Cunningham Holds Off Hook in Charlotte Sprint for C-Open Win

Connor E Cunningham spent much of Tuesday night fighting his truck in traffic. He was in front of everyone when it counted.

Cunningham started 10th, led only 12 of the 140 laps and still won the MLSR C-Open Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He held off Shawn Hook over the final restart and crossed the line 0.473 seconds ahead. Trenton Wilken closed fast on the last lap and finished third, 0.547 seconds behind the winner. It was Cunningham's fourth win of the season.

"And at the end it just just clicked and then I just started rolling through the field," Cunningham said. "Had a couple of instances that I almost died. Good thing I didn't."

An unsettled opening

Christian Barnes started from the pole, but James Beard took the lead on the opening lap. The first caution flew before the field completed Lap 2 for a multi-truck incident in the pack.

Hook went to the front on the restart, bumping past Beard into Turn 1. Around Lap 20, Max Ford spun off Turn 4, took a second hit and brought out the second caution. Ford finished 30th.

Chris Romano stayed on track during that caution and led the field to green. He led eight laps, but his night ended after 68 laps and he was classified 29th.

Adam Ramsey moved forward from seventh and took the lead before Beard went around him on the outside. Ramsey led 16 laps in all. From there the No. 25 Chevrolet set the pace through the middle of the race. Beard led a race-high 49 laps.

Leaders shuffle late

A third caution flew on Lap 75. On the restart Ethan Thompson took the lead off Turn 2 before Barnes moved to the front. Michael Patrick took the lead briefly before Barnes went back ahead. Barnes led 17 laps in all.

Beard stayed out under the fourth caution and restarted in front with 36 laps to go, but the trucks behind him swarmed past. Wilken came through to take the lead, while Barnes and Cunningham battled side by side behind him.

Cunningham was not comfortable for much of the night.

"I was just stuck in like probably 16th during the second long run," he said. "... You got to find as much clean air as you can to help."

Pit road decides it

Barnes was the first of the top five to make his final stop under green. Wilken was still leading when he slowed to enter pit road and was hit from behind, and the field was soon under caution. Because Barnes had already stopped, the caution cost him his track position.

"Saw him hit me and luckily we really didn't get much damage out of it," Wilken said. "... That possibly cost us a win."

Ramsey led the field off pit road, with Cunningham right behind him. Hook said he spun his tires leaving his pit box on that stop, which let Cunningham get by.

The next restart did not last long. A multi-truck crash broke out in the pack behind the leaders. Thompson was turned, Gerrad Essenberg's truck nearly went onto its side, and Barnes was collected. The pole-sitter finished 19th.

The final restart

Cunningham led the field to green for the final time with Hook on his rear bumper. Hook set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 134 as he tried to close, and Wilken worked his way into the fight behind them.

Cunningham stayed low the whole way.

"I had to figure out which lane Hook was running cuz he would either run top or run the bottom," Cunningham said.

Hook made one last run in the final corner.

"In that last corner, I kind of just full sent it," Hook said. "I knew I wasn't going to hit him."

It was another runner-up finish for Hook.

"Just story of the season. Just another second place finish. I don't know what I got to do to close one of these things out," Hook said. "... I feel like I had winning speed the whole night."

Wilken believed he had a shot from third.

"I felt like if we were maybe up one more row on that restart, we could have maybe had a better throw at it," he said. "... Kind of regret running the top of three and four."

The rest of the top 10

Jacob Loesch finished fourth from eighth on the grid. Anthony Lee Abernathy came from 13th to finish fifth. Dana Shepard started 21st and finished sixth. Chris Etchepare was seventh, Austin Craven eighth, Richard Wilson Jr ninth and Beard 10th. Thompson finished 11th, and Ramsey was 15th.

Cunningham was not ready to make predictions about Phoenix.

"50/50 shot on me winning," he said. "So, we'll see what happens, I guess."

The C-Open Series heads to Phoenix Raceway on Tuesday, October 13.