Ladies and Gentlemen if you wanted action, week eight certainly was action packed from morning practice til the last checkered flag fell. In practice Justin Taylor and Billy Gregg would have a little run in. The night began for the 11,000 fans in attendance at Bowman Gray Stadium. As fans witnessed a first time winner in the first race and ended the night seeing a first time winner, but in between you could say there was a lot of “hurt feelings and headaches”.
Week eight began with 20 laps for Street Stock.
Austin Jones was able to capitalize after starting eighth, working his way up through the field to get the lead.
Jones took over the lead from Craig Hartless on lap two, as the last restart began Jones got a big lead on Brad Lewis to pull away and grab his first career win! He held off Brad Lewis for the win. Chase Lewis finished third, Cale Martin was fourth, and Christian Joyce was fifth.
A little back story on the young Austin Jones, as he is the grandson of Bowman Gray legend Peewee Jones.
“I wish he was here,” Austin said afterwards about his grandfather who had 28 wins to rank 16th in stadium history. “I’ve been so close before so to get that first win is just amazing. This is an unreal feeling because I never knew what it would feel like but now I do.”
“I’ve dreamed of this my whole life,” Jones said. “This is freakin’ unreal. Man, I can’t thank everybody enough for this.”
Next up on schedule would be the first of two modified races.
Jason Myers would dominate the night as he sat on the pole with the best time in qualifying 13.1, then once the race got going Myers went on for a dominating performance in the first Modified race, he would lead flag to flag to go pick the win. But then would be disqualified because he failed the tire inspection.
With Myers getting disqualified it was Tim Brown, who finished second, would be given the victory and that would mark his 98th career win and fourth of the season.
Had Myers win counted it would have been his 39th career win which would have broken a tie for ninth place with his father, Gary Myers for most wins in the Modified Series. It would have also been Myers second win of the season, the first of which came May 13.
Daniel Beeson finished second, Jeffreys was third, Brandon Ward was fourth, and Chris Fleming was fifth.
Time for the nights main event, as it was the Market USA Sportsman 100 for the McDowell Heating & Air Sportsman Series.
Michael Adams would originally win the pole but after the redraw he would start fourth. Tommy Neal grabbed an early lead but had a slight engine problem that led him to go the pits after the second caution flag. Robertson also pitted early giving Adams the lead on lap 27.
Adams would go on to lead the remainder of the race until lap 102. While racing back to the checkered, going in turn two Zack Ore would get into the back of Michael Adams causing him to go around.
Ore would then go on to win the 13th time in his career in the Sportsman Series. And first Sportsman 100.
Ore would edge out runner-up Chase Robertson.
“It means a ton (to win),” Ore said. “I’m trying to win races in the 100-lapper for years now. I’ve come to almost the checkered and spun out into (turn) three. And finally got it done. This is awesome.”
Justin Taylor was third, Connor Branch was fourth, and Riley Neal was fifth. Adams would finish 12th.
While post race comments between the two were very interesting.
“Well, I had to work my way up through the field,” Ore said. “We started back around fifth. We started back second (on the restart), so I stayed on the inside, bide my time, bide my time until the end. And then on the green-white checkered, I went in the corner. I didn’t mean to spin him, but I’ve never won a 100-lapper. I did what I had to win it.”
“Chicken (bleep) move,” Adams said. “It’s the only way he was going to pass us was drive through us and that’s what he did. Man, if he wants to celebrate a win like that, let the (bleep) go ahead and celebrate.”
“I didn’t intentionally try to spin him,” Ore said. “I was going to give him a shove to try to get him out of the groove, and when I tried to get up under him, I knew he was going to chop me off to try to take the position. And I was afraid he was going to wreck both of us, but there again no intentions, no foul intentions at all – but unfortunately it played out like that.
The 100-lap Sportsman race is one of the longest races in that series during the season. There is one more 100-lap Sportsman race scheduled in 2023.
Runner up Chase Robertson had an outstanding race despite a hard cast on his left hand after suffering a broken thumb last week.
“It feels OK,” Robertson said about his broken thumb. “I just tried to stay with it all night.”
After all the Sportsman drama there was more racing as the second Modified race of the night was up.
The former college baseball player Junior Snow started third in the second 25 lap Modified race,
Snow would let the laps whine down til he would make his move to get by for the win. This would be his first of the season and second of his career in the Modified Series.
Mike Speeney finished runner-up. Burt Myers finished third, followed by Fleming fourth and Beeson fifth.
“We showed up this morning and we were a little off,” Snow said. “And we worked hard on the car and got it to where it was, where it was good enough for a win tonight.”
“I want to thank Mike running me clean,” Snow said. “Me and him, every time we run around each other we run each other clean.”
Finally it would be time for some Stadium Stock racing as there would be two races ran.
For the first Stadium Stock race, A.J. Sanders would continue his winning ways by winning the first 15-lap race in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series. Holding off Blaine Curry who would finish runner up, followed by Chuck Wall third, Brandon Brendle fourth , and Isaac Harris fifth.
Sanders, who opened the night with a six-point lead for first place over Brandon Brendle, picked up his second win of the season.
“I’m going to tell you what, he drove me as hard as he could but as clean as he could,” Sanders said of Curry. “I will remember if I’m behind him. Blaine’s a good race car driver.”
In the second 15-lap Stadium Stock race, young Connor Keaton would join his father Jason Keaton and brother Grayson Keaton as a winner of Bowman Gray as he would pick up his first career win after navigating a field that had four caution flags.
“We’ve worked pretty hard on this car the last few weeks. This past week, we kind of threw the kitchen sink at it,” Keaton said. “…I’ve got a feeling we’re going to have something for the ‘A’ race in a couple weeks. But I can’t thank all my guys enough my dad, my brother for all the hard work they did.”
Andy Southern finished runner-up, followed by James Allison, Matt Goodwin, and Joel Stewart.
RACE RESULTS: June 24
BRAD’S GOLF CARS MODIFIED SERIES Race One
FINISH
CAR
DRIVER
1
83
Tim Brown
2
44
Daniel Beeson
3
75
Lee Jeffreys
4
04
Brandon Ward
5
16
Chris Fleming
6
69
John Holleman IV
7
1
Burt Myers
8
5
Randy Butner
9
10
Dan Speeney
10
37
Mike Speeney
11
91
Junior Snow
12
9
Kyle Southern
13
3
Danny Propst
14
72
Bryant Robertson
15
99
William Smith
16
77
Susan Harwell
17
39
Gerald Robinson Jr.
18
88
Ethan Stoltz
19
89
Eddie Collins
20
6
Luke Smith
21
14
Cory Lovette
22
35
Brandon Butner
BRAD’S GOLF CARS MODIFIED SERIES Race Two
FINISH
CAR
DRIVER
1
91
Junior Snow
2
37
Mike Speeney
3
1
Burt Myers
4
16
Chris Fleming
5
44
Daniel Beeson
6
69
John Holleman IV
7
75
Lee Jeffreys
8
4
Jason Myers
9
83
Tim Brown
10
04
Brandon Ward
11
5
Randy Butner
12
9
Kyle Southern
13
3
Danny Propst
14
72
Bryant Robertson
15
99
William Smith
16
88
Ethan Stoltz
17
77
Susan Harwell
18
10
Dan Speeney
19
35
Brandon Butner
20
14
Cory Lovette
21
6
Luke Smith
MCDOWELL HEATING & AIR SPORTSMAN SERIES Market USA Sportsman 100
