The final two rounds of the 2011 Summer Shootout Series took place on Monday and Tuesday, July 25th and 26th, at Charlotte Motor Speedway (NC). Ben Rhodes went to victory lane in both events, putting him one point behind in the final overall series championship, but his strong showing earned him the Red, White & Blue Championship in the Legends Young Lions division.
After leading the majority of the 2011 Summer Shootout Series points in the Young Lions division, round eight for Rhodes was damaging to his title chase as a mechanical issue dropped him to second, over 50 points behind the new leader Justin Carroll. Rhodes knew he had to win the final two races to have a shot at the title, but came up one point short in the end.
“We did everything we could this week,” said Rhodes. “We were able to win on Monday and overcome getting wrecked a few times to win again Tuesday, but Justin was just too consistent the final two races. I want to congratulate him on the championship. He is a great driver and I enjoyed racing against him this year.”
Rhodes won five of the 10 events during the year, which helped him earn the Red, White and Blue championship, which is a three-race inner-Shootout title.
“I wasn’t aware of the Red, White and Blue championship chase until I was told I won it,” explained Rhodes. “That is pretty cool to win that title and half of the races. We wanted to also get the overall title, but finishing one point behind and earning second isn’t bad at all. I want to thank my entire team, family and fans for their support this year.”
Rhodes will race at Kentucky Speedway (KY) on Saturday and Sunday, July 30th and 31st, in his Legends Car before heading back to Charlotte Motor Speedway (NC) on August 1st and 2nd for the Legends Big Money 100 event.