Week One of Cookout Summer Shootout Sizzles With Action

Monday Night:
Sir Purr Roars To Mascot Mayhem Victory In Cook Out Summer Shootout Opener

CONCORD, N.C. (June 13, 2022) – Charlotte Motor Speedway's 29th season of Cook Out Summer Shootout action kicked off on Monday night, with Legend Car and Bandolero feature races joining an action-packed Mascot Mania go-kart race on the frontstretch quarter-mile oval.

The fur-flying field was stacked with talent as Charlotte-area mascots Lug Nut, Chubby, Sir Purr, Champ, Homer, Minty and Boomer put the pedal to the metal to determine mascot supremacy. Lug Nut, the world's fastest mascot, took third as Sir Purr took the checkered flag following five laps of no-holds-barred mascot mayhem.

An eventful night of competition continued with Bandolero and Legend Car features among seven different divisions.

The Young Lions showed their skills on Monday, as Carson Haislip took the checkered flag following a spectacular feature event.

“Man, I just kept telling myself to hold my line and then not worry what’s out back," Haislip said. "I knew he was coming and I knew I had to play some strategy there and we were able to come home. This is my first ever win here, so this is amazing."

In the VP Racing Semi-Pro division, it was all Jadyn Daniels in the feature.

“I think we can only go up from here, so I am super excited for this year and hopefully we can get some more wins,” Daniels said.

The Masters division winner didn’t have to shake off too much rust, as Doug Stevens started the season with a win.

“I have been working on these things forever and been out of the seat for a little while, but when I switched these tires it is a completely different feel and I think I always got that niche for that radial tire,” Steves said.

Wrapping up the competition was the Boston Reid & Company Pro division, which saw past Pro champion Jordan Black add another victory to his resume.

“It feels like home, you know. It has been probably 11 months since I have been out here,” Black said.

The high-speed fun continues Tuesday as colorfully decorated, five-ton school buses will fly through the infield in a contest to see which local school principal has the biggest need for speed.

Top 5 in each division of Monday’s races:

Beginner Bandoleros:
No. 5 Bryson Murphy;
No. 2 Wyatt Coffey;
No. 9 Jack Smith;
No. 1 Gavin Holland;
No. 38 Aidan Zschiedrich

Bandit:
No. 2 Hudson Canipe;
No. 31 Darren Krantz Jr;
No. 17 Ben Morabito;
No. 24 Bryson Brinkley;
No. 23 Beckham Malone

Outlaw:
No. 79 Neal Dulin;
No. 19 Kaeden Ballos;
No. 22 Randy Phillips;
No. 06 Olivia Murray;
No. 81 Hunter Jordan

VP Racing Semi-Pro:
No. 24 Jadyn Daniels;
No. 28 Carson Brown;
No. 64 Lucas Vera;
No. 9C Michael Crafton;
No. 82 Connor Zilisch

Master:
No. 77 Doug Stevens;
No. 72 Robbie Woodall;
No. 12 Robby Faggart;
No. 58 Carl Cormier;
No. 81 Lee Jordan

Boston Reid & Company Pro:
No. 14 Jordan Black;
No. 67 Cameron Bolin;
No. 71 Jake Bollman;
No. 06 Garrett Lowe;
No. 99 Landen Lewis

Tuesday Night:
Cabarrus Virtual Academy Principal Ken Simeone
Top of the Class In CookOut Summer
Shootout School Bus Slobberknocker

CONCORD, N.C. (June 14, 2022) – School’s out, however, class was still in session Tuesday night as six area principals hit the quarter-mile track at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the CookOut Summer Shootout with hopes of being named top of the class in the long-awaited return of principal school bus racing.

Cabarrus County Schools Virtual Academy principal Kenneth Simeone bested the field, which also included Northwest Cabarrus Middle school principal Chasity Szabo, J.N. Fries Magnet school principal Sherry Lee, Hickory Ridge Middle school principal Tim Taylor, Winecoff Elementary School principal Trisha Cook and Diocese of Charlotte Catholic School principal Greg Monroe.

Simeone took the lead early and never looked back. Behind him, Taylor was the big mover of the race, starting in the sixth and final spot before bulldozing his way to the front to finish in the runner-up position. Chasity Szabo, principal at Northwest Cabarrus STEM Middle, filled out the podium with a third-place finish in the wildly popular school bus slobberknocker.

Smoke poured out of the engine of Simeone’s orange-painted machine, but the hotshoe driver pulled away from the competition late in the race. “That was awesome,” Simeone said as he climbed out of his bus victoriously. “That was one of the coolest things I’ve done.”

While Simeone took home the trophy, fans were the real winners Tuesday night. The final two finishers, J.N. Fries Magent’s Sherry Lee and Winecoff Elementary school’s Trish Cook, got sent to detention – and in a pie in the face – for bringing up the rear of the field, much to the delight of their respective cheering sections.

Following the school pride event, Round 2 took place with the competition between the Bandolero and Legend Cars drivers.

Beating, Banging, Bandoleros - In the Bandolero Bandits division, Beckham Malone took the early lead heading into the first corner by going three-wide, but lost the position to Darren Krantz Jr., who pulled away from the field.

Ben Morabito brought out caution No. 1 with a spin on lap four. Malone and Krantz battled on the restart, opening the door for Colt Johnson, who moved up to second in a three-way battle for the lead.

Contact between Malone and Johnson sent Johnson spinning and bringing out the second caution of the night on lap eight. On the ensuing restart, Krantz took control. Morabito, charging back from his earlier spin, moved into second, while Johnson held off Mardy Roberts III for third.

The caution flew for a third time when Bryson Brinkley’s machine came to a stop on the frontstretch. Krantz’s dominance on restarts proved to be the difference as the young driver pulled away on the final restart of the contest, leading Morabito, Johnson, Malon and Carson Cauble to the checkered flag. “It feels great,” he said of the Round 2 win. “I was trying to stay calm, make sure I got good starts, make my line better and just be faster on the restarts.”

Brown Takes VP Racing Semi-Pro Win - Carson Brown went wire-to-wire in a time-shortened VP Racing Semi-Pro division victory. The 21-lap affair was marred by a lengthy red flag after hard-charging Jayden Daniels and Michael Crafton got tangled up in Turn 2, with Crafton driving over the front of Daniels’ Legend Car.

With his strongest competition relegated to the pits, Brown, who finished runner-up to Daniels in last night’s opening round of the CookOut Summer Shootout, pulled away from the field to earn his first win of the young season. “I was struggling there at the end on exit,” Brown said. “It’s awesome to win here at Charlotte. It’s a big track to win at – a big accomplishment.”

Round 3 continues next Tuesday night.

Top 10 in each division of Tuesday’s races (unofficial results):

Beginner Bandoleros: 1. Gavin Holland;
2. Jack Smith;
3. Wyatt Coffey;
4. Aidan Zschiedrich;
5. Delaney Gray;
6. Hendrick Case;
7. Mason Roberts;
8. Carson Wise;
9. Brantley Brooks;
10. Camden Truett

Bandolero Bandits: 1. Darren Krantz Jr;
2. Ben Morabito;
3. Colt Johnson;
4. Beckham Malone;
5. Carson Cauble;
6. Owen Zacharias;
7. Mardy Roberts III;
8. Bryson Brinkley;
9. Hudson Canipe;
10. LaQuan McCoy

Bandolero Outlaws: 1. Bobby Gossett;
2. Joshua Lowe;
3. Alison Johnson;
4. Carson Smith;
5. Kaeden Ballos;
6. Killian McMann;
7. Ellie Gossett;
8. Atley Wiese;
9. Makenna Crocker;
10. Josh Shine

Young Lions: 1. TJ Decaire;
2. George Phillips;
3. Brody Gunter;
4. London McKenzie;
5. Carson Haislip;
6. Luke Baldwin;
7. David Snook Jr;
8. Sean Hingorani;
9. Taylor Corum;
10. Trevor Cline

VP Racing Semi-Pro: 1. Carson Brown;
2. Connor Zilisch;
3. Andres Perez;
4. Carson Poindexter;
5. Justin Campbell;
6. Sterling Wrisley;
7. Farron Laney;
8. Byron Daley;
9. Jayden Daniels;
10. Trevor Wester

Boston Reid & Company Pro: 1. Ethan Norfleet;
2. Garrett Lowe;
3. Landen Lewis;
4. Cameron Bolin;
5. Parker Eatmon;
6. Gavin Graham;
7. Kade Brown;
8. Jordan Black;
9. Justice Calabro;
10. Cole Dockery

Masters: 1. Doug Stevens;
2. Robby Faggart;
3. Brandon McKenzie;
4. Lee Jordan;
5. Dwayne Holder;
6. Rusty Young;
7. Tom Sherman;
8. Charles Parker;
9. Carl Cormier;
10. Robbie Woodall

TICKETS: 
Entry is $10 for adults, $5 with a student I.D. or school spirit clothing, and kids 12 and under are FREE. Tickets can be purchased at the gate, by calling 800-455-FANS or online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets .

KEEP TRACK:
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