As Charlotte Motor Speedway gears up for the 32nd season of Cookout Summer Shootout, its legacy continues to shine. For decades, these summer nights on the famed frontstretch quarter-mile have served as a launching pad for future NASCAR stars.
Long before piloting powerful stock cars at NASCAR’s highest level, many of today’s top drivers cut their teeth in Legend Cars, learning the ropes at America’s Home for Racing. Now, those drivers reflect on the memories, milestones and lessons they gathered from the grassroots racing series that helped shape their careers now:
Austin Cindric, No. 2, Team Penske
“Racing Legend Cars made me a lot tougher, that’s for sure. Especially on long nights of Summer Shootout. It definitely started everything for me.”
Austin Dillon, No. 3, Richard Childress Racing
“Legend Car racing can be rough and tumble, and you’re going to use the bumper, so I learned a lot from Legend Car racing.”
Chase Elliott, No. 9, Hendrick Motorsports
“Those cars actually teach a lot of really good lessons. The tires are narrow. They’re overpowered, or they used to be overpowered for how big they were. I think it was kind of the first time, at least in my career, that you had more power than you needed and you didn’t have enough tire for the weight of the car. So, it was just a good car control learning experience.”
Ty Dillon, No. 10, Kaulig Racing
“I have so many memories. One of the most important ones is, my wife’s family from Washington state drove down for Summer Shootout, and they were parked beside us. Little did I know that that would be the beginning of me meeting the love of my life, my wife and now three kids. So that’s the most important thing that ever happened to me is that I met my wife at Summer Shootout, but also, I’ve competed against so many drivers that I’m now competing against in the Cup Series, which has been so cool. Daniel Hemric, Bubba Wallace, Austin Hill, so many of the guys that we grew up racing against each other and knew each other from those days. We all went our separate paths after our Legend Car days, but then we all ended up back in the Cup Series, and it really speaks to the amount of learning experience you get at that level.”
“I think, at a young age, being able to race in U.S Legend Cars, the competition is so high, but you’re learning the right ways to race and compete. You have to be aggressive in a lot of the races because a lot of the drivers there are hungry too, and there are a lot of eyeballs on that series as far as people in higher positions at race teams. So, there’s a lot of pressure on it, which is good, and I think if you can learn how to perform early with pressure, it’s obviously a solid thing to have on your resume.”
Ryan Blaney, No. 12, Team Penske
“I loved Legend Cars. I spent many weekends at Winter Heat, out on the fifth mile there and at the road course and Summer Shootout for many, many years. So I think Legend Cars are fantastic. A lot of motor, not a lot of tire. It kind of teaches you throttle control, car control, stuff like that. So, the one thing that Legend Cars probably didn’t do well for a lot of people is repairable bumpers that you just bolt on a new one. Some people just run into each other in Legend Cars. I thought the throttle and car control were the best things that it taught me.”
Chris Buescher, No. 17, RFK Racing
“U.S. Legends cars were a fantastic learning ride. It’s a lot of power for a very small tire, a small, short wheelbase. It gives you a lot of car control. They are technically open-wheel as well, so you do have to have that finesse and kind of that planning into each and every race, to where you wanna make sure you stay shiny side up at all times. It makes you learn how to race clean, but aggressively.”
William Byron, No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports
“The best memories were just making a lot of friends and memories at the track. I mean, just over the summer, being there every week and winning there was huge. So anytime you won one of the Summer Shootout races, it was a big deal. U.S. Legends Cars was just a great, great step for me in my career. Those cars were really fun to drive, and fun to race against people and I enjoyed it a lot.
Zane Smith, No. 38, Front Row Motorsports
“I raced Legend Cars initially on the West Coast, then I made my move out to the East Coast and I felt like they’re just such great cars. Way too much power for a little tire, and just taught me so much. There’s so much racing out here to just race all around the short tracks here, on the East Coast and even getting to do the Summer Shootout. I remember getting onto the big track on the front stretch and just praying that one day I’d be able to keep going straight and stay on the big track, so that was always really cool.”
From rising young talents chasing their dreams to NASCAR stars like Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch, Shane van Gisbergen, and Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin still jumping in on the action, the Cook Out Summer Shootout continues to deliver high-octane thrills. With 10 rounds of action-packed racing ahead, there’s no better place to be this summer than Charlotte Motor Speedway.
ABOUT COOK OUT SUMMER SHOOTOUT:
Celebrating its 32nd season, the Cook Out Summer Shootout is a 10-race showcase of speed, featuring eight racing divisions of Legend Cars and Bandoleros. Races are held each Tuesday night under the lights with championship points on the line all summer long.
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.charlottemotorspeedeay.com/tickets.
KEEP TRACK:
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