RGeeProductions
07-13-2016, 10:34 PM
There were some very good reasons why last event’s Modified race was a tense nail-biter...9,000 reasons, to be exact.
With the Fans’ Challenge award going unclaimed in the first two 100-lappers this season, the prize pool entering last event had built up to a massive $9,000. “It’s major. That’s more than 90% of the teams get for a
sponsorship for the year,” said Burt Myers.
The top four qualifiers from each 100-lapper are given the choice of randomly drawing for starting position with the rest of the field or electing to take the challenge and start in the rear. If a competitor starts in
the rear and then climbs to a top-four finish, the prize pool is theirs.
Tim Brown of Tobaccoville, John Smith of Mount Airy, Lee Jeffreys of Winston-Salem, and Burt Myers of Walnut Cove were the four fastest. Brown and Myers were tempted by the opportunity - but with last event
awarding double points, they opted to not head to the rear.
“My sponsor told me we’re never taking this challenge,” said Brown. “We come over here to win, and it’s a lot of money – so it’s hard not to.”
Myers was torn but went with his intuition. “It’s just a gut decision. Some of my guys are saying to go, some of them are saying not to. You just weigh the options,” said Myers. “My wife came down, we talked about
it for a little bit, and she said you better ask God to give you an answer real quick.”
“You’re a hero or a zero. If you go for it and make it, they say that you’re the greatest thing walking,” said Myers. “If you go for it and don’t make it, they say, ‘Oh that was stupid – why’d you throw away the points?’
The bottom line is I value the opinion of my crew, I value the opinion of my sponsors, and I value the opinion of the fans - but ultimately at the end of the day, it’s mine and my wife’s decision and whatever God
puts in my heart to give me that gut decision to make that final yes or no.”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to do with the money. It has to do with the fact that if I say no and then draw in the back and then make it to the top four, you feel like you gave the money away,” said Myers – who
ended up having to deal with that regret.
“Hindsight’s 20/20. If I knew what I know now, I probably could have taken the challenge,” said Myers after the race, pointing out how he didn’t expect as many cautions and opportunities to pass. “I probably could
have taken the challenge and been all right, but you never know. It depends on which lane you pick. I picked the wrong lane once, and it cost me two spots. And I ended up making them up on another one.”
John Smith and Lee Jeffreys elected to take the challenge and start in the rear. Both had a roller coaster ride of a race as they fought forward. Smith finished seventh, but the fans erupted in cheering as Jeffreys was
able to pull off a fourth place finish to grab the $9,000.
“We got a good start in the race, gained several positions and then we got in that wreck. So we lost back, and I thought right then that we were going to be doomed,” said Jeffreys. “But then we just kept chipping
away and chipping away.”
“We’ve been struggling this year with a few things on the car. We lost a little side bite tonight,” said Jeffreys. “The money’s great, but we’d like to win. So we’re going to take that money and see if we can’t help win
some now.”
The accomplishment was timely for Jeffreys as he and his family and crew have struggled with the declining health of his father, former Modified Champion Robert Jeffreys. “This is the best medicine of all for him.
You can see his face light up when we start running well,” said Lee Jeffreys about his father. “We had a good car tonight – a good top-five car. We just ended up getting lucky into a fourth place finish. Any medicine
like that is good for him. The man above is looking out for him and us on the race team, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Although he didn’t grab the $9,000, Burt Myers did grab another second place finish to maintain his points lead. Tim Brown stays in second, with Jason Myers of Walnut Cove dropping down to fourth.
In the Yates Grading & Paving Sportsman Series, Zack Clifton of Walnut Cove grabbed more points than any other Sportsman competitor to pad his points lead. Derrick Rice still leads in the Q104.1 New Country
Street Stock Series. A.J. Sanders flew through the field to now tie Billy Cameron, Jr. for the points lead in the McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series.
This Saturday night is the night you’ve been waiting for – it’s the annual Great Clips Night of Destruction. The adrenaline will be pumping during the Monster Truck Car Crushing Exhibition, and the night ends
with the crashing thrills of the 109 U-Pull-It Demoltion Derby. Plus there will be racing as always for the Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stock, and Stadium Stock Divisions.
Gates open at 6:00 for practice, and the first race begins at 8:00 PM – this Saturday night. Ticket prices, directions, and more information can be found online at www.bowmangrayracing.com or by calling (336)
723-1819.
Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series Current Points Standings
RANK CAR DRIVER POINTS GAINED
LAST EVENT
1 1 Burt Myers 425 96
2 83 Tim Brown 382 92
3 77 Lee Jeffreys 372 88
4 4 Jason Myers 370 80
5 53 John Smith 348 76
6 04 Brandon Ward 320 72
7 5 Randy Butner 291 56
8 50 Michael Clifton 250 68
66 Ronnie Clifton 250 48
10 18 Daniel Yates 225 52
11 27 Joe Ryan Osborne 214 0
12 16 Chris Fleming 198 84
87 Mike Speeney 198 0
14 2 Joseph Brown 180 0
15 71 Dean Ward 165 0
Yates Grading & Paving Sportsman Series Current Points Standings
RANK CAR DRIVER POINTS GAINED
LAST EVENT
1 81 Zack Clifton 434 88
2 21 Tommy Neal 427 84
3 4 John Holleman 394 84
4 07 Kevin Neal 391 86
5 0 Michael Adams 381 82
6 68 Robbie Brewer 376 86
7 26 Michael Tilley 371 68
8 7 Dylan Ward 363 80
9 3 Jeff Garrison 311 60
10 55 Zack Ore 310 72
11 28 Billy Gregg 308 54
12 70 Noah Triplett 185 0
13 12 Justin Taylor 153 0
14 31 Mike Robertson 152 0
15 86 Taylor Branch 140 60
Q104.1 New Country Street Stock Series Current Points Standings
RANK CAR DRIVER POINTS GAINED
LAST EVENT
1 20 Derrick Rice 412 92
2 22 Brian Wall 370 100
3 50 Austin Edwards 362 80
4 30 Blake Shupe 350 96
5 19 Tom Zachary 318 44
6 40 Taylor Robbins 306 84
7 97 Jeremy Warren 274 68
8 0 Kirk Sheets 270 64
9 14 Aaron Hylton 248 48
52 Fletcher Whaley 248 88
11 1 Jasper Sumner 242 56
12 7 Jamie Byrd 238 0
13 13 Kevin Gilbert 230 60
69 Gerald Robinson Jr 230 52
15 10 Zach Linville 218 76
McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series Current Points Standings
RANK CAR DRIVER POINTS GAINED
LAST EVENT
1 24 A.J. Sanders 408 96
76 Billy Cameron Jr 408 88
3 97 Bryan Sykes 394 100
4 8 Shane Southard 360 80
5 30 Stephen Sanders 344 92
6 62 Kevin Hedgecock 336 68
7 06 Derek Sheets 316 76
8 10 David Hopkins 300 64
9 02 Wesley Thompson 272 8
10 83 Shane Tuttle 262 60
11 09 Tim Evans 260 40
12 81 Chuck Wall 256 0
13 40 Brandon Brendle 248 0
14 38 Christian Joyce 242 16
71 Auston McElveen 242 0
Loren Pinilis
With the Fans’ Challenge award going unclaimed in the first two 100-lappers this season, the prize pool entering last event had built up to a massive $9,000. “It’s major. That’s more than 90% of the teams get for a
sponsorship for the year,” said Burt Myers.
The top four qualifiers from each 100-lapper are given the choice of randomly drawing for starting position with the rest of the field or electing to take the challenge and start in the rear. If a competitor starts in
the rear and then climbs to a top-four finish, the prize pool is theirs.
Tim Brown of Tobaccoville, John Smith of Mount Airy, Lee Jeffreys of Winston-Salem, and Burt Myers of Walnut Cove were the four fastest. Brown and Myers were tempted by the opportunity - but with last event
awarding double points, they opted to not head to the rear.
“My sponsor told me we’re never taking this challenge,” said Brown. “We come over here to win, and it’s a lot of money – so it’s hard not to.”
Myers was torn but went with his intuition. “It’s just a gut decision. Some of my guys are saying to go, some of them are saying not to. You just weigh the options,” said Myers. “My wife came down, we talked about
it for a little bit, and she said you better ask God to give you an answer real quick.”
“You’re a hero or a zero. If you go for it and make it, they say that you’re the greatest thing walking,” said Myers. “If you go for it and don’t make it, they say, ‘Oh that was stupid – why’d you throw away the points?’
The bottom line is I value the opinion of my crew, I value the opinion of my sponsors, and I value the opinion of the fans - but ultimately at the end of the day, it’s mine and my wife’s decision and whatever God
puts in my heart to give me that gut decision to make that final yes or no.”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to do with the money. It has to do with the fact that if I say no and then draw in the back and then make it to the top four, you feel like you gave the money away,” said Myers – who
ended up having to deal with that regret.
“Hindsight’s 20/20. If I knew what I know now, I probably could have taken the challenge,” said Myers after the race, pointing out how he didn’t expect as many cautions and opportunities to pass. “I probably could
have taken the challenge and been all right, but you never know. It depends on which lane you pick. I picked the wrong lane once, and it cost me two spots. And I ended up making them up on another one.”
John Smith and Lee Jeffreys elected to take the challenge and start in the rear. Both had a roller coaster ride of a race as they fought forward. Smith finished seventh, but the fans erupted in cheering as Jeffreys was
able to pull off a fourth place finish to grab the $9,000.
“We got a good start in the race, gained several positions and then we got in that wreck. So we lost back, and I thought right then that we were going to be doomed,” said Jeffreys. “But then we just kept chipping
away and chipping away.”
“We’ve been struggling this year with a few things on the car. We lost a little side bite tonight,” said Jeffreys. “The money’s great, but we’d like to win. So we’re going to take that money and see if we can’t help win
some now.”
The accomplishment was timely for Jeffreys as he and his family and crew have struggled with the declining health of his father, former Modified Champion Robert Jeffreys. “This is the best medicine of all for him.
You can see his face light up when we start running well,” said Lee Jeffreys about his father. “We had a good car tonight – a good top-five car. We just ended up getting lucky into a fourth place finish. Any medicine
like that is good for him. The man above is looking out for him and us on the race team, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Although he didn’t grab the $9,000, Burt Myers did grab another second place finish to maintain his points lead. Tim Brown stays in second, with Jason Myers of Walnut Cove dropping down to fourth.
In the Yates Grading & Paving Sportsman Series, Zack Clifton of Walnut Cove grabbed more points than any other Sportsman competitor to pad his points lead. Derrick Rice still leads in the Q104.1 New Country
Street Stock Series. A.J. Sanders flew through the field to now tie Billy Cameron, Jr. for the points lead in the McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series.
This Saturday night is the night you’ve been waiting for – it’s the annual Great Clips Night of Destruction. The adrenaline will be pumping during the Monster Truck Car Crushing Exhibition, and the night ends
with the crashing thrills of the 109 U-Pull-It Demoltion Derby. Plus there will be racing as always for the Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stock, and Stadium Stock Divisions.
Gates open at 6:00 for practice, and the first race begins at 8:00 PM – this Saturday night. Ticket prices, directions, and more information can be found online at www.bowmangrayracing.com or by calling (336)
723-1819.
Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series Current Points Standings
RANK CAR DRIVER POINTS GAINED
LAST EVENT
1 1 Burt Myers 425 96
2 83 Tim Brown 382 92
3 77 Lee Jeffreys 372 88
4 4 Jason Myers 370 80
5 53 John Smith 348 76
6 04 Brandon Ward 320 72
7 5 Randy Butner 291 56
8 50 Michael Clifton 250 68
66 Ronnie Clifton 250 48
10 18 Daniel Yates 225 52
11 27 Joe Ryan Osborne 214 0
12 16 Chris Fleming 198 84
87 Mike Speeney 198 0
14 2 Joseph Brown 180 0
15 71 Dean Ward 165 0
Yates Grading & Paving Sportsman Series Current Points Standings
RANK CAR DRIVER POINTS GAINED
LAST EVENT
1 81 Zack Clifton 434 88
2 21 Tommy Neal 427 84
3 4 John Holleman 394 84
4 07 Kevin Neal 391 86
5 0 Michael Adams 381 82
6 68 Robbie Brewer 376 86
7 26 Michael Tilley 371 68
8 7 Dylan Ward 363 80
9 3 Jeff Garrison 311 60
10 55 Zack Ore 310 72
11 28 Billy Gregg 308 54
12 70 Noah Triplett 185 0
13 12 Justin Taylor 153 0
14 31 Mike Robertson 152 0
15 86 Taylor Branch 140 60
Q104.1 New Country Street Stock Series Current Points Standings
RANK CAR DRIVER POINTS GAINED
LAST EVENT
1 20 Derrick Rice 412 92
2 22 Brian Wall 370 100
3 50 Austin Edwards 362 80
4 30 Blake Shupe 350 96
5 19 Tom Zachary 318 44
6 40 Taylor Robbins 306 84
7 97 Jeremy Warren 274 68
8 0 Kirk Sheets 270 64
9 14 Aaron Hylton 248 48
52 Fletcher Whaley 248 88
11 1 Jasper Sumner 242 56
12 7 Jamie Byrd 238 0
13 13 Kevin Gilbert 230 60
69 Gerald Robinson Jr 230 52
15 10 Zach Linville 218 76
McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series Current Points Standings
RANK CAR DRIVER POINTS GAINED
LAST EVENT
1 24 A.J. Sanders 408 96
76 Billy Cameron Jr 408 88
3 97 Bryan Sykes 394 100
4 8 Shane Southard 360 80
5 30 Stephen Sanders 344 92
6 62 Kevin Hedgecock 336 68
7 06 Derek Sheets 316 76
8 10 David Hopkins 300 64
9 02 Wesley Thompson 272 8
10 83 Shane Tuttle 262 60
11 09 Tim Evans 260 40
12 81 Chuck Wall 256 0
13 40 Brandon Brendle 248 0
14 38 Christian Joyce 242 16
71 Auston McElveen 242 0
Loren Pinilis