Story By: BRYAN HULBERT / TULSA SHOOTOUT – TULSA, OK – Only hours away from going green with the first rounds of FuelTech Heat Races at the 40th annual Smiley’s Racing Products Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink, the entries have been counted, and a new record has been established.
Shattering the 2024 mark of 1,752 entries received with 1,698 confirmed, the 2025 event had 1,855 entries turned in, with 1,798 of those drawing in for competition. Making up those entries are 762 drivers from 438 cities and five countries (USA, Aust., Neth. S. Africa, UK) driving a total of 1,015 cars.
Working through 151 rounds of practice that began Tuesday at 8:00 A.M. (CT), the first 28 races of the week will belong to the WFO Winged Outlaw Micros. 389 races, consisting of 3,734 green flag laps, will be contested through January 4.
“When we restructured the Shootout in 2011, we went from having 23 classes and over 1,000 entries to eight divisions, and I think we may have had close to 700 entries that first year, so you can imagine I was nervous if this thing was going to take, and thankfully it did, and has become bigger than I ever imagined,” stated event founder, Emmett Hahn.
“Sitting here now closing in on 2,000 entries is something I never dreamed of, especially since we changed the classes a few years ago to just Micros and brought it down to six divisions.”
Asked about how international the event has become, Hahn replied, “You know, that kind of like the car count. I never imagined we’d have drivers from the United Kingdom, South Africa, or the Netherlands racing the Tulsa Shootout. It just shows how big Micro racing has become around the world.”
A major shot to the Tulsa economy during an otherwise down time of the year, the 40th annual Smiley’s Racing Products Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink is estimated to bring over $10M into the local economy over the next week. This ahead of the Chili Bowl Nationals, which takes place January 13-18,, and is set to bring an estimated $40M in additional revenue for area businesses.
With drivers aged six to nearly 80 years old, the Tulsa Shootout covers generations of talent with one of the most diverse fields in racing.
Current stars like Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Busch are in action, and while Busch and Larson bring NASCAR credentials to the mix, they will be joined by their sons, Brexton Busch and Owen Larson.
With many eyes on the NASCAR stars, local champions like Blake Hahn, who has won the event nine times, and Frank Flud, a four-time Golden Driller recipient, should never be counted out.
Racing on Tuesday, December 31, is set to get underway around 7:00 P.M. (CT). Racing January 1 through January 4 goes green at 9:00 A.M. (CT) daily. Saturday’s opening ceremony is TBD based on the run of the show but will be before Last Chance Qualifiers and A-Features.
Tickets per weekday are $15 and $20 on Saturday for the grandstands. All access passes are $30 per weekday and $40 on Saturday, and they give access to the pits.