CONCORD, N.C. — Ryan Mackintosh took advantage of a final-restart tussle between Carson Ferguson and Bubba Wallace to win his first Bojangles’ Summer Shootout race in six years on Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
While Mackintosh triumphed in the headlining Pro division, Robby Faggart (Masters), Jason Alder (Semi-Pro), Zack Miracle (Young Lions), Garin Mash (Bandolero Outlaws), Lucas Vera (Bandolero Bandits) and Payton Johnson (Beginner Bandolero) also won in their respective classes during the third round of the annual series for Legend cars and Bandoleros.
Ferguson led the first 21 laps of the 25-lap Pro feature, but a late yellow set the stage for a four-lap dash to the checkered flag after debris from Bryson Ruff’s car was scattered on the backstretch.
On the ensuing restart, Wallace shoved Ferguson up the track in turn one and passed the Ladyga Motorsports No. 48 for the lead.
Ferguson returned the favor in the next corner, but that gave Mackintosh a run, and he pushed his way to the bottom, cleared both Ferguson and Wallace and ultimately won the race.
Tuesday night’s stunning breakthrough marked the sixth Summer Shootout victory of Mackintosh’s career, his first in the Pro class and his first Shootout win since 2013.
“It’s awesome. It’s been six years since I’ve been here in Victory Lane at the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout,” Mackintosh said. “The 76 (Wallace) moved the 48 (Ferguson), the 48 moved the 76 and I was getting moved. I saw an opportunity there when they were getting into each other (in the final laps) and I thought that was my chance.
“Sometimes you’ve got to be lucky, sometimes you’ve got to be fast and sometimes you’ve got to be aggressive. Tonight, we were all three.”
Ferguson tried to get back to Mackintosh on the last lap, but had to settle for second ahead of Wallace, William Plemons III and Bryson Ruff.
In the Masters division, Robby Faggart drove through the field and moved Jon Craig midway through the race to earn his first win in three starts this season.
Faggart’s victory, his 14th in the over-40 class at the Summer Shootout, allowed him to break a tie with Mike Wike for fifth on the all-time win list.
“This was the third race (of the season) and the first two I thought we had in the bag,” Faggart said. “I got a little lazy and they got around me. This time, I held on to the bottom, didn’t let them get by me and here we are.”
Todd Midas crossed the line in second, followed by Mark Green, Jon Craig and Carl Cormier.
As Mackintosh and Faggart broke through for the first time each on Tuesday night, Jason Alder took the lead of the Semi-Pro division feature on the second lap and cruised home for his second victory of the summer, extending his point lead in the division in the process.
“I’m quite flabbergasted; I wasn’t sure we had it in us,” Alder said. “Our car’s been fast all day. We had a penalty (choose-cone violation) that sent us to the back last week and we wanted to come back from that in a big way, and I feel like we did that with this win.”
Braden Rogers crossed the line in a career-best second, with Isabella Robusto, Gracie Trotter and round two winner William Robusto following.
The Young Lions feature was marred by a 17-car crash coming to the initial green flag.
Round two winner Tommy Good missed a shift on the start from the pole position, and as drivers behind him checked up, a multi-car melee broke out on the front stretch.
Six drivers – including the two heat winners from earlier in the night, Sam Butler and Conner Jones – failed to complete a lap as a result of crash damage.
After a 15-minute red flag for cleanup, Zack Miracle dominated to win his first Legend car race at the Summer Shootout.
“I just had to be calm, not spin the tires and set sail,” Miracle said. “I really don’t know quite how we missed everything at the beginning, but surviving that was the key.”
Austin McDonald notched his best finish of the summer so far in second, while William Cox completed the Young Lions podium. Ethan Norfleet and Landen Lewis were fourth and fifth.
Garin Mash continued his undefeated streak in the Bandolero Outlaw division with his third victory in a row to open the summer, while Lucas Vera won his second Bandolero Bandits division race in a row to maintain the points lead in that division.
Cameron Murray and Connor Yonchuk followed Mash home in the Outlaw feature, while Layton Harrison and Tristan McKee finished second and third, respectively, in Bandits.
Payton Johnson topped the Beginner Bandolero class after apparent winner Sebastian Tucker was disqualified for coming across the scales too light.
Kenton Case and Hudson Canipe completed the podium.
To view race results for all divisions, advance to the next page.