Lightning struck and sparks flew during an exhilarating opening to the Bojangles' Summer Shootout, the world's premier grassroots racing event, on Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as Chase Purdy emerged victorious in the In Light Wellness Legend Car Pro division.
Purdy captured the victory after a dramatic battle for the win saw contenders Austin Green and Stevie Johns Jr. penalized for rough driving with two laps to go. Green led for most of the race after a scrap for the top spot included four lead changes in the first seven laps, but his penalty - and Michael Torres' spinning then-leader Dillon Faggart - left Purdy an opening to grab the lead and the win in exciting late-night action.
Tuesday's finish followed an hour-long rain delay, Bandolero and Legend Car features and a door-slamming school bus race featuring the North Carolina Public Transit Association.
No one could match Robbie Faggart's pace in the Legend Car Masters division, as the 55-year-old Concord, North Carolina, native ruled the roost in a wild 25-lap feature that saw John Craig go for a tumble on the frontstretch on lap seven. Craig left the car under his own power - but no one had more power than Faggart.
Faggart posted the quickest time in qualifying but started fifth after an invert. He cracked the top two within five circuits and passed leader Scott Whitaker with 11 laps to go on his way to the win. Carl Cormier wound up second ahead of Whitaker.
The AAA Carolinas Semi-Pro Division got off to a rocky start when a five-car pileup caused a caution flag to come out before lap one was completed. Jordan Stillwell, who celebrated his 21st birthday by starting on the pole, led in the early going. But Stillwell was no match for Jacob Heafner, who pulled away from Stillwell and John Holleman, then survived two restarts within the final five laps to secure a convincing victory in a race marred by six cautions.
Adam Fox of CTS Software scored the victory in the North Carolina Public Transit Association school bus slobberknocker, expertly using lapped traffic to pull off a last-lap pass of Transdev's Jason Woznac and collect a replica Bruton Smith Trophy.
"Unbelievable, what an amazing day," Fox said. "I'm glad I didn't roll 'er. This is amazing."
The rest of the night's winners included Cameron Johnson in a 14-lap Beginner Bandolero Bandit feature, D.J. Canipe (Bandolero Outlaws), Josh Kossek (Bandolero Bandits) and Ashton Higgins (Legend Car Young Lions).
Fans can find a free live stream of the Bojangles' Summer Shootout at CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com, USLegendCars.com and GoPRN.com as well as on the US Legend Cars YouTube channel starting at 7 p.m. each race day.
Unofficial Results:
Beginner Bandolero Bandits (14 laps): 1. Cameron Johnson; 2. Garrett Lowe; 3. Zack Miracle; 4. Truett Miranda; 5. Caden Kvapil; 6. Stanley Hayes; 7. Skyler Chaney; 8. Grant Thompson; 9. Luke Cooper; 10. Logan Clark; 11. Lee Carter; 12. Jayson Didonna; 13. Santiago Hill; 14. Tyler Bartoszewicz; 15. Adam Eades; 16. Benjamin Johnson; 17. David Sullivan.
Bandolero Outlaws (20 laps): 1. D.J. Canipe; 2. Triston Lesik; 3. Matthew Davey; 4. Matt Emery; 5. Tommy Good; 6. Liz Montgomery; 7. Blaise Maddox; 8. Dylan Notero; 9. Isaak Love; 10. Hayden Swank; 11. Jacob Gantz; 12. Trevor Wester; 13. Justin Gareis; 14. Ethan Elder; 15. Ashley Pantoulas; 16. Blaise Brinkley.
Bandolero Bandits (20 laps): 1. Josh Kossek; 2. Cameron Bolin; 3. Bryson Ruff; 4. Leland Honeyman; 5. William Robusto; 6. Josh Speas; 7. Tyler Champman; 8. Conner Jones; 9. Jason Champman; 10. Jaiden Reyna; 11. Holt Halder; 12. Landon Rapp.
AAA Carolinas Legend Car Semi-Pro (20 laps): 1. Jacob Heafner; 2. Jordan Stillwell; 3. John Holleman; 4. Dustin Rumley; 5. Austin Langenstein; 6. Grant Winchester; 7. Craig Biryla; 8. Willie Ridenhour; 9. Zach Miller; 10. Scott Joy; 11. Austin Holder; 12. Stephen Brewer; 13. Ryo Ogata; 14. Tyler Truex; 15. Holden German; 16. Garrett Biggers; 17. Jessica Dana; 18. Jordan Mander; 19. Matt Moermond; 20. Carson Poindexter; 21. Brian Obiedzenski; 22. Nolan Pope; 23. Matt Mead; 24. Ryan Miller; 25. Gus Dean.
Legend Car Masters (25 laps): 1. Robbie Faggart; 2. Carl Cormier; 3.Scott Whitaker; 4. Bruce Silver; 5. Jan Ingram; 6. Todd Midas; 7. Chip Ferguson; 8. Mark Green; 9. Tom Sherman; 10. Jeffery Lefcourt; 11. Dan Keaton; 12. Timothy Sipes; 13. Jon Craig.
Legend Car Young Lions (8 laps): 1. Ashton Higgins; 2. Brody Pope; 3. Carson Kvapil; 4. Sam Mayer; 5. Vincent Midas; 6. Eddie Fatscher; 7. Giovanni Bromante; 8. Roy Hayes; 9. Jack Fread; 10. Alex Verhagen; 11. Harrison Halder; 12. Hailie Deegan; 13. Sammy Smith; 14. Steven Chapman; 15. Ryan Helm; 16. Isabella Robusto; 17. Daniel Wilk; 18. Garrett Manes; 19. Gracie Trotter; 20. Austin Greer.
In Light Wellness Legend Car Pros (25 laps): 1. Chase Purdy; 2. Jordan Black; 3. Alex Pacheco; 4. Michael Womack; 5. Austin Green; 6. Michael Torres; 7. Stevie Johns Jr.; 8. Dillon Faggart; 9. Dawson Cram; 10. Gregory Lang; 11. Dusty Summers.
TICKETS:
Tickets, which cost only $8 for adults and are FREE for kids 13 and under, can be purchased at the gate or in advance by calling 800-455-FANS or online at charlottemotorspeedway.com. Fans can also watch half-hour weekly Bojangles' Summer Shootout shows on MAVtv.
KEEP TRACK:
Follow all the thrilling Bojangles' Summer Shootout action using the hashtag #LetsBoRacing. Connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or get all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.
