CONCORD, N.C. – For 18-year-old Connor Yonchuk of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, getting behind the wheel of an INEX legend car has been an adjustment, but he’s enjoying his first time competing in the 30th Annual Cook Out Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Racing wheel to wheel with over 20 other competitors from across the country in the 10-race series that is livestreamed on FloRacing.com can be a challenge, but the young racer is definitely up to it.
“It’s fun racing,” he says. “There are a lot more wrecks sometimes than you would get at other races because it’s a small track with hard racing, but that’s just a part of it. The best of the best from around the country are racing here, and even from outside the country. The tough part is that you have so little time to figure it out. You only get three rounds of practice on Monday and then qualifying on Tuesday and then racing so you’ve got to figure it out fast or you’re going to be behind. That’s the fun of it for me – trying to figure it out and get the car good enough for Tuesday is a challenge that I enjoy.”
In round seven, held this past Tuesday, Yonchuk started 13th and was running just outside the top ten in his feature when he ended up in a multi-car incident that eliminated him from the race. “We had a few cautions back-to-back and on a restart I was on the inside going into turn one when a couple of cars up front got together, and everyone just started looking for room to avoid. I got sandwiched between two cars and ended up with a hole in the radiator. We had a top ten car and just got caught up in someone else’s wreck.”
Yonchuk showed his ability right from the first week of racing at Charlotte back in June when he finished sixth in a nearly 30 car field in the second series race. He’s been mid-pack or better for all but two of the first seven races, just learning the ropes and doing the best he can. He’s also been working with Race Driven Performance Owner Ron Thomas to help with anything that is needed in addition to keeping his own car in top condition.
“If it weren’t for Ron we wouldn’t be here doing this,” the driver explained. “He and his family have helped me a lot. He is doing me a good deal and I enjoy helping out with the other drivers and cars as much as I can. I grew up racing quarter-midgets, focus midgets, and I’ve raced karts on road courses, so these legend cars are a change but I’m learning and enjoying it so far.”
Additional support for Connor’s racing comes from Cometic Gaskets, Klotz Oil, Radical Racegear, Cook Out, Roomax Racing, Flash’s Speed Shop and Flash Racing.
Yonchuk will be back in action with his sporty No. 99 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Tuesday, July 18th for the 8th of 10 races in the Cook Out Summer Shootout. Subscribe to FloRacing.com to watch all the action each Tuesday beginning around 5:45pm Eastern.
LISTEN TO CONNOR’S POST-RACE INTERVIEW BELOW!