EDITOR’S NOTE: Cole Sink, the subject of this month’s Crowd Pleaser feature, and writer David Sink are not related.
For Indiana modified racer Cole Sink, the transition from dirt racing to pavement competition was unexpected. In addition, his move from dirt modifieds to non-winged pavement sprint cars was an unusual jump involving two completely different short-track disciplines.
Sink is a third-generation driver following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
“My grandpa, Dean, got started first and my dad, Bill, started whenever he was allowed to drive,” Sink explained. “My grandpa made dad graduate high school before he could race. He was at the race track the week after. As I started getting older and kind of knew what a race car was, it started to be a little clearer that racing was something that I wanted to do.
“As a kid growing up at the track and traveling with my dad and his pavement modified, it just got me into it. When I turned 12, we started racing pavement modifieds and I’ve been into it ever since.”
When he was 17, Sink took a turn in dirt modifieds and vividly remembers his first start.
“My first race was at Montpelier Speedway in Montpelier, Ind.,” he recalled. “I junked a rear clip, tore up the race car, but all in all it was fun to meet people who followed my dad back in the day. They were more than happy to be a fan of mine right off the bat just from the legacy my dad left.
“I wasn’t discouraged because I wasn’t too good in the go-kart my first few times,” he continued. “Then, I started winning some races and I became one of the better ones in go-karts around here. I told myself if we stick with it, it will be hard at first, but I’ll figure it out.
“My second year in the modifieds in 2018, I wrecked a lot of stuff. I told myself that if I wasn’t good by 2019, it would be my last year,” Sink noted. “Mainly because it’s so expensive and it was all out of pocket, with a few sponsors here and there.”
In 2019, Sink put it all together and visited victory lane for the first time.
“We won our first modified feature at Montpelier,” remembered Sink. “That is one race I will never forget. It was a double-feature night. In the first feature, I led all 20 laps of it if I remember right. I kept telling myself under caution, ‘Don’t be stupid.’ I just kept getting more and more nervous. I was clinching the wheel. When I saw the white flag, I kept telling myself, ‘Hit your marks and don’t drive over your head.’ When I took the checkered flag, I made an extra two laps just to make sure I took the checkered flag.”
After his initial win, Sink, began venturing out and running other tracks. Since then, he’s won several modified features and was crowned the 2023 Montpelier Speedway track champion in the modified division.
During the Rumble in Ft. Wayne (Ind.) indoor midget races in 2017, Sink met Tom Brewer, the man who would eventually give him an opportunity to drive open-wheel cars.
“Kody Swanson was running for Tom Brewer that weekend. I kinda knew Tom a little bit from helping Cory Setser,” Sink explained. “I saw Tom working on the car. I asked Tom if he wanted some help. I kind of put my hands in and helped where I could. At the end of the night, they thanked me for my help and told me if I came back the next night, they would buy my pit pass and put me to work. From there, I started helping Tom regularly on the pavement sprint car, including at the Little 500.
“Fast-forward to 2023,” Sink continued. “Tom shows up at Montpelier last year and says, ‘I’m here for two reason: I want to watch you race and I want to ask you to run the midget at the Rumble in Ft. Wayne.’ He mentioned that he thought I’d done my due diligence and I’d matured as a driver over the last couple of years. It was time to give me a shot and see what we could do.”
Sink did not disappoint during Rumble competition. He won a heat race and made the feature on the second night.
“The whole weekend was kind of unreal,” Sink recalled. “My nerves were on an all-time high. I’d never run anything at the Rumble before. But I’d been there to watch many times over the years. The biggest thing was going from dirt where I drive it wide open, to going to a pavement aspect, where there is a lot of lift and roll. I was nervous about whether I could pick up on it quick. Tom told me he was overjoyed how quickly I picked it up.”
Sink believes his success in the midget is what led Brewer to offer him a ride in the non-winged pavement sprint car for 500 Sprint Car Tour races at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway and Anderson (Ind.) Speedway earlier this summer.
“At Toledo, it was my first-time running pavement in a big car, in a sprint car nonetheless,” Sink noted. “We passed in the feature, but I almost put it in the fence. I learned the limits of the car and got to feel what it’s like with all that fuel back there. I got another opportunity at Anderson and we showed progress there also.
“I’ve had so much fun in the dirt modifieds, but I’d like to continue running the pavement sprint cars. I’d love to race the Little 500 at some point,” Sink stated. “That would be a dream come true. We’ll keep riding this out and see where it goes. I’m just having fun racing no matter what it is right now to tell the truth.”
Fast Facts
Birthdate: April 22, 1999
Hometown: Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Series: 500 Sprint Car Tour
Sponsors: Boger Quality Lawn Maintenance, Tom Hulvey Landscape Supply, Paul Baker Drywall Inc., Schafers Pilot Car, Arcola Inn & Ale, Bootleggers Saloon & Galley, D