CONCORD, N.C. (July 1, 2014) - There were fireworks both on and off the track during Week 4 of the Jack in the Box Summer Shootout Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Daniel Hemric, Tom Pistone and Chandler Smith, continued their hot streaks, among others.
Hemric, of Kannapolis, N.C., celebrated his fourth win in five races this season with his traditional backflip in victory lane. After starting midpack after the invert, Hemric drove to the top-five by the first caution on lap 4. On the restart, Hemric chose the outside lane, putting him beside leader Steven Cantrell. On lap 7, after a spirited battle for the lead, Hemric bested Cantrell and took the top position.
On lap 10, the caution flew again, but Cantrell was unable to get back to the top spot. On the restart, William Byron and Cantrell made contact, sending Cantrell hard into the outside wall and ending both his and Byron's night. Hemric led the remaining laps of the 25-lap feature to take the checkers, holding off Plott, who finished second, Greg Lang in third, Jordan Black in fourth and Evan Swilling in fifth.
Pistone recorded his fifth straight victory of the season in the Security Force Legend Car Masters division, passing Robby Faggart in the final turn of the last lap of the race. Pistone, of Mooresville, N.C., started in seventh, but by lap 13, he was in first. A caution on lap 19 pushed Pistone back to the pack and Faggart took advantage, passing the points leader on lap 21. Faggart headed into the final lap just inches in front of Pistone, but was unable to take the checkered flag as Pistone pushed his way underneath Faggart on the final turn of the race and edged him out by just 0.210 seconds.
Woodall finished in third for his first podium finish of the season. Carl Cormier finished in the top-five for a third straight week with a fourth place finish. Rounding out the top-five was Bruce Silver, who tallied his fifth top-5 finish of the season.
Smith remained undefeated in the LiveWell Homes Bandolero Bandits division, taking the checkered for the fifth time this season. Smith, a Jasper, Ga.-native, started in fifth but quickly moved to the front, passing eventual race runner-up DJ Canipe on lap 2. It is the fourth time that Smith and Canipe have finished 1-2 this season.
In a race marred by seven cautions, Smith remained unscathed, beating Canipe by 0.565 seconds. Smith was dominant early on, extending his race lead to almost five car-lengths with his fastest split of the race on lap 6 with 18.472 seconds. Daniel Wilk recorded his first podium finish of the season, placing in third, just 1.283 seconds behind Smith. Conner Younginer finished in fourth, while Elijah Todd, who recently moved up from Beginner Bandits, rounded out the top-5.
Other winners included Austin Langenstein, of Concord, N.C.; in the Quaker Steak and Lube Legend Car Semi-Pro division; Carson Ferguson, of Charlotte, N.C., in the Legend Car Young Lions division; Ashton Winger, of Fayetteville, Ga., in the Bandolero Outlaws; and Bryson Ruff, of Indian Trail, N.C., in the Beginner Bandits.
Olympic gold-medal winning swimmer, Tyler Clary, made his Jack in the Box Summer Shootout Series debut, but was caught up in a late race wreck and finished 15th.
The 21st annual Jack in the Box Summer Shootout Series continues Tuesday, July 8, with the Faster Pastor School Bus Race, in addition to regular Legend Car and Bandolero racing divisions.
Tickets for the Summer Shootout Series are $7 for adults and are available in advance at the speedway ticket office or at Gates 4 and 5 the night of the event. Kids 13 and under get in free. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. with preliminary action starting at 5:10 p.m. Opening ceremonies are at 6:45 p.m. and feature races are scheduled to conclude by approximately 10 p.m.
Fans can now watch recaps on television—nationally on MAVTV and locally on WCCB Charlotte. A 30-minute recap show will air in the Charlotte area on CW-affiliate WCCB, channel 11 on Time Warner Cable, at 1 p.m. on the Saturday following the Tuesday-night event. Nationally, fans can see a 30-minute recap show on popular cable TV network MAVTV on Thursdays.
For tickets to the Summer Shootout Series, call the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
For live updates during the Summer Shootout Series, follow hashtag #SummerShootout on Twitter. To join in on the conversation simply include #SummerShootout in your tweet.
Connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy or become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway.