Alphabet Soup

Alphabet Soup is a series of preliminary qualifying races in motorsports where drivers compete to advance through alphabetically-labeled events (like C Main, B Main) to reach the final A Main race.

The term gets its name from the alphabet-based naming system used for these qualifying races. Instead of having just one or two heat races, some racing events—especially in midget car and sprint car racing—use multiple levels of preliminary races labeled with letters. These might include an O Main, N Main, M Main, and so on, working backward through the alphabet until reaching the prestigious A Main, which is the feature race everyone wants to compete in.

Here's how it works in practice: imagine a racing event with 100 drivers who all want to compete, but the track can only safely accommodate 24 cars in the main event. The organizers need a fair way to determine which drivers earn those 24 spots. They divide drivers into multiple preliminary races, with the top finishers from each race advancing to the next level up.

A driver who starts in the O Main (the lowest level) must finish well enough to move up to the N Main. If they succeed there, they advance to the M Main, and so on. This progression continues through each alphabetically-labeled race until they potentially reach the A Main. When someone accomplishes this feat—advancing from the very bottom all the way to the feature race in a single day—racers say that driver "ran through the alphabet soup."

The most famous example of Alphabet Soup occurs at the Chili Bowl Nationals, a prestigious indoor midget car racing event held annually in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With hundreds of entries competing on a small quarter-mile track, organizers must use this extensive qualifying system to whittle down the field. The Chili Bowl sometimes features races going as far back as the O Main, creating a true gauntlet for drivers.

Running through the alphabet soup is considered an impressive accomplishment because it requires consistency, car durability, and skill across multiple races in one day. The driver must not only win or finish near the front repeatedly but also preserve their equipment through what can be a physically and mechanically demanding schedule.

This qualifying format differs from other motorsports like NASCAR or Formula 1, where qualifying typically involves timed laps rather than multiple preliminary races. The alphabet soup system creates more on-track action and gives every driver multiple chances to prove themselves, even if they struggle in their initial qualifying attempt.

For fans, the alphabet soup format means more racing to watch throughout the day. For drivers starting deep in the alphabet, it represents both a challenge and an opportunity—a long road to the main event, but a road that remains open if they can deliver strong performances when it matters.