(Daniel Theine Photo)
Tulsa, OK | December 22, 2017 – Quickly immersing himself as one of the nation’s top non-wing micro sprint drivers in recent years, Cole Bodine has emerged from the local and prideful weekly action in the “Hoosier State” to a considerable favorite at the biggest events of the year. Making a splash with last year’s tough, but impressive second-place finish in Outlaw Non-Wing, the Rossville, Indiana native supplanted his name into the minds of observers nationwide. Returning to next week’s 33rd annual Lucas Oil Tulsa Shootout with a vengeance, Bodine will participate in a quadruple duty lineup. Piloting a pair of Concept Chassis entries, Bodine will tackle the Winged Outlaw and Outlaw Non-Wing classes in his family-owned No. 57 while racing the A-Class and Stock Non-Wing divisions in a Scott Van Hoy owned JCC Seed Sales, CSI Shocks No. 2V.
“Finishing second last year was a little disappointing for how bad I wanted to win, but it really set the bar high for this year knowing that it is time to get the job done,” said Bodine. “I’m very grateful that my dad and I have come this far together and are able to compete with the best of the best. I am honored to race against such talented drivers and I can’t wait to see what comes this year.”
Making his eighth appearance at the Tulsa Shootout, Bodine has recorded seven feature starts, three top-ten finishes, six heat race wins, and four qualifier victories since his debut in 2011. Scoring his first significant run in 2013, Bodine guided his way to a sixth-place finish his first-start in the Outlaw Non-Wing class. After several years of earning multiple feature starts, his breakthrough moment came at last year’s 32nd running.
Qualifying for the Stock and Outlaw Non-Wing features, Bodine became a threat at the front of both 25-lappers. Opening his evening with an 11th-to-sixth charge in Stock NW, the Indiana native followed that up with a career-best finish. Starting on the outside pole of Outlaw NW, Bodine burst into the early lead and led the opening 13 laps. After being overtaken by eventual winner, Tristan Guardino, Bodine never fell out of contention and continued to hound Guardino for the top spot until he fell only 0.146 seconds short of the win.
Chasing that sweet taste of triumph at the Tulsa Shootout more than ever, Bodine has prepared long and hard for his return to the Tulsa Expo. A constant threat at races around the midwest such as the Terry Sprague Memorial and #BigDance, Bodine now looks to implement his legacy at the biggest micro sprint event of the year in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Beginning on Thursday, December 28th with practice and heat races, the 33rd edition of the Lucas Oil Tulsa Shootout will run through Sunday, December 31st when a new batch of Golden Driller winners are crowned. Walkapedia will continue our Tulsa Shootout coverage all week long with countless previews leading up to the race as we highlight this year’s contenders.
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