The Chili Bowl had a problem when they allowed 30+ years of drivers and car owners that had won the Chili Bowl to enter the Race of Champions. You had drivers that never won the Chili Bowl driving for car owners that were deceased, and Chili Bowl champion car owners using drivers that were not champions of the Chili Bowl or any other organization.

I believe Donnie Schatz was allowed to run the Race of Champions his rookie year at the Chili Bowl driving a Clauson-Marshall Racing entry even though CMR never won the Chili Bowl (Bryan won in the Dooling/Kunz 63).

The Chili Bowl now has a system that rewards champions (World of Outlaws, ASCS, All Star Sprints, USAC sprints & midgets, and POWRi midgets), the top 3 finishers in the last 5 Chili Bowls, the top 2 finishers in the last 5 Race of Champions, and the preliminary night winners from the previous Chili Bowl.

This seems like a much more fair system to me that represents “champion” drivers.