Cook Out Summer Shootout returns to America's Home for Racing one final time in 2026 on Tuesday, July 28, as the 33rd season concludes with Champions Night. The season finale features championship points racing, family-friendly entertainment, the return of the fan-favorite school bus racing showdown and a post-race driver autograph session celebrating another exciting summer of racing on the frontstretch quarter-mile.
With six division championships on the line, the season’s top grassroots racers will make one final push toward a championship, with every lap carrying critical implications. Each division enters the finale with a tight points battle, with fewer than 50 points separating first and second place in all six championship classes.
One of the closest title fights comes in the VP Fuels Semi-Pro division, where Colton Hale holds a slim 26-point advantage over Preston Wrisley entering the season finale.
Fans can also save $5 on admission by wearing NASCAR or Cook Out Summer Shootout driver gear, making it even easier to experience the season finale.
But Champions Night offers more than just high-speed competition, with interactive entertainment and family fun throughout the evening.
School bus racing showdown returns for one final time this season, bringing laughs, close competition and plenty of bumper-to-bumper entertainment. Special guest drivers will step behind the wheel for a 10-ton tussle in one of Cook Out Summer Shootout’s most anticipated spectacles of the summer.
Fans can cheer on a lineup of special guests, including TNT broadcaster Mamba Smith, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Brad Perez, Young Motorsports owner Tyler Young and more.
The fun continues after the checkered flag as fans are invited onto the frontstretch for championship ceremonies and a driver autograph session with Cook Out Summer Shootout competitors. Fans can congratulate this year’s champions, meet their favorite drivers and celebrate another exciting summer of grassroots racing.
TICKETS:
Tickets are just $13; kids 12 and under get in FREE. Donate a canned good to Drive Out Hunger and get $2 off your Cook Out Summer Shootout ticket! For tickets, schedules and more details about all the happenings at Charlotte Motor Speedway, visit https://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets
KEEP TRACK:
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