CONCORD, N.C. – The cars were the stars of the show on Tuesday night at Cook Out Summer Shootout’s Cruise-In Night presented by Hagerty and Streetside Classics, but when the dust settled on Round 7, Lucas Vera (VP Racing Fuel Semi-Pro) and Hudson Canipe (Bandits) were among the big winners.
Vera was the star of the show in the VP Racing Fuel Semi-Pro race, charging to the front and taking the lead from polesitter Jayden Daniels on lap 4 of the 25-lap feature.
Holding the lead, however, tested every bit of the Charlotte driver’s ability as he held off a talented field. Through three aggressive restarts, Vera found clean air and maintained a slim lead. When the checkered flag finally fell, Vera beat Byron Daley by a 1.386-second margin. Andres Perez, Carson Brown and Trevor Westor rounded out the top 5.
Battle of the Bandits
Canipe was the class of the field early, pulling away from Ben Morabito and Beckham Malone in the early stages of the Bandolero Bandits seventh round of action, but a couple of late cautions bunched up the field. A final-lap spin brought out the final caution of the night and ushered in a side-by-side, quarter-mile showdown to the checkered flag.
In the end, Canipe – driving a Hudson the Hornet-inspired paint scheme that was appropriate on Cruise-In Night – narrowly escaped with the victory. Darren Krantz Jr. finished second, with Morabito rounding out the podium.