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Young racer's career accelerates
Cole Bodine has started his third year of racing, and he's only seven years old. The son of Kevin and Rustie Bodine of Rossville, he will be a second grader at Rossville Elementary School. Cole began his racing career at the age of five in the Junior Novice class at the Kokomo Quarter Midget Club. After winning four of the five novice races, he advanced to the more competitive Jr. Honda class, winning one feature race his first year in competition. He had an exciting 2005 season. He won the Jr. Honda Track Championship at the Kokomo track. He placed fifth in the Region 4 Championship series races, which consists of a race at all nine of the quarter midget tracks throughout Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. His greatest accomplishment of the 2005 season was winning the Jr. Honda feature at the Fort Wayne Rumble. Tony Stewart was also racing at this event, and signed Cole's trophy. After Cole's race, Stewart's newest driver, Levi Jones, came to the pits to congratulate Cole as well as give him words of advice. For the 2006 season, Cole has an even busier racing schedule. He will be driving a second car in the faster Modified class. Entering in both classes, he will compete in approximately 75 races this season. At the first Kokomo race of the season, Cole was fast qualifier and won both his heat and the feature. For doing this, he received a gold medallion. Winners of features also receive a special "Feature Win" sticker for their car to show all of the wins they earn. Coming up for Cole is the third of nine races in the Regioinal Championship Series. It will be in Waterford, Mich., May 27-29. It is a qualifying race for the Grand National Championship race in July in Topeka, Kan. One of the greatest events of the season, according to Cole's family, is the Gasoline Alley Nationals, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway July 13-16. The race is on a small track made in the parking lot of the infield. Drivers from all over the country will be competing on the small quarter midget track. They all have hopes of someday returning to Indy and racing on the big track in the Indy 500 or the Brickyard 400. At the 2004 Gasoline Alley Nationals, Cole met Bobby Labonte because his son, Tyler, races quarter midgets. Cole has set goals for this year, next year, and beyond. He hopes to begin racing Modified Midgets, also known as 600s, by age 11. These are run on dirt tracks at Lake Cicott and Peru. If he does well in the 600 class, he can move up to Focus Midgets and/or USAC sprint cars. The quarter midget racing season is from April-October. Boys and girls from ages 5-16 are eligible to compete. As the name implies, quarter midget racing involves small cars scaled down to one-fourth the size of full-size midget race cars. They run on a 1/20 of a mile oval track. Power is by a small one cylinder engine, similar in size and construction to most lawn mower engines. When new drivers, regardless of age, join a local quarter midget club, they must go through the club's Novice Training School. Most tracks hold weekly races. Larger races (regional and state) are required to qualify for the Grand Nationals. There is a West Coast and an East Coast National on asphalt and one Dirt National each year. The Bodines say that quarter midget racing is a fun family event. The Kokomo Quarter Midget Club is having a promotional day on Saturday, May 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The track is located at 150N and 350E, Kokomo. Quarter midgets will be available for children to drive, and all safety equipment is provided. "This is a good opportunity to let young drivers see if they will really enjoy racing before the car owner spends money on the car and equipment," said Kevin Bodine. The driving experience includes 25 laps. There is a charge to the drivers, but spectator admission is free. For more information on the promotional event or on quarter midget racing, check out www.kqmc.org. | |||
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KQMC Track Phone Number 765-457-2548 |
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Copyright 2006-2007 © Kokomo Quarter Midget Club. All rights reserved. |
