9/16/2025
Bloomington Speedway
Tye Mihocko: 2025 Bloomington Track Champion
Tye Mihocko: Bullish on Bloomington
If you talk to a diehard Indiana open wheel fan you find that they are mighty proud of the local sprint car scene. While a victory at a Hoosier State bullring might be dismissed by the uninformed as just a local show, a review of weekly results paints a different picture. Many make the tow from around the country just to see where they stand in the sport’s pecking order. Some discover to their chagrin that just cracking the starting lineup is a whole lot tougher than they imagined.
Tye Mihocko was making a name for himself in his native Arizona but felt it was time for a change of scenery. Racing had always been a part of his life, and his own assessment suggested that if he wanted to take the sport more seriously it was time to pack up and head towards greater Indianapolis.
His father Tim worked on refrigeration systems for the transportation industry but had caught the racing bug. He logged time at all the key tracks in proximity to his Peoria, Arizona home, and neighboring states. Then in 2002 he helped driver Darren Williams take his modified to victory lane in the prestigious IMCA Nationals in Boone, Iowa. With that as backdrop it was no wonder that he was willing to support Tye the moment he showed an interest in the speed game.
It started with the Arizona Karting Association when he was just four years old, but before long he was venturing to the Midwest. For a driver to develop it is always best to take on stiffer competition. The proof of this theory was easy to see. When Tye returned to the home track he admits that the he “won all but a handful of races.”
From 600 micros Mihocko moved to a non-wing steel block 360 car and then to open 360 classes. In a changing and fluid Arizona open-wheel scene he just rolled with the punches. “I think my first year was with ASCS Southwest which was a non-wing series,” he says, “then that turned into the USAC Southwest series, and then we went from 360s to 410s and that turned into USAC- CRA. They have had to get creative out there in order to keep racing.”
While he began to worry about the overall health of the sport he still faced some top-tier racers notably A. J. Johnson and Charles Davis Jr.. Davis is one of his favorite people. “We kind of have the same personality after the races and we always got along well. But we raced each other really hard. He didn’t like it when I beat him, and I wanted to beat him too. It was hard but really clean racing because we both respected each other.”
He was staying active and winning, but he wasn’t happy with the state of things. He talked with his father and reasoned that given his mechanical skills, particularly his ability to weld, he reasoned he could find work if he relocated somewhere near the Circle City. His assumption proved to be true, and today he works for DRC chassis.
Once in his new digs he just wanted to race and he did everything he could to gain a toehold in his new surroundings. Trained eyes could see he had talent, and victories at places like Lincoln Park and Bloomington underscored this. That said trying to make a living and running your own sprint car team is a tough proposition. Life would be a whole lot better if he could just get a break. Then one night it happened. He got the attention of one of the best car owners in the region. Jamie and Michelle Paul had already made an indelible impression in the sprint car world having nabbed Lincoln Park Speedway titles with Shane Cockrum.
Jamie’s involvement in the sport came almost by chance. A diesel mechanic by trade, he was more of a NASCAR and IndyCar fan when he met his future wife Michelle. She took him to see the USAC sprint cars at Eldora Speedway and it took off from there. He spent eight years wheeling a mini-sprint and now has been a car owner for a dozen seasons. Jamie is among a dying breed. He comes to the track expecting to get results. Simply put, he’s not much for foolishness.
At first when he thought of Mihocko, fleeting as it was, it wasn’t particularly pleasant. A few short years ago Paul recalled how he and his current driver got together. “I really don’t pay attention to all the young guys,” he says, “I couldn’t tell you half the guys in the pits most of the time. We were at Putnamville (Lincoln Park Speedway), and Shane Cockrum was driving my car. Shane was on the pole and Tye was right behind him starting third. Going into the first turn on the first lap Tye drilled my car from behind and took us out. We ended up in the infield, and he spun too. I said who is that in the 5 car? Someone said that’s that Mihocko kid that won at Bloomington last night. I said okay, he will never drive my car.”
About one month later Paul took note of Mihocko again. Shane Cockrum had quickly moved to second in the feature at Lincoln Park, and Jamie had already mentally put this night in the win column. It turns out that Tye had other plans. “When it got to five or six laps to go I saw he had only one more car to pass,” he says, “and it was that Mihocko kid. Shane couldn’t get around him. I thought right then that I better start watching this kid because he just beat us.”
When Cockrum had other commitments, notably in the USAC Silver Crown series Mihocko would get the call. One seven race trial went very well. “He won at Gas City, Putnamville, and Kokomo,” Paul recalls, “I thought wow, he can run all of these tracks which are different configurations. He is really good on a slick racetrack and for someone his age that is something you just don’t see. And he can run the cushion too. I have seen guys try that for years and have not figured it out. I realized this kid was good, and so when Shane left us he was the first guy I talked to.”
Let’s all agree it has worked out nicely. Coming into 2025 Mihocko and the Paul’s had taken three Lincoln Park titles in a row and easily eclipsed the team’s stated goal of ten feature wins. While success can breed success it can also lead to complacency. So, the question loomed, could Mihocko take another LPS crown? Then there was Bloomington. Soon it was clear that the team was willing to make the tow to the red clay on Friday nights. On July 11 he took the first 50 lap feature held at the track in years, and six weeks later he was back in the B97 – Hoosier Country 105.1 victory lane. Rarely out of the top 5 Mihocko was the 2025 Bloomington champion. That enough is cause for celebration, but it also appears that another Lincoln Park Speedway title awaits. There has only been one man to win four sprint car titles in a row at the Putnamville, Indiana oval – Bob Kinser. When that is the company you keep there is no need to apologize to anyone.
It is also time to appreciate what Jamie and Michelle Paul bring to this sport. In an age where there are too few owners who field a car and hire non-family professional drivers they deserve nothing but praise. They are poised to win their eighth overall track championship.
Tye Mihocko’s nickname is The Bull, and when you watch his tenacious approach it is clear that this is an apt descriptor. He will fight for every inch on the racetrack and will only stop when the checkered flag is displayed. That is why he has now won 5 Indiana sprint car track championships.
In so many ways he is a poster child for the importance of betting on yourself. Recalling the decision to pack up and leave home he says. “I didn’t think what if I fail? I made up my mind I either needed to do it or start being an adult and focus on making real money and not doing racecar stuff. I had just turned 21 and I was thinking about that. I was at that turning point in my life where I had to take racing seriously or just turn it into a hobby and make life my real focus.”
Whether in the shop or at the track racing is his life. He made it work.
In 2025 Tye Mihocko joined the honor roll of greats who have claimed a Bloomington Speedway championship.
Tommy Kelly kfmedia photos
Article Credit: Patrick Sullivan
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