Tanner Thorson may have won the 36th annual Chili Bowl Nationals, but it was Kaylee Bryson who stole the show Saturday night at the Tulsa Expo Center.

The 20-year-old from Muskogee, Oklahoma has already set the tone that something special may be in store after winning her qualifying race, finishing second in qualifying and then sixth in the preliminary night last Tuesday. The strong performance earned her the 10th starting spot in the second B feature on Saturday night, where she pushed the cushion and used the top lane to take the lead in just a few laps. Undeterred by numerous late restarts, his #71K Keith Kunz Motorsports Toyota held the lead for the remainder of the 20-lap race.

The result made Bryson the first-ever woman to make the Chili Bowl A-Feature. The previous highest rating was held by Harli White, who finished 19th in a B feature film in 2016.

“It was super fun,” Bryson told RACER. “I just had the idea that I wanted to do the Chili Bowl (A) feature film and it’s been my dream since I was little. You know, coming here, we were super nervous, but amplified at the same time. time. I just wanted to make that show so bad. So going there for the B feature, I just gave it my all and it turned out good for us in the end and we got the win. I I can’t thank my team enough: Toyota Racing, James Hodge Toyota and Keith Kunz Motorsports, they really made this possible for me, and I’m so lucky to have this opportunity.

While his driving in the B-Feature rewrote the history books, it was also notable because until then no driver had been able to rip the top lane and charge up front.

“I really had to seek out the moisture (for grip) because I knew I was desperate,” she said. “I started 10th, they took the top seven. So I knew I really had to go for it. Once I found a good line and good wetness, I just stuck with it and we kept passing cars. So I was like, ‘Man, we’re really solid here.’ So I kept riding harder and harder, and we won the race.

Kaylee Bryson makes history running from 10th to 1st place and survived multiple late restarts to win B-Main #2 and become the first female driver to qualify for the Chili Bowl A-Main! Hahn, Leary, Golobic, Day, Welch and Beason are your latest transfers!#ChileBowl2022 to #MAVTV pic.twitter.com/KC5vEXO7Yy

– MAVTV (@MAVTV) January 16, 2022

Bryson’s impact was recognized instantly as she received a raucous reaction from the crowd tied with NASCAR stars and Chile Bowl champions Chrisopher Bell and Kyle Larson during driver introductions for the main event.

She started 12th in the A-Feature, but the quarter-mile oval has been given a makeover with track preps significantly changing conditions in the prep. While Bryson managed to briefly break into the top 10 of the 24-car field, she eventually faded in the 55-lap main event and finished 18th.

“The track was totally different,” said Bryson, who was making his third career Chili Bowl start. “It’s part of learning. I think if you’re going to learn anywhere it’s going to be at the Chili Bowl because you run 110% every lap. I take away a lot from this event and I’m grateful to be able to learn and have this opportunity to be able to get more experience under my belt and more seat time.

Ultimately, Bryson’s exit didn’t go unnoticed, especially by fellow KKM teammate and two-time Chili Bowl winner Rico Abreu.

“It’s great for the industry,” said Abreu, who finished third on Saturday night. “Coming from the stable of Keith Kunz, Kaylee has done a phenomenal job. It’s just cool to be part of it, witness it. We were all waiting for this girl to rise through the ranks. … There are girls coming in, especially the Kunz stable, who aren’t afraid to stay on the gas. And when you’re like that, you have to put yourself in the running to win a race.

Looking back on his historic night, Bryson showed that the barriers were non-existent.

“I just hope that if anyone takes anything away from it, anything is possible,” she said. “You know, you can think of anything and make anything possible. Obviously I was nervous coming into this race because these guys are amazing. These guys have been doing this longer than me, and they’re so experienced and so talented. I was obviously nervous because it’s a tough show to do. So once you think of something, you can make it happen.