On a night dedicated to honoring U.S. Legend Car and Bandolero champions at the Cook Out Summer Shootout, a group of former Legend racers turned NASCAR stars stole the show with a school bus slobberknocker for the ages.
Kaulig Racing drivers Daniel Hemric, Landon Cassill and Justin Haley, along with team president Chris Rice and guest driver Quentin Haley battled in a five-lap showdown that featured four-wide racing, three-wheeled slide jobs and a side-by-side photo finish. Ultimately, former Legend racer Cassill came out on top, edging Justin Haley to claim the ultimate bragging rights and a life-size trophy at the Cook Out Summer Shootout finale at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“It drove beautifully,” Cassill joked from victory lane. “It was on rails -- had the left side planted.
“He’s (Justin Haley) a good driver. He was trying to take the gap where we he could. We made a little contact there, but I just kept in the gap.”
Hemric, who won the Legends Million – the largest purse ever for a U.S. Legend Car event – in 2010, slid through the infield grass on the race’s final circuit to finish third.
Lewis Leads the Way in Pro Division
In the Boston Reid & Co. Pro division, Landon Lewis capped a magical season with his first Cook Out Summer Shootout championship, holding off stars Jordan Black, Garrett Lowe and a host of other Pro division drivers to capture the season-long title and the champion’s belt.
On a night that saw Jensen Jorgensen claim his fifth win in just six Cook Out Summer Shootout events this season, Lewis held on for a third-place finish to claim the Boston Reid & Co. Pro division title.
“What a race,” Jorgensen said in victory lane. “I started sixth. I didn’t know if I could get it up there. I got it up there and got to mix it up with Ryan Mackintosh and Jordan Black, some of the best. This is it. This is the pinnacle of racing. This is huge.”
Woodall Offers Master Class with Third Consecutive Title
In the Masters division, the season-long battle for a championship came down to a Round 10 showdown between the top two points leaders, Robbie Woodall and Brandon McKenzie, who were separated by only two points entering the night.
The pair started the race in third and fifth place respectively in the 25-lap feature, with the title coming down to essentially who finished ahead of the other.
McKenzie raced his way around Woodall on lap 7, before Dwayne Holder spun McKenzie a lap later, bringing out the caution and giving Woodall the advantage with 17 circuits remaining. Woodall restarted in eighth place, while McKenzie started in 13th.
After a spin on the restart, McKenzie fell nearly a half a lap behind Woodall, his chances of a late-race miracle having seemingly faded. But a late caution with just four laps to go gave McKenzie fresh life.
On the ensuing restart, Woodall moved to third and McKenzie to fifth. While Canadian Kevin Foisy cruised to victory for his first win of the 2022 Cook Out Summer Shootout season, Woodall held on to for a third place finish and his third consecutive Cook Out Summer Shootout victory.
Lewis and Woodall’s ascension to the pinnacle of grassroots racing glory headlined a six-pack of champions who were crowned during Tuesday Cook Out Summer Shootout finale. Additional drivers who hoisted a 2022 Cook Out Summer Shootout champion’s belt include:
Darren Krantz Jr., Bandits
Kaeden Ballos, Outlaws
Carson Haslip, Young Lions
Carson Brown, VP Racing Fuel Semi-Pro
Top 10 in each division of Tuesday’s Round 10 races (unofficial results):
Beginner Bandoleros: 1. Wyatt Coffey; 2. Jeffrey Beck; 3. Bryson Murphy; 4. Owen Byerly; 5. Jack Smith; 6. Aidan Zschiedrich; 7. Mason Roberts; 8. Camden Truett; 9. Lilly Impellizzeri; 10. Ava Grace Tobias
Bandits: 1. Ben Morabito; 2. Darren Krantz Jr.; 3. Beckham Malone; 4. LaQuan McCoy; 5. Rodney Dowless Jr.; 6. Bryson Brinkley; 7. Hudson Canipe; 8. Ryan Likens; 9. Mardy Roberts III; 10. Owen Zacharias
Outlaws: 1. Kaeden Ballos; 2. Killian McMann; 3. Neal Dulin; 4. Bobby Gossett; 5. Kingston Norfleet; 6. Phoenyx Kimball; 7. Gracie Crocker; 8. Randy Phillips; 9. Olivia Murray; 10. Atley Wiese
Young Lions: 1. TJ Decaire; 2. Joel Smith; 3. George Phillips; 4. Sean McElearney; 5. Layton Harrison; 6. Brody Gunter; 7. Carson Haislip; 8. Joshua Dickens; 9. Luke Baldwin; 10. Ryan Zima
VP Racing Semi-Pro: 1. Lucas Vera; 2. Jesse Martinez; 3. Jadyn Daniels; 4. Dawson Sutton; 5. Sean Abell; 6. Eloy Lopez; 7. Carson Brown; 8. Sterling Wrisley; 9. Joshua Horniman; 10. Preston Wrisley
Boston Reid & Co. Pro: 1. Jensen Jorgensen; 2. Jordan Black; 3. Landen Lewis; 4. Cameron Bolin; 5. Connor Zilisch; 6. Garrett Lowe; 7. Nick Woodall; 8. Blake Sasser; 9. George Tomko; 10. Todd McCollum
Masters: 1. Kevin Foisy; 2. Lee Jordan; 3. Robbie Woodall; 4. Mark Green; 5. Brandon McKenzie; 6. Brandin Wrisley; 7. Robby Faggart; 8. Carl Cormier; 9. Tom Sherman; 10. Dwayne Holder
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Next up, Charlotte Motor Speedway kicks off its fall season of speed with the Circle K Monster Truck Bash at The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Saturday, Aug. 20. The fall schedule also includes the Charlotte AutoFair (Sept. 8-10), NHRA Carolina Nationals (Sept. 23-25) and the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 weekend (Oct. 8-9). For a complete schedule of upcoming events, ticket information and more from America’s Home for Racing, visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
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