CONCORD, N.C. — After the Bandolero divisions put on a smoking show for fans on the opening night of the 32nd season of the Cook Out Summer Shootout, the only thing that could dampen the spirits of those gathered for the Cook Out Kickoff – inclement weather – ultimately prevailed.
Heavy rain and lightning brought an early end to the day before the first round of Legends action could be completed.
Kicking off the season, the Bandolero Bandit action was electric with early lead changes between pole-winner Roo Reaves, Brexton Busch and Gerald White III. After the green flag dropped, Busch wasted no time slicing through the competition and claiming the lead.
While Busch maintained a strong hold up front, the real battle was fought just behind him. A fierce battle for runner-up emerged between Reaves, White III, James Behnke and Maverick Bradshaw, all fighting for a spot on the podium.
As the last lap approached, Behnke snatched second place from Reaves to become Round 1’s runner-up, while Bradshaw and White III completed the top five.
Landon Thrasher brought the sizzle in Monday’s Bandolero Outlaw feature, stealing the show on opening night of Cook Out Summer Shootout. After qualifying P1, due to the invert, James Monolo jumped to the front early and looked poised to run away with it, until a stack of Pro-FABrication Headers & Exhaust cautions bunched the field. Monolo led the pack through multiple restarts, holding off challenges left and right, until Thrasher’s No. 55 machine broke through on Lap 9.
As the caution-filled feature stayed fired up, the field continued to shuffle, but Thrasher remained strong to hold off the competition throughout the closing laps. Monolo finished second while Jack Smith worked his way up to third late in the race, slipping past the chaos and locking in a podium finish. Chase Spaulding and Lincoln Johnson rounded out the top five in a thrilling battle.
Before the weather moved in, Josh Davenport (Beginner Bandos) and Knox Bryant (Chargers) served up winning performances and packed their first-place trophies to go.
