Bowman Gray Racing Wrapup – Points Standings after July 13th 2019

Jonathan Brown of Winston-Salem ended a victory drought of nearly 11 months in front of a huge Ladies Night crowd and a new Modified points leader emerged on Saturday night July 13th at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Nine-time and reigning Modified champion Burt Myers of Walnut Cove started the night second in the Brad’s Golf Cars Series standings, just 10 points behind rival Tim Brown of Tobaccoville.

With double the usual NASCAR points on the line, a third place run by Myers in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 100 Modified race, coupled with a subpar eighth by Tim Brown, was enough for Myers to take the points lead for the first time this season.

Jonathan Brown’s 17th main event victory on the famed quarter-mile lifted him from fourth to second in the points, now just four points behind Myers. Ten-time champion Tim Brown fell to third in the standings, 10 behind Myers and just five points ahead of fourth-ranking James Civali of Davidson.

Lee Jeffreys led Modified qualifying trials for the second time this season and accepted a Fans Challenge promotion by the track which gave him a chance at winning an extra $3000 in prize money. Jeffreys automatically started last when the 23-car field drew for their starting positions. He needed a finish of at least fourth to collect the bonus; but came up short by finishing ninth.

Jason Myers of Walnut Cove drew the pole position and led the majority of the race’s first 41 laps. Jonathan Brown squirted through a wreck that ensnared frontrunners Jason Myers, Danny Bohn and Tim Brown at lap 42 exiting the track’s North turn.

Jonathan Brown led the rest of the way for his first victory of 2019. It was the third different Modified car he had driven at the stadium this season. He started the year with a team owned by Jones Motorsports of Statesville. Brown borrowed a car from the Kernersville shops of Melvin Swisher for a couple of weeks as he transitioned away from Jones to becoming a team owner.

“We’ve won some pretty good races over here, but I don’t think I have ever teared up until tonight,” said Brown, who grew up in the South side of the Twin City, just a few miles from Bowman Gray.

He dedicated the victory to the family of New Jersey Modified racer John Blewitt III, who died in a 2007 racing accident: “I had a hat in my car given to me by a fan. It was a hat that belonged to John Blewitt when he sat in a race car for the very last time. I feel like we just took him to victory lane again.”

Burt Myers was effusive about his performance, starting 13th and rallying to finish third: “Everybody was digging so hard. Everybody was laying on everybody, but everybody raced each other with respect. If the fans didn’t enjoy that race, they didn’t need to be here.”

Tim Brown said he was “aggravated” after the 20-point swing in the standings that leaves him off the top for the first time since May. “It’s not over, I will tell you that,” the ten-time Bowman Gray champion said defiantly.

Jonathan Brown, who won five races and barely missed the 2018 crown had a message for the rest of his competition: “I was only about 40% throttle most of the night. This car I have now is awesome. We have been through a lot this season and here we are, only four points behind Burt. The rest of them better look out because we are coming buddy.”

Dylan Ward of Winston-Salem made it four straight events with a victory at the Madhouse in the McDowell Heating and Air Sportsman division. He prevailed over division point leader Justin Taylor of King in the first of two 20-lap races. “Winning four weeks in a row over here is pretty special,” said Ward, a son of Modified racer Dean Ward. “The car is really good and I have been very lucky.”

Ross “Boo Boo” Dalton of Liberty was one of three men who were first-time Madhouse winners at the O’Reilly Ladies Night event. Dalton, a multi-time champion in Limited Late Models at Ace Speedway, won the second 20-lap Sportsman race. “I have won at a lot of places,” he said, “but my first Bowman Gray victory is one I am definitely going to remember.”

Tommy Neal of Walkertown finished fourth and second in the two Sportsman races and unofficially set a record with his 470th start in the division. Jimmy Johnson of Walkertown, a 98-time Sportsman winner, retired with 469 starts according to independent research.

Street Stock rookie Corey Rose of Trinity also put his name in the history books, winning at Bowman Gray for the first time in a race trimmed to 19 laps because of a time limit.

Joel Stewart of Mocksville got his first Bowman Gray victory in a 15-lap Stadium Stock race for drivers not in the top echelon of the standings.

The Stadium Stock championship race continued to be a thriller as Brandon Brendle of Winston-Salem won the for the second time of the 2019 season. Title contenders AJ Sanders, Grayson Keaton and Chuck Wall finished second through fourth in that order.

A “Night of Destruction” sponsored by Truliant Federal Credit Union is next on the Bowman Gray calendar on Saturday night, July 20. A demolition derby wrecking contest and Monster Truck car-crushing exhibition are the added attractions to double-headers for the Modified and Sportsman classes.

Be sure to keep up on the latest in area stock car racing by listening to the Triad Racing Podcast hosted by Randy Pettitt, the lead announcer at Bowman Gray Stadium and Ace Speedway. Triad Racing Podcast is now available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocketcasts and more.

2019 RACE RESULTS – July 13

• MODIFIED:     Jonathan Brown
• SPORTSMAN:     Dylan Ward
• SPORTSMAN:     Ross Dalton
• STREET STOCK:     Corey Rose
• STADIUM STOCK:     Brandon Brendle
• STADIUM STOCK:     Joel Stewart

2019 POINTS STANDINGS going into ​​July ​20

BRAD’S GOLF CARS MODIFIED SERIES

MCDOWELL HEATING & AIR SPORTSMAN SERIES

LAW OFFICES OF JOHN BARROW STREET STOCK SERIES

Q104.1 STADIUM STOCK SERIES