Cory Gulitti collected the opening big check of the week at the RAD Torque Systems Fall Fling presented by Optima Batteries, winning Tuesday’s Rob’s Automotive $20,000 32-Car Shootout at Bristol Dragway.
The Texas driver outlasted a split field of 16 door cars and 16 dragsters. In the final, Gulitti edged Chase Conley by .001 on the starting line and sealed the win by running dead-on his dial with a one.
It marked Gulitti’s third Fall Fling Shootout final round appearance this season and his second victory. His path to the final included a narrow semifinal win over Gary Williams, where the margin at the finish was just .008 seconds.
On the dragster side, Conley advanced after Connor Caulder fouled by four-thousandths of a second. Conley paired that with a dead-on seven pass to reach the final.
Quarterfinal action saw Jayden Lawler, Conley, Jerry McGowan and Caulder advance on the dragster ladder, while Williams, Joe Julsrud, Jon Corbin and Gulitti remained in contention on the door car side.
Competition continues Wednesday with Advanced Product Design’s $15,000 race. All entries will open with a time trial before first-round eliminations.
