Opening night of the Cook Out Summer Shootout was nothing short of sizzling from Beginner Bandits to Pros. While the field continuously shuffled in the fiercely competitive Pro division, Jake Bollman started fifth and grilled the competition early with an almost a two and a half second lead to take the top spot of the night.
A loaded field of talented Pro drivers kept it professional through 21 laps until the first caution came in Lap 22, diminishing Bollman’s notable lead and bunching the field for a three-lap shootout to the finish. Post-caution Bollman proved his dominance once again while the rest of the pack heated up leaving second place, Alex McCollum, third Jensen Jorgensen and fourth, Nick Woodall to battle it out in the field behind him. Bollman solidified his win with a 0.48 lead at the checkered flag, setting the stage for what he hopes the rest of the season will bring.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” Bollman said on his Round 1 win. “Now that I know I can win the first one, I’m going to try to win all 10. I don’t think anybody’s ever done it but that’s my goal.”
After a five-year hiatus from Summer Shootout racing, NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace Jr. returned for opening night to finish 15th.
Owen Outlasts the Outlaws, Claims Round 1 Win
Owen Zacharias shook up the competition with a dominating win in Round 1 of the Bojangles Outlaws Division. Zacharias, who started fifth in the feature, drove through the field, taking the lead on Lap 2 and did not relinquish control.
The race was a nail-biter as Zacharias extended his lead to over a second on Lap 14, seemingly ready to sail off into the distance. However, Outlaw national points leader TJ Moon had other plans in the final five laps cutting the lead to under half a second. Right behind Moon in national points, Zacharias was in championship form holding off Moon, besting his title foe in a caution-free race to secure his first summer win.
“It is really special for me,” said Zacharias about what it means to win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I have been fighting for this and I had one last year. We are going to get more [wins] this year.”
Pole-sitter Colt Johnson wheeled himself to a third-place finish as he tried to chase down the leaders. Bryson Nichols and Finn Buckley rounded out the top five after battling side-by-side in the closing laps.
In other competition, Roo Reaves (Night Owl Companies Beginner Bandits), Wyatt Coffey (Bandits), JC Fickenscher (Chargers), Max Reaves (Night Owl Companies Young Lions), Michael Crafton (VP Racing Fuel Semi-Pro), Dwayne Holder (Masters) also grilled the competition to claim Round 1 wins and kick off the season.
ABOUT COOK OUT SUMMER SHOOTOUT:
Cook Out Summer Shootout is a 10-race showcase of speed among eight different divisions of Legend Cars and Bandoleros. Races are held each Tuesday night, with drivers accumulating points throughout the summer towards a season-ending championship.
TICKETS:
Tickets are $10; kids 12 and under get in FREE. For tickets, schedules and more details about all the happenings at Charlotte Motor Speedway, visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets.
KEEP TRACK:
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