WINSTON-SALEM - Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium was the first week back after the annual Fourth of July break, and the racing was just as hot as the steamy weather.
With temperatures hovering around 95 degrees before the race, Brandon Ward, who is the defending champion in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series, continued his hot streak and won his fourth race of the season in the ShootingTargetsUSA.com 100.
“Hard racing there with the 57 (Danny Bohn) and the 16 (Chris Fleming) throughout the biggest part of the race,” Ward said. “And a lot of restarts there to try to fend them off. I mean, that’s two good cars, trying to hold them off.”
Lee Jeffreys had the fastest qualifying lap, followed by Mike Speeney, Chris Fleming, and Tim Brown. When the field drew for starting position, Riley Neal was on the pole with Danny Bohn next to him on the front row. Bohn quickly surged ahead of Neal and led until lap 46 when Ward, who started eighth, took the lead.
“The last 100-lapper, it came down to me and Danny,” Ward said. “And I really thought it was going to again. I don’t know what happened to him. He faded there a little bit. But I knew the outside on the restarts was going to be my best bet to pass him. And getting up front around really good cars, you need to be able to utilize that (double-file restart cone) and be able to work the outside.”
Ward did just that for the last 54 laps of the race.
“We knew our car was good on the outside today,” he said. “Kind of worked on that a little bit in practice because these 100-lappers, you know at some point you’re going to be out there. So, kind of try to work that and get the car where it was a little more neutral from the inside to the outside.”
With 10 cautions throughout the race Ward knew he was going to have his hands full.
“Anytime you’re the leader and you’ve got good cars around you, you’re kind of playing offense and defense,” Ward said. “Just trying to get clear, get a car length or two on those restarts was crucial”
“We had really good forward drive from center-off. Just trying to work the corner to try to keep the drive up off is what I was really trying to maintain and do.”
Also, Burt Myers, who entered the night as the points leader, struggled early after he and Drew Moffitt bumped each other on lap 6 and both cars spun on the infield. Myers had to go to the pits to repair the damage on the front end of his car. He came back, but he finished sixth.
On lap 93, the final caution came out, and since caution laps count in 100-lap Modified races, the race went to a single-file restart after the race resumed on lap 97. Ward used that to his advantage and fended off Chris Fleming. Bohn finished third, followed by John Holleman IV, and Tim Brown.
“Anytime you can get a single-file restart it’s easier to get a launch,” Ward said. “You know, sometimes being the leader, you’ve got to be careful because you can get pinned on that bottom and you get loose on the bottom. I feel like that’s what happened to Danny early on.”
“So, I’ve won them and lost them from the outside. So, sometimes it falls in your favor and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Zack Ore continued his winning ways after taking the first 20-lap race in the Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series.
Ore, who was leading defending-champion Chase Robertson by two points before the first race on Saturday, won and picked up his 20th win of his career. Robertson finished 10th.
“We knew we were going to have a good night tonight,” Ore said. “The car’s on a rail. I’ve got to thank Mack Little. He’s done so much for me this week to get this thing right. All my crew guys – we've worked in the last two weeks to get back to Victory Lane. We knew we could do it.”
Zack Clifton finished runner-up, followed by Connor Branch, Kirk Sheets, and Michael Adams.
Ore drew “8” in the Madhouse Scramble, which inverted the field for the second race at the eighth position.
That placed Wesley Thompson on the pole for the start of the second race. Thompson held on to take the win, followed by Clifton, Sterling Plemmons, Braden Mills, and Justin Taylor.
Before Saturday night Jacob Creed hadn’t race all season, but he drove for Hayden Hall and won the 20-lap race in the QRC HVAC & Refrigeration Street Stock Series.
Creed sat on the pole and won after persevering through four cautions.
Christian Joyce, who is leading the points chase, finished runner-up, followed by Kevin Gilbert, Andy Southern, and Cody Gum.
Brad Lewis, who was 14 points behind Joyce for the points lead, went into the fence as he battled around turn 1 of lap 10. Lewis eventually came back and finished 13th, but it hurt him on double-points night.
In the first 15-lap race in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series, Grayson Keaton claimed his second win of the season.
Keaton started second with TJ Gibson on the pole, but Keaton quickly took the lead.
“That thing was a rocket ship tonight,” Keaton said.
A.J. Sanders, who is the points leader, finished runner-up, followed by Tyler McDonald, who is in second place in the points, and Chuck Wall, who is in third place in the points, finished fourth. Brad Mickalowski, who is fifth in the points chase, finished fifth in the race.
Billy Andrews sat on the pole for the second 15-lap race in the Stadium Stock Series and collected his first ever win at the Madhouse.
Patrick Mullen was second, followed by James Allison, DJ Dean, and Billy Cameron was fifth.
Next week’s racing schedule is highlighted by the Truliant Federal Credit Union Night of Destruction. The Night of Destruction includes a Monster Truck car crushing exhibition plus a Midway Mobile Storage Demolition Derby.
There will also be two 25-lap races in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series, two 20-lap races in the Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series, a 20-lap race in the QRC HVAC & Refrigeration Street Stock Series, and either one or two 15-lap races in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series.
In addition, one lucky fan will leave with a John Deere lawn tractor from James River Equipment.
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