RGeeProductions
05-08-2016, 02:27 PM
Last week, the weather caused the postponement of Bowman Gray Stadium’s racing. Not to be outdone, this week’s weather played head games with the leaders – and may have changed the
outcome of the race.
The rain fell last Saturday on lap 40 of the Hayes Jewelers 200 for the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series, which is where the competitors picked back up one week later on Saturday. The restart was delayed by several minutes due to yet another rain storm that wet the track prior to the green flag. And it seemed like more weather was on the way.
Anticipating that precipitation would end the race before the full 200 laps, frontrunners Tim Brown of Tobaccoville and Burt Myers of Walnut Cove laid it all on the line. “Our strategy was to run to halfway. We were watching the radar and it was coming,” said Myers. “I wasn’t going to wreck Tim, but I wanted to put enough pressure on him to make him make a mistake.”
Brown and Myers raced feverishly in restart after restart, with Myers nearly making the pass from the outside. As Myers began to almost clear Brown, the #83 of Brown muscled into Myers to preserve his position. Myers fell back to second but quickly rammed Brown in return, taking the lead away.
“We ran side by side there for a while - and when he finally door slammed me down there, I got a little rougher than I had been,” said Myers. “I got the lead, and then the caution came out.”
Myers and Brown were caught by surprise when no rain fell. Then the crowd was caught by surprise as Myers and Brown headed to the pits for a quick tire change on lap 159. That left slightly over 40 laps for them to fight their way up from the back.
“Burt had ran me so hard I didn’t have any tires left,” said Brown. “I knew I couldn’t win it staying out, because other cars were starting to pit. Pretty much - you have to go off what the other cars do. When the 1 [of Burt Myers] and the 4 [of Jason Myers] pitted, I had no choice. I had to pit.”
With the double-file restart, Myers and Brown quickly made their way through the field. Brown maneuvered his way up to third and was looking for an opening to power past Ronnie Clifton of Walkertown to take over second. But both collided as they battled, sending both of them spinning into the guard rail.
“I caught the 66 [of Clifton], and it looked like he was going to give me the bottom – so I cut it to the bottom,” said Brown. “I had four new tires. We were by far the fastest car on the track, and he cut down on me and wrecked both of us.”
Meanwhile at the head of the field, Brandon Ward of Winston-Salem had taken over the lead after the mass pit stop on lap 159. Ward’s tire strategy had worked out a little differently. “We had to pit early because we needed to make adjustments. So we stopped and took our tires quite a bit earlier than the rest of the leaders,” said Ward, who was worried about how his car would perform later in the race. “But really once we could get out front, the car made some really good times,” said Ward.
John Smith of Mount Airy attempted to slip by Ward with a few double-file restarts, but Ward held strong. Ward claimed the checkered for the 200-lapper – the biggest win of the season and his first ever victory at the Madhouse.
The accomplishment adds his name to the list of fabled winners at the Stadium such as Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, and Glen Wood.
“I’ve raced all over the country, and I’ve never raced in front of a crowd like this,” said Ward. “There’s a lot of history here, and that’s what makes this place so special.”
John Smith finished in second, with Joe Ryan Osborne of Kannapolis taking third. The official results are currently pending review.
In the Yates Grading & Paving Sportsman Series, Zack Clifton of Belews Creek grabbed the victory trophy, while Tommy Neal of Rural Hall came in second.
Derrick Rice of Kernersville won in the Q104.1 New Country Street Stock Series, with both A.J. Sanders of Mockville and Brandon Brendle of Winston-Salem claiming the checkered in the McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series.
Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series
Unofficial – currently pending review
Hayes Jewelers 200: 200 laps completed
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 04 Brandon Ward Winston-Salem, NC
2 53 John Smith Mount Airy, NC
3 27 Joe Ryan Osborne Kannapolis,NC
4 65 Danny Bohn Huntersville, NC
5 1 Burt Myers Walnut Cove, NC
6 40 Luke Fleming Mount Airy, NC
7 4 Jason Myers Walnut Cove, NC
8 15 Jeremy Gerstner Wesley Chapel, FL
9 5 Randy Butner Pfafftown, NC
10 12 Mike Norman Lewisville, NC
11 77 Lee Jeffreys Winston-Salem, NC
12 50 Michael Clifton Walkertown, NC
13 18 Daniel Yates Lexington, NC
14 44 Daniel Beeson Kernersville, NC
15 2 Joseph Brown Lewisville, NC
16 87 Mike Speeney King, NC
17 83 Tim Brown Tobaccoville, NC
18 66 Ronnie Clifton Walkertown, NC
19 79 David Calabrese Toms River, NJ
20 71 Dean Ward Winston-Salem, NC
21 76 Scott Gordon Lewisville, NC
22 22 Jonathan Brown Winston-Salem, NC
23 16 Chris Fleming Mount Airy, NC
24 11 Junior Miller Winston-Salem, NC
Yates Grading & Paving Sportsman Series
Sportsman Race: 40 laps
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 81 Zack Clifton Belews Creek, NC
2 21 Tommy Neal Rural Hall, NC
3 26 Michael Tilley Winston-Salem, NC
4 07 Kevin Neal Walkertown, NC
5 31 Ryan Robertson Winston-Salem, NC
6 55 Zack Ore Winston-Salem, NC
7 28 Billy Gregg Lexington, NC
8 70 Noah Triplett Lexington, NC
9 51 Rob Knabel Tobaccoville, NC
10 11 Wayne Hill Winston-Salem, NC
11 68 Robbie Brewer Winston-Salem, NC
12 4 John Holleman Winston-Salem, NC
13 7 Dylan Ward Winston-Salem, NC
14 12 Justin Taylor King, NC
15 0 Michael Adams Yadkinville, NC
16 3 Jeff Garrison Clemmons, NC
Q104.1 New Country Street Stock Series
20 laps
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 20 Derrick Rice Kernersville, NC
2 19 Tom Zachary Yadkinville, NC
3 1 Jasper Sumner Trinity, NC
4 50 Austin Edwards Winston-Salem, NC
5 58 Steven Berrier Germanton, NC
6 97 Jeremy Warren Winston-Salem, NC
7 40 Taylor Robbins Winston-Salem, NC
8 52 Fletcher Whaley Advance, NC
9 24 Chris Thomas East Bend, NC
10 0 Kirk Sheets Hornytown, NC
11 22 Brian Wall Lexington, NC
12 7 Jamie Byrd Mount Airy, NC
13 9 Darren Cotner King, NC
14 17 Jeremiah Simonis Germanton, NC
15 29 Bradley Potts Clemmons, NC
16 49 Phillip Jones Lexington, NC
17 14 Aaron Hylton Kernersville, NC
18 69 Gerald Robertson Jr Winston-Salem, NC
19 16 Brad Lewis Winston-Salem, NC
20 10 Zach Linville Kernersville, NC
21 12 Doug Wall Pfafftown, NC
22 30 Blake Shupe Mount Airy, NC
McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series
1st Stadium Stock Race: 15 laps
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 24 A.J. Sanders Mocksville, NC
2 8 Shane Southard Yadkinville, NC
3 30 Stephen Sanders Lexington, NC
4 17 Andy Southern Lexington, NC
5 48 Junior Smith Lexington, NC
6 90 Robert Strmiska Lexington, NC
7 29 Cody Arrington Mount Airy, NC
8 38 Christopher Joyce Winston-Salem, NC
9 23 Andy Spears Lexington, NC
10 62 Kevin Hedgecock Thomasville, NC
11 14 Ken Bridges King, NC
12 22 Adam Thomas Winston-Salem, NC
13 88 Ronnie Cranfill Mocksville, NC
14 71 Auston McElveen Winston-Salem, NC
McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series
2nd Stadium Stock Race: 15 laps
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 40 Brandon Brendle Winston-Salem, NC
2 81 Chuck Wall Lexington, NC
3 97 Bryan Sykes Lexington, NC
4 76 Billy Cameron Jr Salisbury, NC
5 31 Zack Staley Lexington, NC
6 02 Wesley Thompson Advance, NC
7 99 Dustin McClure Mooresville, NC
8 7 Barry Wilson Stokesdale, NC
9 83 Shane Tuttle Tobaccoville, NC
10 06 Derek Sheets Walkertown, NC
11 54 Justin Owens Walnut Cove, NC
12 10 David Hopkins Winston-Salem, NC
13 27 Austin Cates Tobaccoville, NC
14 09 Tim Evans Clemmons, NC
Loren Pinilis
outcome of the race.
The rain fell last Saturday on lap 40 of the Hayes Jewelers 200 for the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series, which is where the competitors picked back up one week later on Saturday. The restart was delayed by several minutes due to yet another rain storm that wet the track prior to the green flag. And it seemed like more weather was on the way.
Anticipating that precipitation would end the race before the full 200 laps, frontrunners Tim Brown of Tobaccoville and Burt Myers of Walnut Cove laid it all on the line. “Our strategy was to run to halfway. We were watching the radar and it was coming,” said Myers. “I wasn’t going to wreck Tim, but I wanted to put enough pressure on him to make him make a mistake.”
Brown and Myers raced feverishly in restart after restart, with Myers nearly making the pass from the outside. As Myers began to almost clear Brown, the #83 of Brown muscled into Myers to preserve his position. Myers fell back to second but quickly rammed Brown in return, taking the lead away.
“We ran side by side there for a while - and when he finally door slammed me down there, I got a little rougher than I had been,” said Myers. “I got the lead, and then the caution came out.”
Myers and Brown were caught by surprise when no rain fell. Then the crowd was caught by surprise as Myers and Brown headed to the pits for a quick tire change on lap 159. That left slightly over 40 laps for them to fight their way up from the back.
“Burt had ran me so hard I didn’t have any tires left,” said Brown. “I knew I couldn’t win it staying out, because other cars were starting to pit. Pretty much - you have to go off what the other cars do. When the 1 [of Burt Myers] and the 4 [of Jason Myers] pitted, I had no choice. I had to pit.”
With the double-file restart, Myers and Brown quickly made their way through the field. Brown maneuvered his way up to third and was looking for an opening to power past Ronnie Clifton of Walkertown to take over second. But both collided as they battled, sending both of them spinning into the guard rail.
“I caught the 66 [of Clifton], and it looked like he was going to give me the bottom – so I cut it to the bottom,” said Brown. “I had four new tires. We were by far the fastest car on the track, and he cut down on me and wrecked both of us.”
Meanwhile at the head of the field, Brandon Ward of Winston-Salem had taken over the lead after the mass pit stop on lap 159. Ward’s tire strategy had worked out a little differently. “We had to pit early because we needed to make adjustments. So we stopped and took our tires quite a bit earlier than the rest of the leaders,” said Ward, who was worried about how his car would perform later in the race. “But really once we could get out front, the car made some really good times,” said Ward.
John Smith of Mount Airy attempted to slip by Ward with a few double-file restarts, but Ward held strong. Ward claimed the checkered for the 200-lapper – the biggest win of the season and his first ever victory at the Madhouse.
The accomplishment adds his name to the list of fabled winners at the Stadium such as Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, and Glen Wood.
“I’ve raced all over the country, and I’ve never raced in front of a crowd like this,” said Ward. “There’s a lot of history here, and that’s what makes this place so special.”
John Smith finished in second, with Joe Ryan Osborne of Kannapolis taking third. The official results are currently pending review.
In the Yates Grading & Paving Sportsman Series, Zack Clifton of Belews Creek grabbed the victory trophy, while Tommy Neal of Rural Hall came in second.
Derrick Rice of Kernersville won in the Q104.1 New Country Street Stock Series, with both A.J. Sanders of Mockville and Brandon Brendle of Winston-Salem claiming the checkered in the McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series.
Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series
Unofficial – currently pending review
Hayes Jewelers 200: 200 laps completed
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 04 Brandon Ward Winston-Salem, NC
2 53 John Smith Mount Airy, NC
3 27 Joe Ryan Osborne Kannapolis,NC
4 65 Danny Bohn Huntersville, NC
5 1 Burt Myers Walnut Cove, NC
6 40 Luke Fleming Mount Airy, NC
7 4 Jason Myers Walnut Cove, NC
8 15 Jeremy Gerstner Wesley Chapel, FL
9 5 Randy Butner Pfafftown, NC
10 12 Mike Norman Lewisville, NC
11 77 Lee Jeffreys Winston-Salem, NC
12 50 Michael Clifton Walkertown, NC
13 18 Daniel Yates Lexington, NC
14 44 Daniel Beeson Kernersville, NC
15 2 Joseph Brown Lewisville, NC
16 87 Mike Speeney King, NC
17 83 Tim Brown Tobaccoville, NC
18 66 Ronnie Clifton Walkertown, NC
19 79 David Calabrese Toms River, NJ
20 71 Dean Ward Winston-Salem, NC
21 76 Scott Gordon Lewisville, NC
22 22 Jonathan Brown Winston-Salem, NC
23 16 Chris Fleming Mount Airy, NC
24 11 Junior Miller Winston-Salem, NC
Yates Grading & Paving Sportsman Series
Sportsman Race: 40 laps
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 81 Zack Clifton Belews Creek, NC
2 21 Tommy Neal Rural Hall, NC
3 26 Michael Tilley Winston-Salem, NC
4 07 Kevin Neal Walkertown, NC
5 31 Ryan Robertson Winston-Salem, NC
6 55 Zack Ore Winston-Salem, NC
7 28 Billy Gregg Lexington, NC
8 70 Noah Triplett Lexington, NC
9 51 Rob Knabel Tobaccoville, NC
10 11 Wayne Hill Winston-Salem, NC
11 68 Robbie Brewer Winston-Salem, NC
12 4 John Holleman Winston-Salem, NC
13 7 Dylan Ward Winston-Salem, NC
14 12 Justin Taylor King, NC
15 0 Michael Adams Yadkinville, NC
16 3 Jeff Garrison Clemmons, NC
Q104.1 New Country Street Stock Series
20 laps
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 20 Derrick Rice Kernersville, NC
2 19 Tom Zachary Yadkinville, NC
3 1 Jasper Sumner Trinity, NC
4 50 Austin Edwards Winston-Salem, NC
5 58 Steven Berrier Germanton, NC
6 97 Jeremy Warren Winston-Salem, NC
7 40 Taylor Robbins Winston-Salem, NC
8 52 Fletcher Whaley Advance, NC
9 24 Chris Thomas East Bend, NC
10 0 Kirk Sheets Hornytown, NC
11 22 Brian Wall Lexington, NC
12 7 Jamie Byrd Mount Airy, NC
13 9 Darren Cotner King, NC
14 17 Jeremiah Simonis Germanton, NC
15 29 Bradley Potts Clemmons, NC
16 49 Phillip Jones Lexington, NC
17 14 Aaron Hylton Kernersville, NC
18 69 Gerald Robertson Jr Winston-Salem, NC
19 16 Brad Lewis Winston-Salem, NC
20 10 Zach Linville Kernersville, NC
21 12 Doug Wall Pfafftown, NC
22 30 Blake Shupe Mount Airy, NC
McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series
1st Stadium Stock Race: 15 laps
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 24 A.J. Sanders Mocksville, NC
2 8 Shane Southard Yadkinville, NC
3 30 Stephen Sanders Lexington, NC
4 17 Andy Southern Lexington, NC
5 48 Junior Smith Lexington, NC
6 90 Robert Strmiska Lexington, NC
7 29 Cody Arrington Mount Airy, NC
8 38 Christopher Joyce Winston-Salem, NC
9 23 Andy Spears Lexington, NC
10 62 Kevin Hedgecock Thomasville, NC
11 14 Ken Bridges King, NC
12 22 Adam Thomas Winston-Salem, NC
13 88 Ronnie Cranfill Mocksville, NC
14 71 Auston McElveen Winston-Salem, NC
McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series
2nd Stadium Stock Race: 15 laps
FINISH CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN
1 40 Brandon Brendle Winston-Salem, NC
2 81 Chuck Wall Lexington, NC
3 97 Bryan Sykes Lexington, NC
4 76 Billy Cameron Jr Salisbury, NC
5 31 Zack Staley Lexington, NC
6 02 Wesley Thompson Advance, NC
7 99 Dustin McClure Mooresville, NC
8 7 Barry Wilson Stokesdale, NC
9 83 Shane Tuttle Tobaccoville, NC
10 06 Derek Sheets Walkertown, NC
11 54 Justin Owens Walnut Cove, NC
12 10 David Hopkins Winston-Salem, NC
13 27 Austin Cates Tobaccoville, NC
14 09 Tim Evans Clemmons, NC
Loren Pinilis