Ready for Family Fun at Summer Shootout

I have never been to the Summer Shootout at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, but that is about to change. For over a year, I’ve been hearing that it is one of the the best nights of affordable family fun you can get in the summer – but my son was too young. Now that he’s over three, and with the pre-race action starting at a toddler-friendly 5:30 pm, I am ready to take him. We may not make it till 10:15, but we will try!

The 10-race Quaker Steak & Lube Summer Shootout runs each Tuesday night through Aug. 12. To make it a vacation, got to www.visitcabarrus.com to choose from a great selection of hotels near the track! Admission is just $7 for adults. Children 6-12 are admitted for $3 and kids under 6 are free. Tickets are available in advance at the speedway ticket office and at Gates 4 and 5 the night of the event. Parking is free. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. with preliminary action at 5:30 p.m. Feature racing begins at 7:30 p.m. and is scheduled to conclude by 10:15. For information, call the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS or visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

Fans attending opening night of the 15th annual Quaker Steak & Lube Summer Shootout Series Tuesday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway can expect tons of fun as school bus racing joins the traditional slate of Legends Cars, Bandoleros and Thunder Cars. At more than 13 tons, the weight of a single school bus is equivalent to the total weight of the 24 Legends Cars that will comprise the starting lineup for the 20-lap Pull-A-Part Pro division. Each of the racing buses is 30 feet long, 112 inches tall and rides on six tires, making them the most unique vehicles to battle on the Lowe’s Motor Speedway pavement. The school bus race, presented by Toyota of Concord, will feature several of the brightly painted machines racing bumper-to-bumper and window-to-window on the tight confines of the paved quarter-mile oval. The buses will be driven by an array of local personalities including Lug Nut, the world’s fastest mascot.