[stuecklen]

Will Cole Whitt still be running Usac races? I know he is going to the Camping East series. Hopefully we still get to see him in a midget and sprint car.
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[speed bump]

Love watching him in all 3 USAC classes. Hope he at least does some of
sprint week & Hoosier 100.
Good luck to him in his great career I know he is destined to have.
In my selfish way, I want him to stay USAC until he is 75 yrs. old.

[cmiracingvids]

Originally Posted by speed bump Love watching him in all 3 USAC classes. Hope he at least does some of sprint week & Hoosier 100. Good luck to him in his great career I know he is destined to have. In my selfish way, I want him to stay USAC until he is 75 yrs. old.

I have to agree. I wish he'd stay in sprint cars. It's a shame that all the young dirt track talent just aspires to get to pavement. I guess money talks but...I hope we get to see Cole this year, and many years to come in a sprint car or midget.

[Jim Halpert]

The Camping World East Series only runs 10 races during the year, so I would certainly hope that Cole is going to be running some USAC and maybe local stuff in his down time. Good luck Cole...in whatever you do...certainly a skilled young driver.

[mscs20]

He said at Tulsa that he wasnt going to be able to run with us in 2010. According to Kyle Schackert at Team Red Bull, they have some other things lined up for him this year beside Camping World East.

[jjones776]

i heard he bought a steel block is gonna run for the ASCT title.

[B-square]

Below is an article that I just completed on Cole and his 2010 plans. It should run in Monday's edition of the Kokomo Tribune.

Brett Bowman

Cole Whitt to leave USAC

By Brett Bowman
Kokomo Tribune Auto Racing Columnist

Whitt bidding farewell to open wheel in 2010

Alpine (Ca.) open wheel standout Cole Whitt is leaving behind the bullring scene and venturing into stock cars in 2010.
Whitt enjoyed a breakout 2009 campaign that saw him capture the Omni-Source Corporation Sprint Car Series title at the Kokomo Speedway. In his championship campaign at the local oval, the popular driver picked up nine feature wins, by far the most of any competitor at the track that is considered the toughest weekly venue in the state.
Nationally, he was the 2008 USAC Mopar National Midget Series champion then he followed it up in 2009 aboard his Keith Kunz-owned Red Bull No. 67 sprint car, finishing second to Levi Jones in the title chase.
His success of the last two years opened the eyes of the Red Bull brass as they approached him during the offseason about piloting a Camping World Eastern Division stock car this season.
“I’m really pretty stoked about this opportunity,” said Whitt Sunday afternoon from his new residence in North Carolina. “I’m just kind of bummed out that we don’t run our first race until late March. I’m ready to go out and race right now.”
Those who have watched Whitt week in and week out over the last three seasons knew it was just a matter of time before opportunity knocked. That came right after he posted a win aboard his Silver Crown car at the Phoenix International Raceway late in 2009.
“Right after we won that race they (Red Bull) got with me and said they would like to talk with me,” explained Whitt. “We had been talking a bit during the season about the possibility of me maybe moving up to the next level. After I went out and talked with them, we just got the deal put together and everything in place.”
Jumping into a car that weighs roughly three times as much as what he’s gotten used to may present some challenges for Whitt in the early going, but he noted he is ready to make the move.
“I probably only have about 50 total laps driving a stock car,” he stated. “I’ve been in a Camping World car a bit and also an ARCA car, which is pretty much the same thing, and I realize there is going to be an adjustment period I will have to go through.
“The thing is,” he continued. “I know that a lot of times in a sprint car the track may become a one groove track and it’s almost impossible to make a pass. In these stock cars there are ways to bump someone out of the groove and not cause a big mess. We primarily are going to be running on short tracks and there is one road course we will race on as well.”
The Camping World series consists of just 10 races which has prompted many fans to speculate that Whitt might jump back into a sprint car or midget when his schedule allows, but Whitt quelled any speculation of that happening.
“I really love racing my sprint car at local tracks, especially Kokomo,” he noted. “But I realize that not everyone is given an opportunity to further their racing career like I’ve been given. My goal is, and always has been, to race at the top level. If all goes well with the Camping World series then I’m hopeful some doors will open up for me in the Nationwide Series then the Nascar Cup Series.
“So, even though there are just 10 races on the schedule,” he continued. “I’m going to devote 110 percent of my attention to those cars and be the best I can possibly be in one. I don’t think it would be fair to the Camping World team if I jumped around from car to car.”
Looking back on his blossoming career Whitt acknowledged those who helped make things so special.
“It was always a blast to go race at the local tracks when there was no pressure like a points chase, that sort of thing,” he said. “Just to go to the track, work on the car and go out and try to win. I made some great friends and have had a lot of fun along the way. Like I said though, this stock car deal is a great opportunity and an answer to a life-long goal of mine. I’ll still get out to the tracks, but I’ll only be there as a spectator and watch those guys that I’ve been friends with the last few years.”

[Russ]

Kind of interesting that he considers a series I've never even heard of as "the next level".

[AustinSprinter]

Originally Posted by Russ Kind of interesting that he considers a series I've never even heard of as "the next level".

lota nationaly known drivers have come from that series in the East!!.......
____________
Brucer'