by Skip Wall
Dale Pinilis of Bowman Gray Stadium put it best this past weekend when he said Bowman Gray was still the most exciting of them all.
But what Dale Pinilis didn’t know was that it was fixing to be even better as the fourth week of controversy continued at the famed ¼ mile track in Winston Salem NC.

The tracks all time winner, six time stadium champion and one of the most popular drivers, Jr. Miller, was suspended by John Horton, NASCAR Modified race director at Bowman Gray.

Miller will have to serve a one race suspension due to his actions this past weekend in the Whelen 100 in the featured modified race.

The altercation started after a lap 66 caution when Miller elected to option a new double file restart rule in the 100 lap event and start second to leader Bobby Hutchens.

Hutchens would still lead the event with Miller now trying to nudge or root Hutchens out of the lead a typical move at the stadium.

However, Miller would jump the start and take the lead from Hutchens after a lap 77 caution. Hutchens would then bang on Millers loose race car, finally causing Miller to spin with less than 10 laps to go.

An angry Miller then waited on Hutchens as the field took the green and took out Hutchens in a blatant move in turn four, costing Hutchens a second victory of the year.

“I've run with Jr. for over 20 years and never turned him around” said a dejected Hutchens after the race. “Everybody knows I don't drive that way.”

“I'm disappointed and hated I lost the race but I just got under him and he came across and clipped me and knocked the steering wheel out of my hand and he went around” he said referring to the first altercation before Miller waited on him.

Miller immediately left the track after the race for the third week in a row. Crew members cited that Miller had to attend a birthday party.

Hutchens on the other hand, after cooling off, went over and congratulated eventual winner, 63 year old Robert Jeffreys.

Moreover, Hutchens was also upset with NASCAR’s handling of the caution period in which he said they didn’t do nothing when Miller clipped Hutchens car during the caution period.

“I blame the racetrack for me losing the race more than losing to ignorance. There was no sense in leaving him (Miller) out there when he was mad and trying to run over me on the backstretch during that caution. It knocked the toe-end off the car.”

The late race retaliatory move by Miller was very obvious and blatant, which more or less forced Horton to make the call of a one week suspension on Miller, a crowd favorite.

This isn't the first suspension on the Miller team this season. At an earlier NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour race at ACE Speedway, officials found the Miller car with illegal heads in his racer.

The No. 69 car driven by Miller was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules – cylinder heads and intake manifold); and 12-4-R (any Member failing to surrender to NASCAR any car, car part, component, and/or equipment found during an inspection that does not meet applicable NASCAR specifications) of the 2008 NASCAR rule book.

As a result of that incident, crew chief Chad Freeman, was fined $1,000, suspended from the next four NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour events, suspended from NASCAR until Sept. 4, and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Whether you love or hate Jr. Miller, he is still a crowd pleaser with his aggressive driving style. Fans and officials know that Miller will be back, just as Burt Myers and Tim Brown, other drivers who have faced controversy at the famed historic track. As Myers puts it “Its just the way it is at the stadium.”

And that’s why they still say that Bowman Gray Stadium is still the most exciting of them all.

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