Cole Whitt is a name that probably brings back memories for NASCAR and dirt track fans. While those days are behind him, he proved he still has plenty of gas in the tank by winning both Class 11 races at the Red Bull Crandon World Cup.

After starring on dirt and becoming the youngest driver to win the USAC National Midget Championship, Whitt was a regular in all three NASCAR national series during the early 2010s until his retirement in 2018. He kept a fairly low profile in the following years as he focused on raising his family, but the itch to race again lingered.

As of late, he’s been dabbling in desert and short course with a Volkswagen Beetle built by Sletten Engineering and Isenhouer Brothers Racing. He finished fifth in Class 11 at SNORE’s Battle at Primm in April, and has also brought the Bug to Glen Helen.

With some more experience under his belt, he was off to the Big House and quickly made an impact.

His yellow-and-black #1129 began Friday Night Thunder by narrowly losing the holeshot to Kyle Knott in a four-wide run before moving him out of the way for the lead a few corners later. Whitt comfortably led for the next six laps with virtually no opposition save for the occasional lapped car.

Chris Isenhouer from IBR tried to close the gap with three laps to go, but couldn’t catch up. While winning placed him on the pole for Sunday’s race, Whitt admitted he would’ve liked to be because the “line they had us in for that start was pretty horrible. I’d prefer to be like fourth maybe.”

Instead of middle of the pack with a better angle heading into Turn 1, Whitt was placed on the far left side of the track for the World Championship. Forced to run the outside, he watched as Blake Wilkey took the holeshot before settling into third behind him and Knott. Wilkey had retired from Friday’s race after nearly rolling and falling off the pace because his tires were too small.

“That little bit makes such a difference when you can’t re-gear these transmissions,” Wilkey explained.

Knott eventually ran wide while racing Whitt and Ryan Rodriguez, allowing Whitt to move into second. He began to stalk Wilkey on Lap 3.

After some probing and trying to pass, Whitt carved his own groove before making his move on the inside, the two avoiding another car that had gone off course with a loose wheel.

The margin between Whitt and Wilkey increased over the final two laps as the former drove off to the win. While settling for second, it was a solid rebound for Wilkey after his poor Night Race showing.

“Cole’s raced many different disciplines of roundy round, dirt, and he’s fast,” Wilkey remarked. “He took notes on our cars for about a year before we built his, and I think I gave him too many secrets.”

Behind them, Rodriguez and Isenhouer sparred for third. The two collided in the final turn, shooting Isenhouer wide and securing Rodriguez the last step on the podium.

“It’s awesome. Just kind of having fun with these guys,” said Whitt. “Blake’s been awesome since I came over to the sport and the Isenhouer Brother family, they just take us in with open arms and allowed us to come out here and do this. It’s a lot of family and friends that make this possible.”

Class 11 was a family affair for ex-Pro Lite driver Tyler Remmereid and his wife Avery, who raced against each other. Tyler fell behind early on Sunday because the hood popped up. Amanda Van Den Elzen also took part in a Beetle liveried not unlike her husband Chris’ Pro SPEC.

The Class 11 World Championships have been held at Crandon since 2021 but debuted as early as 1969, predating the raceway.

Friday Night Thunder

Finish	Number	Driver
1	1129	Cole Whitt
2	1105	Chris Isenhouer
3	1191	Ryan Rodriguez
4	1107	Donny Donovan
5	1136	Kyle Knott
6	1143	Tyler Remmereid
7	1181	Chris May
8	1194	Avery Remmereid
9	1104	Chad Mayo
10	1111	Amanda Van Den Elzen
11	1157	Blake Wilkey

Crandon World Cup

Finish	Number	Driver	Laps
1	1129	Cole Whitt	9
2	1157	Blake Wilkey	9
3	1191	Ryan Rodriguez	9
4	1105	Chris Isenhouer	9
5	1107	Donny Donovan	9
6	1181	Chris May	8
7	1143	Tyler Remmereid	2
8	1194	Avery Remmereid	2
9	1136	Kyle Knott	2
10	1111	Amanda Van Den Elzen	1

Featured image credit: via Cole Whitt