeared that Axsom would open some breathing room, he stumbled on the cushion in turn four and allowed Seavey to close.
Another caution appeared with 26 laps complete when Jett Barnes got up on two wheels and got into the fence, leaving some debris in his wake. The 14-year-old phenom went to the work area where it was discovered there was damage to the oil system in his car, ending his night.
During that same caution flag Hahn’s car stalled between turns one and two while running in third position, sending him to the tail of the field and elevated Grant to the third position.
Axsom with a tremendous restart, but short lived when Wout Hoffmans car stopped.
Second restart lap 17” Seavey hangs with Axsom. Hahn holding in third. Grant keeping pace as the top four pull away from Bell in fifth after a bike.
After the restart Axsom, Seavey, and Grant pulled away from the field to the halfway point in the event. Grant attempted a slide job on Seavey with 24 laps to go for the second position but could not make the pass. This allowed Axsom to pull away to a 0.989 second lead.
With 36 laps complete another caution flag appeared when Colby Copeland got upside down in turn four. After the restart the top three drivers of Axsom, Seavey, and Grant pulled away from the field.
The lead trio remained close to each other with 15 laps to go. Seavey began to pressure Axsom for the lead, but that broke his momentum and allowed Grant to take second with 14 laps to go.
Grant began to close on Axsom for the lad when another caution flag appeared when Cannon McIntosh slid into Shane Golobic with Golobic ending up with the worst of the situation, getting upside down while running in the sixth position.
After the restart Grant started to size up Axsom for the lead. On lap 49 Grant pulled a slide job in turn two and was clear of Axsom, but another caution flag appeared for Kyle Cummins on his side in turn four before Grant could get past the start finish line, allowing Axsom to maintain the lead.
Axsom pulled away again during the restart while Seavey moved past Grant for second. This allowed Daison Pursley, who had driven up to the fourth position, to drive by Grant for the third position.
Another caution flag appeared with six laps to go when Ryan Bernal came to a stop on the racing surface with just six laps to go.
During the restart the race for the lead intensified when Axsom made a couple of mistakes on the cushion soon an intense battle for the race lead was taking place with Axsom, Seavey, Grant, and Pursley with Grant ending up upside down in turn four with two laps to go.
This setup a green/white/checkered finish. The first attempt at the restart saw Pursley get called for a jump start for passing Seavey and was docked two positions, moving Kevin Thomas Jr. from 18th starting position up to third spot.
Axsom was up for the challenge on the restart maintaining the lead while Thomas and Hank Davis were able to get by Seavey to round out the podium in second and third positions respectively.
Seavey and Briggs Danner rounded out the top five.
40th Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink
QuikTrip Championship Saturday
Tulsa Expo Raceway
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Saturday, January 17, 2026
A-Main (55 Laps)
1. 39A-Emerson Axsom[2]
2. 14K-Kevin Thomas Jr[18]
3. 29S-Hank Davis[8]
4. 39-Logan Seavey[4]
5. 55I-Briggs Danner[7]
6. 86-Daison Pursley[6]
7. 71K-Cannon McIntosh[11]
8. 21CB-Christopher Bell[5]
9. 1S-Spencer Bayston[20]
10. 88-Tanner Thorson[22]
11. 21-Daryn Pittman[19]
12. 52-Blake Hahn[3]
13. 55X-CJ Leary[10]
14. 51-Gavan Boschele[23]
15. 27W-Colby Copeland[14]
16. 26-Corbin Rueschenberg[15]
17. 87-Justin Grant[9]
18. 87W-Ryan Bernal[13]
19. 39G-Kyle Cummins[21]
20. 17W-Shane Golobic[16]
21. 1A-Jett Barnes[12]
22. 29-Tim Buckwalter[17]
23. 1K-Kyle Larson[1]
24. 14J-Wout Hoffmans[24]
