Bringing more than 1,600 entries inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, the 39th Tulsa Shootout is one of the toughest racing events to win in the entire world. The primary Stock/Outlaw divisions will feature upwards of 400+ cars racing in a single format over a span of five days.

The “Mecca of Micros” is a fitting name for the event which continues to experience record growth among all six classes for the micro sprints.

The true list of contenders for the prestigious Golden Driller is a mile long, but we wanted to look at 30 of the most notable stars in action this week in Tulsa.

FloRacing is the official live streaming partner of the Tulsa Shootout, which officially begins on Wednesday, December 27 with Heat Races that evening. The event continues all the way through Sunday, December 31 when six Golden Drillers are decided.

If you’re not a FloRacing subscriber, click here to become one today. For $159/year or $39.99/month, you get full access to the Tulsa Shootout, Chili Bowl Nationals, High Limit Racing, Lucas Oil Late Model Series, USAC Racing, and so much more.

Let’s look at some of the top dogs in attendance, including:

Emerson Axsom (Franklin, IN)

You could argue that nobody has been a bigger name at the Tulsa Shootout in the 2020’s than Emerson Axsom. In four years, he’s won three Golden Drillers (the most) - including Winged Outlaw last year - and qualified for 13 of a possible 16 main events. His average finish over his last eight main events is a stunning 4.0 with his worst finish being eighth. Fresh off a P3 finish in the USAC National Sprint Car points, this Hoosier kid is back for quadruple duty with Ten-J Chassis.

Jake Hagopian (Fresno, CA)

While the Tulsa Shootout is always an annual showcase of the stars of tomorrow, this year’s edition will also serve as a goodbye to one of the greats. Ready for one last ride, Jake Hagopian will call it a career at the completion of this year’s event - and he very well could go out on top. A winner of three A-Class Golden Drillers in the last five years, don’t let this retirement run fool you - Hagopian’s quadruple duty effort may likely end with another triumph for the D1 boss.

Gavan Boschele (Mooresville, NC)

At 14-years-old, Boschele’s Stock Non-Wing score last year made him the third-youngest winner in Stock/Outlaw history at the Tulsa Shootout - only behind 13-year-old wins for Giovanni Scelzi and Brady Bacon. He’s back with Kevin Swindell and hoping to kickstart another Swindell SpeedLab Golden Driller double ahead of their Chili Bowl Nationals title defense with Logan Seavey. Boschele is set for another run at quadruple duty in every class.

TJ Smith (Fresno, CA)

After 15+ years of trying, the Micro Sprint world watched one of the best finally take his place at the mountaintop last year when TJ Smith topped Outlaw Non-Wing for his first Golden Driller. The California native has been a consistent contender for the last decade, but lady luck always kept him from glory - until last year. He’s back with his sights set on more gold this week, running quadruple duty in a pair of D1 machines.

Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, IN)

“Sunshine” is back in the building. After missing last year for Sprint Car Racing in Australia, Tyler Courtney is coming back to Tulsa to continue his lifelong pursuit of a Golden Driller. The Sprint Car full-timer and micro sprint graduate is arguably the greatest active driver without a Tulsa Shootout title to his credit through 16 main event starts. He hopes to change that this year, racing for car owner Christopher Bell in a NOS Energy Drink No. 21.

Jonathan Beason (Broken Arrow, OK)

One of the most iconic names in the Tulsa Expo, Beason owns the most top-fives (17) and most top-10s (21) over the last two decades at the Tulsa Shootout. Always a threat indoors, #BZNSZN sees the local Okie produce magical moments time and time again at these races. He’s set for action in both Winged Outlaw and Outlaw Non-Wing as he chases a third-career Golden Driller before getting back to the Chili Bowl with Hard 8 Racing next month. 

Joe B. Miller (Millersville, MO)

A 24-time Tulsa Shootout A-Main starter, Joe B. will likely pass Donnie Ray Crawford (25) for the sixth-most starts over the last two decades. His 2017 Golden Driller run from worst-to-first will forever be among the stuff of legends. It’s a feeling he hopes to replicate as he brings the No. 51B back for quadruple duty this week.

Frank Flud (Pryor, OK)

On this list every single year, Flud is a legend in the micro sprint ranks with more Tulsa Shootout A-Main starts (34) than anyone else over the last two decades. He’s a four-time Golden Driller winner, but now heads back to the Expo with a new relationship - driving a Hyper Chassis. He’s set for quadruple duty again, chasing four more scores to add to his legacy.

Jason McDougal (Broken Arrow, OK)

Arguably the most iconic performance in Tulsa Shootout came courtesy of J-Mac back in 2018 when he won an unprecedented three Golden Drillers in a single night. The Factor One stud is back in all four classes with a chance to become the first in history to hit the Quadruple Crown with a Winged Outlaw title. New this year, he’s driving the iconic No. 91 number for his family.

Kyle Spence (Bear, DE)

The two-time champion (2019 Stock Non-Wing, 2020 A-Class) added three more starts to his tally last year, becoming the 16th man to reach 15+ Tulsa Shootout starts over the last two decades. He finished top-10 in each outing and came close to stealing TJ Smith’s glory in the Outlaw Non-Wing A-Main. The Delaware gasser is running three cars in four classes this year as he eyes his third Golden Driller.

Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, OK)

In his last three attempts at the Tulsa Shootout, Pursley has qualified for three of the four main events each time. With four top-five finishes and an oh-so-close runner-up in 2020, the Golden Driller has been within his grasp but slipped away several times. It’s at the top of his bucket list right now and he hopes to finally score that Tulsa Shootout title with Keith Kunz Motorsports this year.

Steven Snyder Jr. (Rising Sun, MD)

Enjoying a breakout season, Snyder was on top of his game in the micro sprint world - winning prestigious races such as the Outlaw Nationals at Port City (OK), the Terry Sprague Memorial at SIR (IL), the Small Town Throwdown at Sweet Springs (MO), and the Deuces Wild at US-24 (IN). The Maryland native returns to Tulsa this week for quadruple duty, eyeing to earn his first Shootout top-five or perhaps his first Golden Driller.

Dylan Kadous (Topeka, KS)

Driving for car owner Frank Galusha, this pair of best friends will tackle the Winged Outlaw and Outlaw Non-Wing classes this week. Together, they nearly swept the Small Town Throwdown at Sweet Springs (MO), as Kadous won Stock Non-Wing and fell a few feet short of winning Outlaw Non-Wing. Recently, he was on the Tulsa Shootout podium back in 2020 and was contending for the 2019 Winged Outlaw title before mechanical issues.

Kameron Key (Warrensburg, MO)

Driving for TKH Motorsports, a Missouri team that already owns multiple Golden Drillers with Brady Bacon, Key is back for another run at quadruple duty this week. He found his first Tulsa Shootout top-five in 2022 in A-Class, then came back last year and ran seventh in the headlining Winged Outlaw division, solidifying his status as a frontrunner in the Expo. 

Michael Faccinto (Hanford, CA)

A two-time Golden Driller winner (2013 A-Class, 2015 Winged Outlaw), Faccinto has the chance to become the 12th driver with three Tulsa Shootout titles in the primary classes. After being out of the big dance for two years, he returned to two main events last year and almost cracked the top-five in A-Class. He’s back for quadruple duty this week. 

Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK)

Owner of eight Golden Drillers already, Hahn is back in the Outlaw classes aboard the familiar No. 52 with hopes of reaching the double-digit club. He was top-10 in Winged Outlaw last year and led laps in a wild Outlaw Non-Wing A-Main just two years ago, proving the now Sprint Car regular still rips in a micro sprint. It’s a great warmup for the grandson of event founder, Emmett Hahn, as he chases his sixth Chili Bowl A-Main start in two weeks.

KJ Snow (Kingsburg, CA)

Tied for the second-longest active streak of consecutive years in an A-Main, KJ has been in the hunt for a Golden Driller for nine-straight years now. He’s back for quadruple this week in hopes of topping his career-best Tulsa Shootout runs of third in Outlaw Non-Wing and fourth in Winged Outlaw.

Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, OK)

Familiar with making history inside the Tulsa Expo, Bryson was the second female to win a Restricted Golden Driller in 2015 and then made back-to-back Chili Bowl Championship A-Mains in 2022-23. She’s running a Bullet by Sawyer No. 11B in the Winged Outlaw and Outlaw Non-Wing classes this week, hoping to become the first female to top one of the four major divisions at the Tulsa Shootout.

Brent Crews (Denver, NC)

Back in 2021, at the age of 12-years-old, this kid was a one-man thrill show when he ran up to third in Outlaw Non-Wing. He impressed at the Chili Bowl Nationals as well, becoming the youngest Championship A-Main starter in history last year. After a year of primarily pavement racing, he’s back at the Tulsa Shootout running quadruple duty and chasing a Golden Driller.

Kris Carroll (Claremore, OK)

The Tulsa Shootout has helped nationwide FloRacing subscribers be introduced to the talents of local ace Kris Carroll over the years. He finished P2 to Brady Bacon in 2020 and then came back to dominate the 2021 Outlaw Non-Wing A-Main to earn his first-career Golden Driller. He’s back with Kevin Reed in the No. 36K this week to tackle quadruple duty again.

Gary Taylor (Snohomish, WA)

A 2009 A-Class champion of the Tulsa Shootout, GT keeps coming back in the Farrell Frameworks No. 51F, determined to deliver a Golden Driller to car owner Jon Farrell. The duo was so close in 2017 when they wrecked battling for the win in Winged Outlaw, but they’ve continually brought contending machines back every year. It’s a good primer for Taylor before his Chili Bowl run with Brian Dunlap next month.

Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, OK)

A national contender in the Midget scene these days, Cannon always finds time to return home to the Tulsa Shootout each year. He won a Golden Driller in the Jr. Sprint division back in 2009 when he was a kid, and he has topped three of the last four Chili Bowl Nationals preliminary nights, but this Bixby native still desperately wants a Stock/Outlaw Golden Driller in his trophy case.

Logan Seavey (Sutter, CA)

After the year he’s had, seemingly winning everything under the sun, it would come as no shock to see Logan Seavey waltz into the Tulsa Shootout and add another Golden Driller to his collection. The reigning Chili Bowl Nationals champion will run quadruple duty this week, getting the most track time he’s ever seen at the “Mecca of Micros.”

Jace Park (Overland Park, KS)

Joining the record books last year, Jace Park became the 16th driver in Tulsa Shootout history to qualify for all four Stock/Outlaw mains in a single night. He made the most of his opportunity, showcasing his talents in a thrilling battle for the Stock Non-Wing win, ultimately falling just short of Gavan Boschele on the final restart. He and car owner Chad Boat are back for redemption in all four classes.

Gavin Miller (Allentown, PA)

This 16-year-old Keith Kunz Motorsports prodigy enjoyed a breakout year in 2023, earning his first USAC National Midget win and several Xtreme Outlaw / POWRi wins to go along with it. After winning the $15,000 KKM Giveback Classic at Port City (OK), he’ll again run for Kunz in quadruple duty this week - looking to top his Tulsa Shootout best of fifth from Outlaw Non-Wing in 2021.

Trey Marcham (Oklahoma City, OK)

After being out of the big dance for two years, Marcham came back to the Tulsa Shootout main event stage last year and promptly returned to the top-five. Remembered for his sweep of Outlaw Non-Wing and Stock Non-Wing in 2015, Marcham is back in the building for the first time since he qualified for his first-career Chili Bowl Championship A-Main in January.

Kale Drake (Collinsville, OK)

Although he has yet to appear in a Tulsa Shootout A-Main, this is no doubt this is Drake’s best chance yet, coming on the heels of a standout season in the micro sprint. He’ll run quadruple duty this week before making his rookie run at the Chili Bowl Nationals with Keith Kunz Motorsports, a ride he earned with his impressive drive at the KKM Giveback Classic.

Tyler Walton (Mifflintown, PA)

One of the originals to tame quadruple duty, Walton became the third driver to start all four Stock/Outlaw mains in one night back at the 2016 Tulsa Shootout. He’s back for another dose of all four classes this week, hoping to claim his second Golden Driller - after earning his first in a 1200cc Mini Sprint in 2017.

Johnny Boland (Gainesville, TX)

Qualifying for at least two features in four of the last six years, Johnny B has grown to be a consistent threat come Driller Day at the Tulsa Shootout. He enters this year’s running as hot as ever, earning a High Banks Hustle title as the highlight of his 2023. The Texan returns for quadruple duty this week hoping to cap his off year with a new headlining moment.

Ricky Thornton Jr. (Martinsville, IN)

RTJ? The same RTJ that dominated the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series this year? Yes, that RTJ is one of the many favorites heading into the Tulsa Shootout. He qualified for both Winged Outlaw and A-Class A-Mains last year, finishing P2 and battling Jake Hagopian for the Golden Driller in A-Class. Back for quadruple duty this week, RTJ will certainly be a threat to claim his first title in the micro sprint before returning to the Chili Bowl.