It’s hard to imagine that at 17, Cole Whitt has already been racing for nearly a decade. “I race full time—probably close to 80 races a season between both the USAC National Sprint and Midget cars series,” he says. Not an easy task when you’re still trying to finish high school.
In 2004, Cole earned Super Kart Illustrated Young Driver of the Year and was the main event winner at the Palace Nationals Junior Sprint Car race. In 2006, Cole put in his first full season in a 410 Sprint Car. He also debuted in a full-size Midget Car at the Chili Bowl Nationals, where he was the youngest competitor to make it to the B Main of the feature night. By the end of that season, Cole had racked up a several main event wins, eight top-five finishes, 11 top-10 finishes, and the Hoosier Sprint Car Rookie of the Year award.
In 2008, Cole landed his very first USAC National title in both Sprint and Midget car races. As for the future of our young superstar racer? “In the long term, I’d like to race NASCAR,” he says before adding firmly, “But, I don’t want just to say I did it. I want to race NASCAR and be really good.”
