| Brown On Top of Ladder at Bowman Gray – But How Long? |
Tucson 100 this Saturday Set to Shake Things Up.
 (Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem, NC) Tim Brown is looking to continue his streak. Out of six qualifying attempts, he’s been the fastest each time. Out of the last two weeks, he’s won twice.
“The momentum is our way right now. The car’s hooked up, the motor’s running strong, and the guys are working well together,” said Brown, a resident of Cana, Va. With his last two victories coming in 25-lap races, Brown is a fan of the short, intense events at the Stadium. “I just like them because you’re up on the wheel the whole time, and you’re bringing everything you’ve got for 25 laps,” said Brown, whose victory in the first Modified race on Saturday kept him in the points lead for the Farm Bureau Insurance Modified Series.
But this coming Saturday brings the Tucson 100, a race that may knock Brown off the top of the points ladder. At Bowman Gray Stadium, the lineups for the 100-lap Modified races are determined by random draw. The faster competitors will be scattered throughout the field and will have to battle their way to the front.
To add to the mix, the 100-lap races also now utilize a new double-file “choice” restart rule. Racers will line up double-file after a caution, but each individual driver chooses whether he will take the inside or the outside lane.
Some love it. Some hate it. Tim Brown is not shy about saying that he hates it.
But Junior Miller of Danbury, who holds the record for the all-time most feature victories at Bowman Gray Stadium, loves the 100-lappers. “The double-file restart rule is the best thing that Bowman Gray has done,” said Miller. “You can go the outside and race. I want to race people. A lot of people whine about it – but I say that if you don’t want to race, you should just stay home.”
Bobby Hutchens of Lexington, who won the last 100-lapper, respects the new elements of strategy that the double-file restart rule adds. “That’s the hardest race I ever ran in my life,” said Hutchens about the last 100-lap race. “It was kind of like playing poker. You had to figure out who was around you, who was in front of you, who was beside you, what lap you were on – I chose the inside sometimes and the outside sometimes depending on what was going on around me.”
Brown will have plenty of people trying to take his place as the points leader. Right behind Brown in the points standings is Burt Myers of Walnut Cove. Myers gained ground on Brown in the last event and is surely looking to bridge the gap even further in the Tucson 100. Bobby Hutchens is only a few points behind Myers in third.
In the Webb Heating & A/C Co. Sportsman Series, Kenny Bost of Kernersville moves into the points lead by racking up two second-place finishes on Saturday. Ronnie Clifton of Walkertown finished 11th and 3rd, dropping him to second in the points.
Ryan Nelson of Winston-Salem had a disappointing night on Saturday. He finished 15th in the 20-lapper for the 104.1 WTQR Street Stock Series. Nelson stays in the points lead – but just barely. Kernersville resident Tim Vaden’s fourth place finish moves him up to only two points behind Nelson.
In the Time Warner Cable Stadium Stock Series, Jimmy Absher of Rural Hall and Matt Hill of Yadkinville entered last event tied for the points lead. Absher’s third place finish breaks the tie and moves him up to the top spot on the points ladder. Hill is now second in the points.
This Saturday night is the Tucson 100, the third 100-lapper of 2008. It will be Tucson One Dollar Ladies’ Night, where all female fans get in for just one dollar to see the action. There will also be racing for the Sportsman, Street Stock, and Stadium Stock Divisions – and the night will end with a 109 U-Pull-It Demolition Derby. Ticket gates open at 6 PM for practice runs, qualifying is at 7:10 PM, and the first race is at 8:00 PM this Saturday night. For directions, schedules, and other information, log on to www.bowmangrayracing.com.
2008 Current Points Standings
Farm Bureau Insurance Modified Series
Rank Car # Driver Points Gained Last Event Rank Change
1 83 Tim Brown 301 39 0
2 1 Burt Myers 287 41 0
3 14 Bobby Hutchens 281 35 -1
4 77 Lee Jeffreys 276 34 0
5 4 Jason Myers 248 34 0
6 81 Brian Pack 240 36 0
7 5 Randy Butner 238 36 0
8 50 Michael Clifton 224 38 +1
9 40 Brad Robbins 223 39 +1
10 75 Robert Jeffreys 211 37 +1
11 70 Al Hill 205 37 +1
12 47 Andrew Durham 190 0 -4
13 20 Jeremy Stoltz 164 38 +2
14 49 Scott Rigney 138 0 -1
15 72 Brent Elliott 137 37 +1
Webb Heating & A/C Co. Sportsman Series
Rank Car # Driver Points Gained Last Event Rank Change
1 18 Kenny Bost 333 48 +1
2 66 Ronnie Clifton 324 38 -1
3 9 David Adams 314 31 0
4 05 Kyle Edwards 303 44 +1
5 30 Mike Evans 292 45 +1
6 02 Derek Stoltz 279 9 -2
7 26 Jim Shoaf 273 31 0
8 21 Tommy Neal 268 30 0
9 68 Robbie Brewer 248 25 0
10 1 Gene Pack 215 25 +1
11 79 Steven Berrier 214 2 -1
12 50 Barry Edwards 201 35 +2
13 7 Ronnie Barron 199 17 -1
14 77 Keith McMichael 188 30 +1
15 23 Scott Hall 174 0 -2
104.1 WTQR Street Stock Series
Rank Car # Driver Points Gained Last Event Rank Change
1 31 Ryan Nelson 308 22 0
2 18 Tim Vaden 306 44 0
3 1 David Sumner 290 46 0
4 12 Doug Wall 284 42 0
5 27 Matt Cotner 270 38 0
6 25 Johnny Arnder 264 40 0
7 60 Ethan Stoltz 244 50 0
8 99 John McNeal 226 48 +2
9 8 K.J. Stimpson 208 24 0
10 04 Reggie Doub 206 32 +1
11 69 Joseph Brown 204 18 -3
12 00 Donnie Martin 196 30 0
13 74 Leon Hutchens 178 20 0
14 13 Kevin Gilbert 170 36 +1
11 Richard Reeves 170 28 0
Time Warner Cable Stadium Stock Series
Rank Car # Driver Points Gained Last Event Rank Change
1 39 Jimmy Absher 298 46 0
2 98 Matt Hill 288 36 -1
3 11 Wayne Hill 282 38 0
4 56 Johnny Burke 272 44 +1
5 01 Jason Keaton 270 48 +2
6 21 Kevin L. Neal 264 30 -2
7 99 Shaun Cockerham 252 26 -1
8 22 Dale Barneycastle 250 50 +2
9 23 Kenny Dixon 226 4 -2
10 68 Glenn Hamilton 222 2 -1
11 72 Gerald Robertson 218 34 +2
12 64 Steven Truell 210 14 -1
13 33 Gary Brewer 204 32 +5
14 18 Travis Brewer 196 0 -3
83 A.J. Quakenbush 196 18 +2
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Legendary Bowman Gray Stadium is NASCAR’s longest running weekly race track. Known as “The Home of the Hot Modifieds,” Bowman Gray continues its 60 year tradition of providing exciting racing action at family friendly prices.
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