It was 10:13pm Tulsa time on Friday night when the @CBNationals Twitter account broke arguably the biggest news to hit the event in several years.

BREAKING NEWS: Driver Age Requirements Updated For 2022 Chili Bowl Nationals! Find out more at https://t.co/NlHzo0IyRl pic.twitter.com/gG7YxedPqk

— Chili Bowl Nationals (@cbnationals) November 20, 2021

Remember the 16-years-old age requirement? Throw it out the window. That’s right. An advisory committee has been formed to accommodate the increasingly youthful field seen throughout Midget racing.

All hopeful drivers under 16 will be allowed to submit entries, but must be approved by the committee before being allowed to race in the 36th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals on January 10-15.

“The landscape of Midget racing has changed drastically over the last 20 years, and it’s changed even faster over the past five years,” stated Chili Bowl Director, Matt Ward. “Just looking back over the past season with ASCS and the shows we ran where Midgets were also racing, the winners were all under 16-years old. The Chili Bowl is all about having the greatest talent under one roof, and after talking with Emmett [Hahn], he absolutely agrees, and we were able to make the changes needed to allow it to happen this January instead of 2023.”

It's game changing news for four of the most prolific teenagers in dirt track racing – Ryan Timms, Jade Avedisian, Brent Crews, and Gavan Boschele.

The release came less than 24 hours after Ryan Timms, of Oklahoma City, Okla., became the youngest winner in USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series history, standing in Placerville Speedway victory lane at the ripe age of 15 years, 2 months, 23 days.

He’s already a former Golden Driller winner (2018 Jr. Sprints at Tulsa Shootout) and this year was the star of stars when it comes to teenagers. Along with his Midget racing record at CB Industries, Timms has been outstanding in Sprint Car competition with five ASCS National Tour wins and a Trophy Cup score.

Another 15-year-old in the running now? Jade Avedisian of Clovis, California.

She, too, has a Golden Driller to her credit with a 2020 Restricted title at the Tulsa Shootout. She then won a massive $20,000 Winged Outlaw Micro Sprint race at Sweet Springs (Mo.) last summer and joined with CB Industries this year. Among her accomplishments in the midget are three POWRi National top-five finishes and QuickTime at the Walkapedia Carolina Midget Showdown.

Now let’s look at the kids who are barely even teenagers, that’s right 13-year-olds. Here’s a crazy stat: Kyle Larson, who is 29-years-old, has been racing the Chili Bowl for longer than Brent Crews and Gavan Boschele have been on this Earth. Don’t let that fool you, though, these young guns are flat-out gassers.

Brent Crews of Denver, N.C. was only 13 years, 3, months, 18 days when he became the youngest POWRi National Midget League winner this summer at Grain Valley (Mo.) with CB Industries. The teenage sensation continued to thrill with an Ironman 55 weekend sweep, and additional wins at Jacksonville (Ill.) and Sweet Springs. 

The karting superstar, who is signed with NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick at KHI Management, also has laps inside the Tulsa Expo Raceway. He was only 12-years-old last winter when he finished a remarkable third in Outlaw Non-Wing at the Tulsa Shootout.

From down the road in Mooresville, N.C. is Gavan Boschele, born only one month prior to Crews in February of 2008. After building a successful Micro Sprint program with Swindell SpeedLab, the young gun aligned with Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports to dabble in Midget racing.

He took to it quickly, recording 15 top-10 finishes in 18 starts with the POWRi National Midget League and finding victory lane at Lake Ozark (Mo.) during Labor Day weekend. And yes, he has Tulsa Shootout experience inside the Expo as well.

A few other teenagers to watch that are barely cleared of the advisory committee, you ask?

Corey Day, also of Clovis, Calif., turns 16 next week and thus becomes Chili Bowl eligible. He held the youngest winner record prior to Timms, winning his fifth USAC start during Indiana Midget Week with Clauson-Marshall Racing.

KKM also has a pair of newly turned 16-year-old kids eligible with Brenham Crouch and Bryant Wiedeman gaining access this year.

Wiedeman, of Colby, Kans., won three POWRi races and became the youngest champion in National Midget history this year.

Crouch, of Lubbock, Tex., improved and racked up two top-five finishes against the USAC National stars in 2021.

The 2022 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire takes place January 10-15, 2022, atop the clay of the Tulsa Expo Raceway. The event is contested under the massive roof of the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Practice will be held Monday morning starting at 7:00 A.M. with Hot Laps at 5:00 P.M. and Racing at 6:00 P.M. Tuesday-Friday, Hot Laps are at 4:00 P.M. with racing at 5:00 P.M. Saturday’s finale hits the track at 10:00 A.M. with the first rounds of Soup. Opening Ceremonies are held at 6:00 P.M. (CT).

Fans not able to attend the 36th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire can see it live on FloRacing.com as part of their yearly subscription package until the event goes live on the MAVTV Motorsports Network and MAVTV Plus on Saturday night.