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Friday, February 27, 2009 – The second round for the 2009 USAC National Sprint Car and Midget series took place Wednesday night in Las Vegas, NV. The event was held at the 1/2 mile Dirt Track adjacent to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The track conditions were treacherous as the evening moved forward. A condition known as "rubber down" developed on the dirt. This type of track condition means that tires are known to come apart due to the tremendous grip that develops as rubber builds onto of the dirt.
For Cole Whitt and his two classes of vehicles, the event was one of tremendous ups and downs, with a dramatic conclusion to each Feature race.
The USAC National Midget event was one that started with a 15th place qualifying lap in a field of 35 Midgets. With the changing track conditions in qualifying and the heat race, Cole was able to finish 2nd in his heat race from a 5th place start. As the racing continued, the "rubber down"condition continued to developed. The "rubber down" condition meant drivers and teams could either stay with the nornal softer tire for the race or go to a much harder tire that would not show benefits until much later in the race. Cole and his Keith Kunz Motorsports team chose to go with the harder tire option. For Cole and his team the benefits were never allowed to show up as contact with Tracy Hines in the no. 21 Tony Stewart Racing midget forced Cole to flip in turn 1. The damage from the flip did not allow Cole to continue and he finished in 18th.
In the Sprint Car event, Cole and the no. 67k unloaded off the hauler and was fast immediately in hot laps and qualifying. The Keith Kunz Red Bull Bullet was able to post a fourth place in qualifying out of the 50 car field. In the heat race, Cole started from the back of a stacked field of sprint cars and missed the transfer spot by one position. However, in the B Main, Cole drove a smart race to transfer to the Feature final. The feature for the Sprint Car event took place immediately after the dramatic ending to Cole's USAC Midget race event. Cole was not affected by the contact in the midget and prepared to tackle the "rubber down" track in the 800 hp USAC Sprint Car knowing that the key to the race would be to manage tires in the huge power that is generated in the no 67k. Cole was able to move from fourth to the lead within three laps of the 30 lap feature. Once in the lead, Cole's consistent smooth driving had him lapping the field and checking out from the field. Cole was able to keep the lead after numberous re-starts as other competitors literally were overheating tires trying to drive on the "rubber down" track. At the finish, Cole held off Dave Darland and Jesse Hockett on a lap 26 restart and drove to the checkered flag. This is the first victory in USAC National competition for Cole this season.
Cole stated post race, "I am real happy with the finish tonight. It was a real tough track to drive tonight for everyone as it moved to rubber down. We as a team worked hard to stay ahead of the track, and even though we had a tough night in the midget, I think we did a good job in both cars. I am looking forward to getting back to California. to race at Perris." The no. 67k and no. 1 Red Bull Toyota Bullet will race in front of the home town crowds returning to action Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway . Look for updates from Perris.
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