It was elbows out and action aplenty at Charlotte Motor Speedway as Kiwi duo Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin returned for Round 3 of the Summer Shootout in the US Legend Car Series, driving for Joe Ryan Race Cars.
On a night riddled with cautions, contact, and fierce side-by-side racing, the two Supercars champions showcased their short-track grit in the A-Feature race, with van Gisbergen clawing his way to fifth and McLaughlin salvaging 11th after late contact.
Van Gisbergen, who qualified fifth, wasted no time asserting himself at the front. The recent NASCAR Cup Series Mexico champ made an early move on Ryan Zima to grab fourth on the opening lap, while teammate McLaughlin slotted into sixth after overtaking Michael Crafton.
The race’s first yellow flew with 22 laps remaining as Jake Bollman went off-track and into the barrels, bunching the field up for a critical restart. Lined up on the inside row, van Gisbergen and McLaughlin found themselves door-to-door with current NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace.
Van Gisbergen capitalised on the restart, quickly jumping to third behind early leader Jensen Jorgensen and Round 2 winner Danny Chisholm.
Just as the race settled into a rhythm, a spin from Rapp triggered another caution. On the ensuing restart, van Gisbergen made a bold dive to snatch second from Jorgensen and immediately went to battle for the lead with Chisholm.
But the fight quickly turned physical; Van Gisbergen was bumped by the #87 car and squeezed by both Chisholm and Jorgensen, dropping to fourth after also being overtaken by Joel Smith.
Things only got rougher from there as Ryan Zima tagged van Gisbergen’s rear bumper, sending him wide and down to fifth, with Wallace and McLaughlin lurking close behind.
Then came another caution after Keelan Harvick was spun in a chain reaction incident sparked by brake-checking mid-pack.
When the green flag waved again, the Kiwi teammates reignited their own battle, restarting side-by-side with van Gisbergen emerging ahead. But contact from Chisholm sent van Gisbergen high into Turns 1 and 2, allowing McLaughlin to slip past into fourth.
The drama kept unfolding. Zima and Smith tangled, sending Smith into the wall and Zima sliding across the track into Crafton. Van Gisbergen narrowly missed the chaos but had to check up, losing ground and restarting 10th with seven laps to go.
McLaughlin, meanwhile, had driven up to third behind new leader London McKenzie.
But with three laps to go, McLaughlin’s night took a turn. A tap from Lucas Vera on the corner entry spun the Kiwi, bringing out yet another caution and sending him to the back for the restart. Van Gisbergen, now back up to sixth, was suddenly in the mix again.
On the final lap, a spin for long-time leader Jorgensen opened the door. McKenzie held on to take the win in a wild finish, while van Gisbergen completed a spirited drive to finish fifth. McLaughlin crossed the line in 11th after a rollercoaster race that had promised more.
The chaos resumes on Tuesday, 24th June (Wednesday, 25th June NZT) for Round 4 of the Summer Shootout Series. You can catch the action on Flo Racing. You can also find live timing and results HERE.
Header Image: Meghan Prowell Photography
