CONCORD, N.C. (July 4, 2011) – Independence Day was celebrated in full force at Charlotte Motor Speedway as fireworks and spectacular racing added to the excitement of the rain-delayed Round Five of the Summer Shootout Series. Tom Pistone, Tyler Green and Corey Gordon were among the feature winners of the night.
The first feature to take the track was the Legend Car Masters division. Pistone, of Mooresville, N.C., took the lead early from Eddie Harwell, of Cleveland, N.C., and held off a hard charging Jeff Green, of Kannapolis, N.C., to capture the checkered flag.
Harwell paced the field to the green and took the early lead, but it did not last long as Pistone drove into the top spot on Lap 3. Legend Car Masters division point leader Kevin Foisy, of Ottawa, O.N., Canada, was looking to make his way to the front in quick fashion from his fourth starting spot. In the process Foisy made contact with Bruce Silver, from Davidson, N.C., causing Silver to spin. On Lap 14, Foisy was racing hard with Green and the two made contact, which resulted in Foisy falling back to the fifth spot.
On Lap 15, John Sossoman, of New London, N.C., ran down Pistone while the leaders caught lap traffic. As Sossoman made his move for the lead he made contact with a lap car on the frontstretch causing him to lose multiple positions.
Pistone raced to the checkers in the 20-lap event over second place finisher Green and third place finisher Sossoman who slid past Foisy in the final laps.
Tyler Green, of China Grove, N.C., held off heavy pressure from a full field of cars in the Legend Car Pro Division to take home his second victory of the season.
Dawsonville, Ga., native, Donald McIntosh, controlled the first 10 laps of the feature race, forcing Green to chase for the lead. Just after the halfway flags, Green completed a pass to the inside of McIntosh and stole the top spot. The lead change was all it took for Sean Rayhall, of Austell, Ga., to close the gap and create a three-way battle for first.
The caution flag waved for the first and only time on Lap 15 for a spin in Turn 2, allowing for a five-lap shootout. McIntosh and Rayhall ran out of time to reel in Green as he took the checkered flag and they went on to finish second and third respectively.
In the Legend Car Semi-Pro division, Gordon, of Mt. Holly, N.C., was able to secure his first win of the 2011 season in the 20-lap feature event.
After starting in the fourth position, Gordon quickly passed Westin Baldwin, of Hilton Head, S.C., on Lap 2 and was up to second place by the end of Lap 5. As Garrett Smithley, of Kannapolis, N.C., paced the field, Gordon started to challenge for the lead on Lap 9 and used the bump-and-run to overtake Smithley on Lap 11.
It looked like it was smooth sailing for Gordon, but a multi-car wreck on Lap 14 brought out the caution, allowing the field to bunch back together. Smithley took advantage after the restart, stealing the lead back from Gordon on Lap 15, but a slip-up in Turn 4 caused Smithley to fade as Gordon moved back to the top spot.
Gordon held off the field through multiple cautions to pull off the win as Charlotte, N.C., native, Kyle Hall, crossed the stripe in second and Austin Langenstein, of Concord, N.C., followed behind in third.
Other feature winners included, Justin Carroll, of Concord, N.C., in the Legend Car Young Lions division; John Holleman, of Winston Salem, N.C., in the Bandolero Outlaws division; Kodie Conner, of Kannapolis, N.C., in the Bandolero Bandits division; and Austin Powell, of Concord, N.C., in the Bandolero Beginner Bandits division.
The 18th annual Summer Shootout Series continues Tuesday night, July 5, featuring a second night of spectacular fireworks and the famous principal school bus slobberknocker. The first 1,000 children through the gates will receive a free glow necklace. Families can enter to win a Myrtle Beach vacation courtesy of MyrtleBeachHotels.com.
Tickets are $7 for adults and just $3 for kids 6 to 12. Children 5 and under get in free. Gates open at 5 p.m. with opening ceremonies for feature racing at 7:00 p.m.
The second annual Legends Million returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway Aug. 1 and 2. Tickets are just $10 for adults and children 12 and under get in free.
Drivers can register for the Legends Million at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com. All Legend Car competitors 12 years of age or older may register. The race is not restricted by division. All minors 17 or younger must complete a minor waiver, which is available for download at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/waivers. Registration is free with the purchase of a new Legend Car from U.S. Legend Cars International.
For additional information on competitor registration for the Legends Million, visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or call the Charlotte Motor Speedway events department at (704) 455-3205. For more information about U.S. Legend Cars International and Legend Cars, visit www.uslegendcars.com or call U.S. Legend Cars International’s headquarters at (704) 455-3896.
For tickets for the Summer Shootout Series or Legends Million, contact the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
Unofficial results:
Legend Car Young Lions Feature (20 laps): 1. Justin Carroll; 2. Jake Cole; 3. CJ Hulsey; 4. Reid Wilson; 5. Paul Schafer; 6. Matt Pappa; 7. Clayton Weatherman; 8. Jake Spillers; 9. Connor Pyle; 10. Kason Plott; 11. Tyler Goodwin; 12. Ben Rhodes; 13. Matt Wallace; 14. Payton Ryan; 15. Anderson Bowen; 16. Riley Halverson; 17. Cameron Ray; 18. David Schilling; 19. Billy Webb; 20. Ryan Shattuck; 21. Austin Cindric; 22. Adam Burton; 23. Trey Jarrell; 24. Tye Mihocko; 25. Chase Dowling; 26. Austin Berry; 27. TJ Michael; 28. Jeffrey Stanton; 29. Hayden Woods; 30. Joe Ryan Osbourne; 31. Josh Morris; 32. Dylan Faggart; 33. Mason Massey; 34. Luke Demis; 35. Justin Thomas; 36. Joey Padgett; 37. Jacob Heavlow; 38. Dylan Roe; 39. Doug Barnes Jr.
Legend Car Pro Feature (20 laps): 1. Tyler Green; 2. Donald McIntosh; 3. Sean Rayhall; 4. Sam McAulay; 5. Brady Boswell; 6. Evan Swilling; 7. Chase Catania; 8. Kyle Weatherman; 9. Bailey Currey; 10. Gray Gaulding; 11. Michael Dabney Jr.; 12. Gregory Lang; 13. Justin Morton; 14. Scott Hensley; 15. Steve Ward; 16. Austin Hill; 17. Justin Swilling; 18. Zac Kittle; 19. Trey Eidson; 20. Casey Traxler; 21. Kyle Plott; 22. Steven Cantrell; 23. Darrell Wallace Jr.; 24. Robert Stout; 25. John Hilliker; 26. Jimmy Heavlow; 27. Phillip Bell.
Legend Car Masters Feature (20 laps): 1. Tom Pistone; 2. Jeff Green; 3. John Sossoman; 4. Kevin Foisy; 5. Eddie Harwell; 6. Jan Ingram; 7. Gene Traxler; 8. Brad Green; 9. Chip Ferguson; 10. Ray Short; 11. Scott Whitaker; 12. Bruce Silver; 13. Hans-Peter Schaeppi; 14. Kevin Aube; 15. Mike Rogers; 16. Jamie Smith; 17. Rod Harouff; 18. Doug Kimble; 19. Ronald Mander; 20. Tom Johns; 21. Brian Tinker; 22. Todd Bolin.
Legend Car Semi-Pro Feature (20 laps): 1. Corey Gordon; 2. Kyle Hall; 3. Austin Langenstein; 4. Adam Welch; 5. Amber Colvin; 6. Myatt Snider; 7. Robert Kuczmarkski; 8. Kevin Donahue; 9. Garrett Smithley; 10. Weston Baldwin; 11. Will Cunningham; 12. Derek Humble; 13. Justin Doyle; 14. Chris Coker; 15. Tyler Hill; 16. Lee Jordan; 17. Erik Nash; 18. Austin Allen; 19. Anna Lisa Smith; 20. Spencer Boyd; 21. Jonathan Ross; 22. Joey Mattis; 23. Alex Hickham; 24. Austin Reed; 25. Blake Spears; 26. Spencer Saunders; 27. Will Allen; 28. Justin Little; 29. Dustin Coonfield; 30. Drew Sciranko; 31. Dusty Summers; 32. Robert Hayes.
Bandolero Outlaws Feature (20 laps): 1. John Holleman; 2. Tyler Lester; 3. Kaz Grala; 4. Parker Barnes; 5. Walker Yates; 6. Ashley Caldwell; 7. Noah Cornman; 8. Ryan Mackintosh; 9. Tyler Dayton; 10. Craig Biryla; 11. Seth Werner; 12. Jensen Jorgensen; 13. Joshua Plummer; 14. Tyler Jonacha; 15. Chase Heath; 16. Jordan Plummer; 17. Taylor Jorgenson; 18. Joey Causey; 19. Brayton Haws; 20. Jacob Brumigan; 21. Tyler Audie.
Bandolero Bandits Feature (20 laps): 1. Kodie Conner; 2. Austin Green; 3. Matt Murphy; 4. Carson Ferguson; 5. Jeff Duffee III; 6. Devon Barnes; 7. Jordan Mander; 8. Dawson Cram; 9. Stevie Johns Jr.; 10. Stefan Parsons; 11. Layton Sullivan; 12. Banks Johnson; 13. Teigan Deluca; 14. John Kuczmarksi; 15. John Wayne Counsel; 16. AJ Davis; 17. Chris Hacker; 18. Tate Fogleman; 19. Alex Reece; 20. Jacob Hefner; 21. Trevor Hawkins.
Bandolero Beginner Bandits Feature (19 laps): 1. Austin Powell; 2. Zachary Dabbs; 3. Austin Geer; 4. Tyler Farris; 5. Cason Werner; 6. Liz Montgomery; 7. Scott Joy; 8. Hunter Stewart; 9. Ryan Saubier; 10. DJ Canipe; 11. Trent Barnes.
