It is that time of the year again. The 2025 Tulsa Shootout is set for a glorious start on December 31 and will run till January 4. Over 1,600 entries are expected to come in, and there is a huge task ahead in whittling this number down to 24 featured starters per class. So, how will the racing promotion do it? The most simple answer is ‘passing points.’
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The passing points chart is a crucial element in deciding who progresses. By the order of finish, drivers earn 100 points for first, 93 points for second, 86 points for third, and so on (a seven-point drop for each spot lost). To this, the passing points are added. Drivers gain five points for every position they’ve advanced and lose 1.5 points for every position they’ve lost.
Things kick off with a series of Heat Races in each major division. At the end of these races, the 112 drivers with the highest passing points will progress to the Qualifiers. The 112 drivers are split into groups of 14, creating a total of eight Qualifiers with a four-car inversion in effect.
The driver who has the most passing points (in the Heat Races) will get to start fourth in his Qualifier to gain the opportunity to score more passing points. Only 32 of the 112 drivers get to be involved in this inversion, and being one of them makes a lot of difference. This is also why there is a difference between starting at pole and starting fifth in these events.
The drivers who miss the cut for the Qualifiers will be moved to the E-Mains, C-Mains, and D-Mains for their alphabet soup bids. Back in the Qualifiers, drivers continue fighting for more passing points. The 16 drivers who score the most combined points (position+passing) will get seats for the main event.
Drivers who finish 17th to 112th are split into the 8 B-Mains and eventually the Last Chance Qualifier. Eight of them have the opportunity to still make it into the finale, bringing the total number of featured entries in each class to 24. The iconic Golden Driller will be on the line on Saturday night, and there is little to predict on how the main event will shake down.
A short brief of how this entire format transpired in 2024 will provide a better outlook on what to expect. 1,609 entries were on the paper and the promotion held 368 races over five days to bring them down to 24 entries per class. These 368 races included 177 Heat Races, 24 E-Mains, 28 D-Mains, 42 B-Mains, 44 Qualifiers, 6 Championship A-Mains, and more.
At the end of the weekend, Tulsa witnessed 3,494 green flag laps raced. The sheer massive scale is one of the prime reasons why there is an incredibly high clout surrounding the shootout.
