By Ian Nikkel, Fox23 News
TULSA, Okla. — It’s race week in Green Country with the start of the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals. For the racers, it’s one of the biggest races of the year; for the politicians, it’s one of the biggest money makers for Green Country.
As rubber meets dirt in the Chili Bowl, a press conference was held Monday morning at the SageNet Center at the Tulsa Fairgrounds hosted by Grand Marshall and two-time Chili Bowl winner Tony Stewart and three-time champions Kyle Larson and Oklahoma native Christopher Bell.
All three had nothing but high praise for the event.
“Back in the day, I was scared to say this was bigger than Daytona but it is. It truly is,” shared Tony Stewart. “It’s not in the world’s eyes, but in true motorsports fans’ eyes, they know it’s bigger.”
Not only is the event big for racers, but it’s also big for Tulsa’s economy.
Over this week, 6,000 visitors and $40 million will be pumped into the economy.
An additional $20 million was made by the Raceway during the Tulsa Shootout last week.
“Everything from what happens here to our hotels and restaurants. You got people coming in from all over the place and I think the impact is even beyond what happens while the Chili Bowl is going on,” said Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols.
Considering how important the event is for both racers and Tulsans, organizers said they understand the importance of keeping the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, which is why they continue to work hard to keep making it better.
Tulsa County District 1 Commissioner Stan Sallee said, “We continue to reinvest in it. Like Renee said…you got a lot of people out there that would love to have this event in their community all across the country. Whether it’s the million dollars in bleachers we’ve done or the asphalt throughout and all the other amenities and improvements, we’re committed.”
This year a new trophy featuring the Golden Driller was unveiled to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Chili Bowl.
Starting now, you can catch every race at the SageNet Center through Saturday.
To learn more, you can visit the event’s website here.
