Over the winter break holiday, Jacob Tuttle, 12 of Oakley, traveled to Tulsa Oklahoma to test his racing skills against drivers from across the country at the Tulsa Shootout.
Tuttle, who has been racing since the age of six, took third place in the Restricted Winged “A” Class Division which was open to drivers ages 8-to-16. Tuttle also raced in the open Winged “A” Class Division series which was ages 12 and up.
Tuttle highlighted he wanted to race Tulsa because of how big the stage was.
“We heard it was a big deal in sprint car racing and decided to go over there for seat time and see what it was about since cars for all over the world would be there,” explained Tuttle. “Drivers were there getting ready for the Chili Bowl. It’s a big caliber event from young drivers to professional.”
In total, the four-day event held December 30, 2015 through January 2, 2016 drew more than 1,200 entries with 555 drivers from 34-states and 3-countries seeking a starting spot in one of the nine A-feature events.
Tuttle admits when he first arrived, he had some butterflies in his stomach.
“My first impression was there were a lot of cars,” explained Tuttle. “I didn’t know how I was going to do but knew I was there just for fun and seat time. It was a little intimidating and when I saw the building I got butterflies but once I hit the track they went away and I did my thing.”
With several races under his belt in Tulsa from the open division, it transferred over in the Restricted “A” Class Division as he was able to advance through several qualifying heats and took 3rd place out of 105 cars in the division.
In fact, in the championship race, his times were good enough to start him in the four-spot out of thirteen cars.
“In the championship race, I started in the fourth spot. I saw there was a bunch of talented drivers with me so I wasn’t sure how I was going to do. I just went out there and did my thing like another Saturday night race” stated Tuttle. “I got out there and passed a car and didn’t gain any more position or lose any more position for third.”
He was happy with the outcome.
“I took third and I was like wow, I got all these butterflies for nothing. I just got third in Tulsa, a big championship race, I was just amazed,” said Tuttle.
Tuttle highlighted that he used the open field to test the track and get seat time because he was racing against people of all ages. Although he didn’t advance to the finals, according to his dad Skip Tuttle, his racing was fine and in the final qualifying race he took fifth, but they only take the top two in each heat—in total, 200 cars were in the division.
Tuttle, who has been racing since the age of six-years-old typically races locally in Dixon and Stockton where he races in a Micro 600 Sprint Car in the three-quarters class (restricted class is where the carburetor’s are restricted to keep speeds down). The cars run about 65-mph in the restricted class while in the unrestricted class while the horsepower doubles in the unrestricted division. Tuttle’s’ races are typically on tracks that are one-seventh of a mile.
The cars run about 65-mph in the restricted class while in the unrestricted class while the horsepower doubles in the unrestricted division.
Originally, Tuttle said he thought he was getting on the track so he could eventually race boats, but ended up liking the track better.
“I started at six because I wanted to get ready for boats, but stuck with cars. I grew up around boats, my dad raced boats and so I tried racing to learn but liked it,” explained Tuttle.
“I love racing and I love the speed in your head and going out there passing others. I have a lot of friends out there it’s fun to race.”
Although the sport is competitive and stakes are high, Tuttle says he tries to separate racing and friends in order to maintain relationships.
“When we are off the track, we are all friends, when we are on the track, it’s a race and there are no hard feelings. Just go out there and do whatever you have to do,” said Tuttle. “We just stay friends after the race.”
With Tulsa under his belt, Tuttle says he now expects to do better locally but noted he just wants to improve his driving and that will take more seat time while learning different tracks where he typically will travel to Dixon and Stockton to both race and practice.
Jacob and his dad Skip both credit Matt and Marty DeMartini for helping him out “big time” with the cars from his motor to welding. He is also thankful for others who give him tips about the track and how they perceived his race to go because he is always looking for feedback so he can get better.
“I just want to keep up with this sport and do it through my life. I want to go out there and pass as many cars as possible and just race. One day I want to be a National Champion,” explained Tuttle. “Maybe someday I can be on a pro circuit in the world of outlaws.”
According to Skip, they race on a shoestring budget where a season will cost as much as $10,000 while a typical race can cost around $250 if you come out of it without any incidents. Currently, Jacob is sponsored by Line X Kustoms of Pittsburg, Black Bear Diner in Oakley, Contra Costa Radiator in Rio Vista, PXP Underwear in Tulsa, and is always looking for more sponsors.
Tuttle says for now he is focused on keeping his grades up so he can continue to race in 2016.
“I love the sport for the speed, everything flies by you and it gets your heart pumping a lot,” said Tuttle. “I can’t wait to get back on the track.”
