Building off the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's World Cup championship on Sunday, ladies stole the show in Tuesday's sixth round of the Bojangles' Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
With Isabella Robusto and Gracie Trotter having won VP Racing Fuels Semi-Pro races in consecutive weeks and Katie Yonchuk claiming a Beginner Bandolero triumph, Tuesday was Farm Bureau Bandolero Outlaws driver Jadyn Daniels' turn to visit Victory Lane at America's Home for Racing.
Daniels' pink-and-white No. 24 Bandolero won her heat race and backed it up in the 20-lap feature. The Concord, North Carolina, native kept her cool and pulled away from Parker Eatmon and Connor Yonchuk in the final laps to cruise to her first Shootout win by 1.19 seconds.
"I can't thank my dad and my team enough, I've always dreamed of winning here," Daniels said. "It's so awesome. I can't thank everyone enough. On that last lap, I was just thinking of bringing it home for all of them. I had to."
Zach Miller and Boston Reid Real Estate Pro division points leader Carson Ferguson swapped the lead multiple times in the first 10 laps of the sixth Pro feature. When the dust settled - and a late restart bunched the field up one final time - Miller had the measure of Ferguson and Bubba Wallace, who finished third after starting eighth.
Miller entered Tuesday's races ranked third in points. His first Pro victory, however, gave Miller the perfect mix of momentum and satisfaction with four races left to catch Ferguson in points.
"It's huge," Miller said. "This is my second year in Pro and I've yet to get a win until now. Farbo Motorsports gave me a great car. Carson threw everything he had at me. It's good to finally get a win."
Todd Midas assumed the lead early in Tuesday's Twenty-Six Acres Brewing Company Masters division feature and didn't surrender it the rest of the way, keeping polesitter Carl Cormier at bay for the final circuits. Cormier's car didn't pass Midas nor did it clear post-race inspection, moving Cormier to the rear of the field and promoting Mark Green to second.
"It's pretty cool and it's always an honor to beat these guys," Midas said. "They're pretty good. Our car wasn't really that great for most of the day. I guess when I'm not following somebody, I might be a little better."
Janson Marchbanks withstood a green-white-checkered restart and a spate of accidents to score his first PMG Young Lions win of the year after finishing third and second in his most recent starts.
"It got really dicey," Marchbanks said of the final two-lap dash, which saw runner-up Sam Butler get to Marchbanks' bumper. "I didn't get the best start. It was a great race. My guys are top notch."
Points leader Jason Alder solidified his hold on the VP Racing Fuels Semi-Pro championship battle, wiring the field in a dominant performance. Alder scored his third triumph of the summer with title rivals Isabella Robusto and Gracie Trotter in tow.
"It's a lot of fun knowing there's so many sponsors, so many people behind you, making this happen," Alder said.
Luke Morey cleared Lucas Vera with four laps to go in the K1 RaceGear Bandolero Bandits feature after a nose-to-tail scrap for nearly 10 laps. Morey held off Vera and Tristan McKee to record his first Shootout triumph.
Kenton Case sped to a convincing win in the Bandolero Beginner Bandit A-feature a week after winning the B-feature. David Snook Jr. won Tuesday night's B-feature, which took place prior to Case's victory in the main.
"I was just hoping nobody would pop up behind me and take me out of the lead," Case said.
Next Tuesday's Bojangles' Summer Shootout on July 16 marks First Responder Night featuring a burnout contest on the frontstretch.
Gates open at 5 p.m. with opening ceremonies scheduled for 6:15 p.m.
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 www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets.
KEEP TRACK:
Follow all the thrilling Bojangles' Summer Shootout action using the hashtags #LetsBoRacing and #WeCreateLegends. 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.
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Unofficial Results:
Boston Reid Real Estate Pro (25 Laps): 1. Zach Miller; 2. Carson Ferguson; 3. Bubba Wallace; 4. Joey Padgett; 5. Ryan Mackintosh; 6. Garrett Manes; 7. Daniel Wilk; 8. Gus Dean; 9. Davis Rochester; 10. Hudson Halder; 11. Vince Midas; 12. Harrison Halder; 13. Caleb Heady; 14. Bryson Ruff; 15. Jason Simmons
Twenty-Six Acres Brewing Company Masters (25 Laps): 1. Todd Midas; 2. Mark Green; 3. Tom Pistone; 4. Robby Faggart; 5. Jan Ingram; 6. Dwayne Holder; 7. Charles Parker; 8. Carl Cormier
PMG Young Lions (25 Laps): 1. Janson Marchbanks; 2. Sam Butler; 3. Austin Macdonald; 4. Ethan Norfleet; 5. Zack Miracle; 6. Landon Rapp; 7. Tommy Good; 8. Jaiden Rayna; 9. Jake Bollman; 10. Landen Lewis; 11. Kade Brown; 12. William Cox; 13. Conner Jones; 14. Jason Chapman; 15. Lacy Kuehl; 16. Jake Waltman; 17. Tyler Chapman; 18. Christina Pedano; 19. Molly Lindner; 20. David Sullivan; 21. David Johnson
VP Racing Fuel Semi-Pro (25 Laps): 1. Jason Alder; 2. Isabella Robusto; 3. Gracie Trotter; 4. Dj Canipe; 5. Hunter Wright; 6. Braden Rogers; 7. Cole Dockery; 8. William Robusto; 9. Craig Biryla; 10. Walter Reardon; 11. Austin Saunders; 12. Carson Poindexter; 13. Dacin Roberson; 14. Cole Brown; 15. Blake Lothian; 16. Joshua Plummer; 17. Toni Breidinger; 18. Nick Craig; 19. Jordan Plummer; 20. Justin Laduke; 21. Justin Gareis; 22. Justice Calabro; 23. Rajah Caruth; 24. Faron Laney
Farm Bureau Bandolero Outlaws (20 Laps): 1. Jadyn Daniels; 2. Parker Eatmon; 3. Connor Yonchuk; 4. Logan Clark; 5. Trevor Wester; 6. Garin Mash; 7. Zac Fowler; 8. Carson Ramsey; 9. Skyler Chaney; 10. Santiago Hill; 11. Carter Russo; 12. Sean Abell; 13. Natasha Elder; 14. Cameron Murray; 15. Wyatt Philyaw; 16. Josh Horniman; 17. Whitney Meggs; 18. Fran Pedano; 19. Madison Miracle
K1 RaceGear Bandolero Bandits (20 Laps): 1. Luke Morey; 2. Lucas Vera; 3. Tristan McKee; 4. Alden Garcia; 5. Bobby Elder; 6. Kody King; 7. Truett Miranda; 8. Hank Hall; 9. Jacob Bradley; 10. Nate Honeycutt; 11. Kaleb Bradley; 12. Layton Harrison; 13. Alex Meggs
Beginner Bandolero A-Main (15 laps): 1. Kenton Case; 2. Natalie Richard; 3. Colt Johnson; 4. Hudson Canipe; 5. Katie Yonchuk; 6. Jonathan Pedano; 7. Seth Helms; 8. Payton Johnson
Beginner Bandolero B-Main (15 laps): 1. David Snook Jr.; 2. Hunter Jordan; 3. Neal Dulin; 4. Finn Buckley; 5. Cale Dejarnett; 6. Julianna Case; 7. Alison Johnson; 8. Ava Grace Tobias
