Kiwi motorsport superstars Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin were forced to wait a little longer to make their racing debut for Team SSR in the 2025 Cook Out Summer Shootout series after Round 1 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was washed out by severe weather.
The pair of New Zealanders lined up in the Pro Legends class for their first run behind the wheel of the iconic US Legend Cars, joining forces with Team SSR as part of a growing off-track partnership between the two high-profile drivers.
But the anticipated on-track action was cut short, with heavy rain and lightning storms sweeping over the North Carolina facility before the first round of racing could be completed.
Despite the early curtailment, van Gisbergen and McLaughlin both had the opportunity to head out for Qualifying 1, giving fans a quick glimpse of what’s to come.
Van Gisbergen posted the 11th fastest time of the 24-car field with a 17.408-second lap, while McLaughlin slotted in 20th with a 17.544 – just over a tenth separating the Kiwi duo, and only three-tenths covering the top 20 in a tightly packed session.
Van Gisbergen is competing out of the Joe Ryan Racecars stable for the duration of the series. The 2023 Chicago Street Race winner and NASCAR Cup Series rookie is using the Pro Legends series as another valuable opportunity to sharpen his skills on ovals – an area in which he’s steadily building experience.
His best finish so far on an oval in the 2025 Cup season came just weeks ago, with a solid 14th-place result in the Coca-Cola 600 – held on the very same Charlotte Motor Speedway layout, albeit the larger oval.
Meanwhile, McLaughlin, who’s a race winner and front-runner in IndyCar, is also dipping into the world of grassroots American racing with the Legends program, adding another element to his racing résumé as part of the off-week activities between IndyCar rounds.
While tonight’s racing was called off, the action is set to resume at 8:00am NZT on Wednesday morning with the remainder of Round 1, followed by Round 2 later in the day – weather permitting.
Although Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace was not entered in the season opener, he is expected to contest the bulk of the Pro Legends Summer Shootout schedule this year, also out of the Joe Ryan Racecars camp.
All 10 rounds of the 2025 Cook Out Summer Shootout are available to stream live via FloRacing for subscribers.
Header Image: Shane Van Gisbergen Facebook
