Tulsa, OK | December 26, 2017 – Following the best season of his career, Justin Grant will tackle a new challenge to end 2017 as he heads to Tulsa, Oklahoma two weeks prior to the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals for a battle at the 33rd edition of the Lucas Oil Tulsa Shootout. The biggest micro sprint race in the world with over 1,000 entries, the 26-year old USAC sensation will step down from the ranks of Silver Crown, Sprint Car and Midget racing to participate in the 600cc micro sprint world. Making his debut at the Tulsa Shootout, Grant will be competing in the Winged Outlaw and Outlaw Non-Wing classes in pursuit of his first-career Golden Driller. Piloting a Jon Randall owned Stallard Chassis, CSI Shocks, Keizer Wheels, MoMo’s Racing Engines, Outlaw Wings, Bush’s Chicken No. 9 entry, “JG” will be a heavy challenger with one of the nicest rides in the country at his disposal.
“I have known about Justin for awhile after watching him excel in the USAC Sprint Car and Midgets ranks,” noted Randall. “I actually met Justin at a quarter midget race that his father, Tim, was a photographer at. I told them that I was putting together an Outlaw car for the Shootout and wanted Justin to drive it for me. Justin said if I built it, he would drive the wheels off of it! He came so close to winning the USAC Sprint Car title this year, so I know he can drive anything with an engine to the front. I’m excited that this will also be a great opportunity for him to get some seat time before the Chili Bowl.”
From his time on the track and back at home, 2017 was life-changing year for Grant in both his racing career and his personal life. After welcoming the birth of twins with his wife, Ashley, in January, Grant’s season drastically changed when he suddenly received a call to compete at the Chili Bowl with Clauson-Marshall Racing. Competing in all three USAC National divisions, Grant accumulated 4,070 points across the three classes and was awarded the 2017 Mike Curb Super License for his consistency and versatility. Along with Tyler Courtney, Grant was one of only two men to win in all three divisions, and he became the first driver since Tracy Hines in 2011 to finish in the top five in points for each class.
A native of Ione, California and resident of Avon, Indiana, Grant’s career has been an incredible whirlwind of racing activity. However, after his recent breakthroughs and especially the 2017 season, Grant has quickly solidified himself as a top-dog in the USAC ranks.
After competing with Tyler Courtney in the Stock divisions at last year’s 32nd running, Jon Randall’s Tulsa Shootout entry is quickly becoming a hot commodity. With “Sunshine” behind the wheel last December, the duo scored a third-place finish in the A-Class main event and suffered a DNF in the Stock Non-Wing feature.
Along with Grant in the Outlaw classes, Jon Randall of Texas, will be supplying a second-car with his son, Chase, behind the wheel. A quickly rising star in the micro sprint ranks, Chase has caught the eye of fans and driver across the midwest with several phenomenal runs at such a young age. After a freak accident in August, Chase was sent to the hospital and sidelined for the rest of 2017. Just the other week, however, the racing community received some great news as Jon announced that Chase had been cleared to return to racing and will compete at this week’s Tulsa Shootout. Racing in the Stock Non-Wing, A-Class and Restricted divisions, Chase will be looking to continue his strong streak of Shootout finishes after running second in Jr. Sprints (2016) and eighth in Restricted (2017).
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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