After two years of racing modifieds full-time, Cole Bents notched his first ticket to victory lane. His triumph came during the IMCA modified feature at Worthington Speedway in Minnesota.
Bents started racing at age 14, in the B-mods. He dabbled in the modifieds a bit, taking out the car raced by his father, Steve Bents, once in a while, before going full-time in 2019.
“We were pretty competitive [in the B-mods], usually a top-five car,” said Bents, 21, a diesel mechanic from Rushmore, Minnesota. “I wanted to move up to race with better competition and make myself a better driver.”
Despite claiming two full seasons in the premier modified class, Bents didn’t compete in as many races as one might think.
“We raced 10 to 15 shows per year,” Bents said. “In total, I probably got 35 shows in from my start [in modifieds] to my first win. I was in college — so I wasn’t home a lot — and I was working full-time. So, we stuck to Murray County Speedway [in Slayton, Minnesota] on Friday nights.”
Bents graduated last year and started to travel beyond his local tracks. He credited his experience in two major events as significantly contributing to his first modified victory.
“Last winter we went to Vegas [for the Duel in the Desert at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway] and the Bristol Dirt Nationals [at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee],” said Bents. “That’s where I noticed my improvement. [With] racing with that many cars and that many days in a row, you got more comfortable in a race car.”
The feature at Worthington went caution-free until the last few laps. His field included several big-name drivers, including nine-time USTMS national modified champion, Kelly Shryock. (For more on Shryock’s racing pedigree, see “Bob Shryock: His Biggest Fan, His Son, Kelly”.)
“Until [the caution] we were about a straightaway out on the rest of the field,” Bents said. “I encountered a couple of lapped cars, [and got by them]. I was going to pass the next one, and he spun out. He was probably eight car lengths in front of me.
“I was thinking [on the restart], ‘I know there are a lot of fast cars, I know they’re going to be coming.’ The nerves are up already a bit, from a guy spinning right in front of you.”
Cole Bents overcame his nerves and earned his first win. He seeks his next victory as he competes regularly at a pair of Minnesota tracks — Murray County and Worthington speedways.
“[The win] means a lot,” said Bents. “I’ve been struggling these last couple of years, getting the hang of things. To know that one is done, it takes a lot of the nerves off of you.”
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
