The 2015 season has been a year of ups and downs for competitors at Bowman Gray Stadium. And one week after the Madhouse celebrated its 1000th event, the season is set to conclude with one final night of action-packed racing.
Burt Myers of Walnut Cove has every intention of turning on the aggression this Saturday night. He started off the season with back-to-back wins in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series and seemed in a promising position to take the championship midway through the season. He had a 24-point advantage over rival Tim Brown of Tobaccoville after Brown wrecked on Double Points Night.
But Brown came back with a vengeance – winning in three out of the next four events to rocket into the points lead. Burt Myers began to fall behind as his performance was overshadowed by Brown’s consistent points earnings and younger brother Jason Myers’s six wins and nine poles.
In last Saturday’s racing, Burt Myers seemed in a great position to pick up some points after winning the first 50-lapper. Unfortunately, Myers’s car sputtered to a stop during the second race, forcing him to pit and finish 13th.
“I think my transmission broke on that restart,” said Myers. “It’s our first real parts failure all year. You never want to deal with a part failure, but it’s probably better it happened tonight instead of next week.”
Now Myers is ranked second in the points, trailing Brown by 19. And his game plan for Saturday is simple: to win. “When you’re leading the points, you have to have a different mindset. But when you come over here that last race and you’re trailing, you go try to win – and it’s up to the other guy to lose it if he has to,” said Myers.
Each finish position is worth an additional four points, so Burt Myers would need to finish five positions ahead of Tim Brown to clinch the title. And, of course, Jason Myers isn’t out of the hunt yet – 40 points behind Brown and 21 behind older brother Burt.
In the Farm Bureau Insurance Sportsman Series, Michael Adams of Yadkinville tussled with Jordan Fleming of Mount Airy on Saturday. Adams’s car was mangled, sending him to the pits. Although Adams came back and fought his way forward, he finished a disappointing 15th and took a hit in the points.
Adams falls out of the points lead, with Zack Clifton of Walkertown taking over in his place. Now entering the season finale, Clifton leads Adams by a scant five points – just two finish positions’ worth. Tommy Neal of Walkertown isn’t far behind with 17 points separating him from the lead – and last year’s champ, Taylor Branch of Lewisville, is only 20 points behind Clifton.
Brian Wall of Winston-Salem and Derrick Rice of Kernersville have battled for the points lead all season. Wall was literally a few hundred feet away from taking the championship last year when he wrecked. In last event, another wreck took him from the points lead down to second. Now, Wall sits 12 points behind Rice – only three finish positions.
In the McDowell Heating & Air Stadium Stock Series, Brandon Brendle of Winston-Salem continues his strong season. Brendle has a 14-point lead over last year’s champ, Chuck Wall of Lewisville.
All the championship battles will be decided this Saturday night at the Madhouse – it will be the Carolina Farm Credit 150 Season Finale for the Modifieds, plus racing for the Sportsman, Street Stock, and Stadium Stock Divisions.
Gates open at 6:00 for practice, and the first race begins at 8:00 PM – this Saturday night.
