Dulin charges to dramatic opening-night victory at Summer Shootout
CONCORD - Neal Dulin lived up to his nickname Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
"The Real Deal" surged past Ben Morabito on the final lap to win the Pro division feature during Round 1 of the Cook Out Summer Shootout, highlighting an action-packed opening night of racing at the speedway's quarter-mile oval.
Dulin's victory came after a late-race restart erased Morabito's commanding lead and set up a frantic sprint to the finish. Morabito appeared headed for victory after taking over the lead when early frontrunner London McKenzie spun out. By Lap 13, Morabito had built a lead of more than three seconds over the field.
A red flag on Lap 20 for an oil spill, however, bunched the field back together and changed the complexion of the race.
Following another caution with three laps remaining, drivers battled three-wide through Turns 3 and 4 on the restart. Dulin found extra speed on the final lap, racing side-by-side with Morabito before completing the winning pass in the closing corners.
Morabito finished second, followed by Sam Butler, Spencer Bradshaw and Keelan Harvick.
Sherman takes Outlaws feature
In the Outlaws division, Carson Sherman continued his strong summer by capturing the season-opening feature.
Sherman quickly moved to the front after the green flag and maintained control throughout the race despite pressure from Carson Cauble and a caution on Lap 5. Jackson Jones, Tate Brewer and Jacob Hassey also ran among the leaders, but Sherman pulled away late to secure the victory.
"I'm feeling really grateful to be here," Sherman said. "We picked up the first three wins of Thursday Thunder, and now to get the first one here at Summer Shootout, we're having a great summer so far."
Other divisions
Other winners on opening night included Ryan Hoffacker in Beginner Bandoleros, Maverick Bradshaw in Bandits, Nicholas Newsome in Chargers, Case James in Young Lions, Colton Hale in VP Fuels Semi-Pro and Jeff Bolen in the Dilling Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical Masters division.
Round 2 Tuesday
The Cook Out Summer Shootout continues Tuesday night with Round 2, themed "Night of Games." The event will feature racing across all divisions as well as the popular Media Mayhem school bus race.
Now in its 33rd season, the Cook Out Summer Shootout consists of 10 Tuesday-night events featuring Legends Cars and Bandoleros competition throughout the summer.
Tickets are $13, while children 12 and younger are admitted free. Fans who bring a canned food donation will receive $2 off admission.
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