Opening night of Bowman Gray racing kicked off this weekend and it was action packed with no disappointments. Qualifying was held on Friday evening for the Hayes Jewelers 200. Chase Robertson would snag the Sportsman pole, and Burt Myers would grab the pole for Modified.
Sportsman would kick the night off in front of a sold out crowd of 17,000 plus. Kirk Sheets led the charge after the full field redraw. While pole winner Chase Robertson would draw 14th. Sterling Plemmons quickly took the lead until Zack Ore would get by Plemmons on lap 18 and led until a caution on lap 25. Then on the double-file restart, Neal would go to the outside against Ore on the front row. Neal would take the lead on lap 29 and hold the lead until a last lap pass by the defending champion Chase Robertson for a photo finish at the line.
“On that last lap, I feel like he would’ve done the same thing to me,” Robertson said. “I just moved him. I didn’t wreck him or anything, so it’s just a pleasure to be in victory lane again.”
For the second year in a row Robertson would grab the win and head to prom after collecting the trophy.
Tommy Neal finished runner-up, followed by Zack Ore, Michael Adams and Plemmons.
After sitting on the pole after an impressive qualifying session, Burt Myers would lead wire-to-wire holding off Timmy Brown. Myers would over come the raft of Brandon Ward, Danny Bohn and then Tim Brown. He overcame a handful of cautions to go on and pick up his 11th Hayes Jewelers 200 and 92nd of his career.
Chris Fleming was third, Jordan was fourth, and Brandon Ward, last year’s champion was fifth.
Next up would be the first Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series 15-lap race. Chris “Pintang” Allison would lead from the start, until Charlie Curry, 1996 Stadium Stock champion in his return to the Madhouse for the first time in years, would take the lead. Curry would hold the lead up until A.J. Sanders would get by and go on to win. Chuck Wall finished runner up, followed by Charlie Curry, Chris Allison and Tyler McDonald.
The second of the two Stadium Stock races would be up next as Brandon Crotts would pull off his first win in his 15 years of racing at Bowman Gray. Holding off Connor Keaton finished runner up, followed by Austin Long and Matt Alley.
“It’s been a long time,” Crotts said. “I’ve been coming out here 15 years and this is the first one.”
Closing out the night would be the QRC HVAC & Refrigeration Street Stock Series, Christian Joyce would continue where he left off last year after winning the championship to kicking the season off with winning the season opening race. Overcoming four cautions to win the race.
Nick Wall finished runner up, followed by Evan Ingleston, Brad Lewis, and Austin Jones.
“This is the last race I haven’t won in this division,” Joyce said. “So, I really wanted it.”
“Dylan Ward (who works on Joyce’s car), he is the man,” Joyce said. “He gave me a hot rod.”
Next week, the night is highlighted by twin 25-lap races in the Brad’s Golf Car’s Modified Series. In addition, there will be twin 20-lap races in the Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series.
With both the Modified and Sportsman Series next week there will be a “Madhouse Scramble” where the winner of the first race in each series will pull a number – 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16. The number that is pulled will invert the field for the second race.
In addition to the twin 25-lap races in the Modified Series and the twin 20-lap Sportsman Series, there will be a 20-lap race in the QRC HVAC & Refrigeration Street Stock Series, and there will be one or two 15-lap races in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series.
The final event of the night next week will be the wild Midway Mobile Storage Chain Race where teams of two cars are chained together.
Saturday’s Results
RACE RESULTS: April 20
BRAD’S GOLF CARS MODIFIED SERIES Hayes Jewelers 200
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