Bowman Gray Stadium celebrated its historic 1000th event on Saturday, and it was fitting for the checkered that night to belong to Burt Myers – a man whose family has been active competitors at the Stadium since its early days. But the night certainly had its ups and downs for Myers.
After qualifying a disappointing 12th, Burt Myers of Walnut Cove knew he would have his work cut out for him.
“I screwed up qualifying. I put us in this hole,” said Myers. “I joked with my guys. They said, ‘What are you doing qualifiying 12th?’ I said that it wouldn’t be any fun to just get out front. Let’s make it exciting.”
With the top six qualifiers drawing for starting position, Robert Jeffreys of Winston-Salem drew the pole for his start, with fastest qualifier Brad Robbins of Winston-Salem starting on the outside front row.
Jason Myers of Walnut Cove used some early cautions and the double-file restart cone to make his way up from third to the lead. Tim Brown of Tobaccoville moved to the outside for several restarts, but Jason Myers held strong.
Through it all, Burt Myers was battling his way forward, eventually making his way up to second right behind younger brother Jason. “You can have a great car and be a great driver, but you’ve got to have a little luck on these cone races. And every line fell the right way for us tonight, and the cautions fell to where we could get to where we needed to be,” said Burt Myers.
But brother Burt was having a tough time shaking Jason – that is, until they approached lapped traffic with just five laps to go. Jason Myers stayed on the bumper of the lapped car, slowing him down and allowing Burt Myers to pull up beside him. The #1 car of Burt Myers was ahead of Jason by a nose when the caution came out, awarding the lead to Burt.
Jason Myers said that inconsistent behavior from the lapped traffic led to the situation. “I stayed behind him knowing he was going to go – and when we got up off of four he never picked the throttle up. He just stayed out of the gas,” said Jason Myers. “That’s the first time I’ve ever spun anybody out not mashing the gas in my car. I started going and couldn’t get off of him because he just wasn’t going.”
Burt Myers then held on for the remainder of the race to grab the win. Jason Myers finished second, with Tim Brown taking third.
The “Madhouse Scramble” put Dean Ward of Winston-Salem on the pole for the start of the second race. Ward was determined to win the 50-lapper in honor of his brother, who is recovering in the hospital after a bad motorcycle accident.
Ward was hammered from behind by Joe Ryan Osborne of Kannapolis, leading to an early caution as the two tangled and the field banged into each other behind them. Ward then held off Chris Fleming of Mount Airy, Ronnie Clifton of Walkertown, and Jason Myers.
Towards the end of the race, though, Ward noticeably fell off the pace, allowing Jason Myers to repeatedly tap Ward’s bumper. But through it all, Ward drove like a man on a mission to stay in the lead and take the win.
“We had a really good car at the start, but something broke in the rear end about 15 or so to go – and it got very free,” said Ward, who was emotional to grab a win for his brother. “All I can think about is my brother in the hospital right now. To be honest that’s what was in my mind the whole race.”
In the Farm Bureau Insurance Sportsman Series, Robbie Brewer of Winston-Salem put the pedal to the metal to defend the lead against Derek Stoltz of Walkertown and take the checkered for the first 20-lapper. Zack Clifton of Walkertown climbed forward to win in the second race.
Austin Edwards of Winston-Salem won in a wreck-filled race for the Q104.1 New Country Street Stock Series – his first win ever. A.J. Sanders of Mocksville and A.J. Quakenbush of Kernersville each took the checkered for the McDowell Heating and Air Stadium Stock Series.
