BODINE RUNS THROUGH THE ALPHABET TO TAKE SMACKDOWN PASSING MASTER LEAD
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Kokomo, Indiana (August 28, 2021)………A tough start to the night turned just as well for Cole Bodine after transferring from the C-Main to the B-Main to the A-Main, passing 23 cars along the way on Friday night to carry the Smackdown X ProSource Passing Master lead into Saturday’s double programs at Indiana’s Kokomo Speedway.
At the conclusion of the weekend, the driver who advances the most total positions from their starting spots in all prelim and feature events throughout the entirety of Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown X will receive the ProSource Passing Master award. Provisional starters each night are ineligible to receive feature points toward the passing master total.
Friday night marked Bodine’s first ride in the Desktop Metals-sponsored machine in USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car competition, passing four in the heat race, two in the C-Main, nine in the B-Main and eight in the feature where he finished 15th, all coming after a less than ideal qualifying run that put him 35th in a field of 46, forcing him to have to dig his way to daylight throughout the event.
“I’m about as excited as if I won this dang thing,” Bodine exclaimed. “This new Desktop Metal No. 57, it was off to a rough start. It’s just my dad and I working together, and he’s been working hard. From washing it last night to working on it in the morning, hats off to him, he gave me an amazing car. I’m somewhat new to this and I struggle on what to tell him, but he always gives me a great car. It’s nice working with him and its’ fun just being a small team and making it work. I’m excited and hopefully we can carry some of this momentum into Saturday.”
On top of the accolades for Friday night, the Rossville, Ind. native also earned $100 apiece for capturing both the GSP Quality Driving Performance Award as well as the ProSource Hard Work award for being the slowest qualifier to transfer into the main event.
On Saturday, August 28, Smackdown X will begin with pits and gates opening at 1pm ET with hot laps at 3pm and the first full program to follow immediately thereafter with qualifying, heats, last chance races and feature events.
Once the first program on Saturday is completed, a 90-minute break will follow with Smackdown’s “finale” being run as scheduled on Saturday night.
If you purchased Smackdown wristbands for Thursday’s race through TracPass, please hold onto them. The wristbands will be good to use for admission at Kokomo for Saturday’s first program only. Thursday’s wristbands are not valid for use to gain admission during Saturday night’s program.
On Saturday at Kokomo, general admission tickets are $35, kids 12 and under are free. USAC Midwest Regional Midgets will also be on hand.
All events during Sprint Car Smackdown at Kokomo will be aired live on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/2ZpafUr.
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SMACKDOWN X PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER STANDINGS:
(After 1 of 3 Events)
1. 23-Cole Bodine
2. 11-Steven Drevicki
3. 8-Chris Windom & Jadon Rogers
5. 7-Justin Grant
6. 6-Brady Bacon, Jake Swanson, Max Adams & Shane Cottle
10. 5-Alex Bright, Logan Seavey, Ted Kirkpatrick & Tye Mihocko
14. 4-Jack James, Kevin Thomas Jr., Mario Clouser & Tanner Thorson
18. 3-Brent Beauchamp, C.J. Leary, Chase Stockon & Kyle Cummins
22. 2-Emerson Axsom, Matt Westfall, Max Guilford & Parker Frederickson
26. 1-Andrew Prather, Robert Ballou & Zack Pretorius
29. 0-Alex Banales, Anthony D'Alessio, Brandon Long, Brandon Mattox, Brayden Clark, Braydon Cromwell, Chase Johnson, Danny Faria Jr., Eddie Tafoya Jr., Jason McDougal, Koby Barksdale, Matt Goodnight, Ryan Thomas, Scotty Weir, Sterling Cling, Stevie Sussex, Thomas Meseraull & Tyler Hewitt
