Story by: Corey Latham ~ [email protected]

Winston-Salem, NC(June 10, 2011) — While the NASCAR K&N East series were the “Feature” event of the night last Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium, it was the weekly modifieds that once again had the stands packed. With the carnage that the K&N race brought, some were thinking that the mod race would be wild also. While it wasn’t anything close to the chaos that the big cars had offered earlier, it was not without controversy as Chris Fleming picked up his first win of the season in a hard fought 100 lap event.

Burt Myers would set fast time but the whole field redraws no matter what, something not seen at any other track in the country. This would put Myers deep in the pack with his draw and he would not be a factor until the very end. Fleming would draw the pole with the 1994 and 95′ mod champ Robert Jeffreys to his outside. Fleming would win the drag race into turn one to lead early but would be challenged by Jeffreys lap after lap until the first caution for a spinning Steven Truell on lap 10. Truell had his throttle stick in practice and hit the wall hard forcing the team to make furious repairs, he drove the majority of the race with brakes only on his left front.

The restart would be a heck of a show as Fleming would jump out with Tim Brown electing to take the cone to the outside, he and Jeffreys put on a show for many laps before Jeffreys finally slips back into second with JonBoy Brown forcing his way inside of Tim Brown to take over third on lap 19.

After a few more cone restarts JonBoy Brown is finally able to wrestle the lead away from Fleming on the outside as they race hard for many laps, Fleming gets loose off turn two on lap 34 and that was all JonBoy Brown needed to slip in front. Behind them it looked like the typical Bowman Gray long-distance race, cars still racing but nobody forcing an issue as they wait till about 40-30 laps to go to turn it up a a few notches.

JonBoy is looking like he is in good shape with a huge 15 car lead on Fleming who has pressure from Tim Brown for second with 27 laps to go when he approaches the lapped car of Mike Norman. JonBoy attempts to pass Norman as he was the slowest car on the track when Norman decides to race him like it was the last lap for the win. This allows Fleming to close up quickly and brings the crowd to their feet, what they thought was a runaway has just turned into a race again.

Lap 79 comes and JonBoy sees something he did not want to see, a caution. He was looking like he was going to check back out after dealing with the lapped cars when Bobby Reed has a left front tire go down and comes to a stop. He makes it through this caution but the next one a lap later ends up being the end of his chance at victory.

After some cars at the back got together on the previous restart, we are ready to go with 15 laps remaining. Fleming tries his luck once more to the outside which turns out to be the winning move of the night. The green waves and Fleming jumps in front…………that’s because JonBoy didn’t go at all and the entire field wrecks in turn one. Well, not the entire field, Fleming and JonBoy’s brother Joseph “Bo Bo” Brown emerge on the backstretch unscathed. That leaves 22 other cars wrecked in turn one with Burt Myers actually up on the side of another car. Myers would line back up third, it was wild to say the least.

I t looked as if JonBoy Brown had missed a shift but after the race he was complaining about the restart that Fleming had, he felt that he had jumped him and got into him. Either way you still have to go at the green and now it was his brothers chance to try and take the win away from Fleming. They restart with ten to go and controversy comes into play again.

Bowman Gray has a restart line in turn 4, a box if you will, and anytime the leader is within those lines he can start the race. As the field goes into turn three Fleming gases up a little, then gases up more and is gone off turn four leaving Bo Bo Brown in the dust by the time they get to turn one. Brown thinks the officials are going to black flag Fleming for jumping the start but it never comes, he now has his hands full with Burt Myers all over his back bumper.

Fleming would hold on for the win while Bo Bo Brown grabs second by half a car as Myers gives him a hard shot off turn four knocking him high and letting the two get side by side for a brief moment. Fleming is greeted in victory lane by his family, all racers too as his brother and crew-chief Frank is a driver on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Mod tour, his oldest son Luke races in the Sportsman division and youngest son Jordan is a driver in the Stadium Stocks. It may have been controversial at the end to some, but Fleming was once again in victory lane picking up his fourth career Bowman Gray feature win.

Results:
1. Chris Fleming
2. Joseph “BoBo” Brown
3. Burt Myers
4. JonBoy Brown
5. Michael Clifton
6. Tim Brown
7. Brad Robbins
8. John Smith
9. Austin Pack
10. Kevin Wilson
11. Jason Myers
12. Randy Butner
13. Stan Welborn
14. Ricky Knapp
15. Bobby Reed
16. Steven Truell
17 Lee Jeffreys
18. Robert Jeffreys
19. Dean Ward
20. Mike Norman
21. Johnny Sutton
22. Matt Caldwell
23. Brian Loftin
24. Ronnie Clifton