Myers Wins First Race; Speeney Bumps Neal to Win Second Race at Bowman Gray - Speedway Digest

A legend and a first-time winner won the two 25-lap races Saturday on the penultimate night of the 2024 season at Bowman Gray Stadium in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series.

Burt Myers continued his winning ways by winning the first 25-lapper and Mike Speeney became the 142^nd first-time winner at the famed quarter-mile track by winning the second 25-lap race.

Myers had the fastest qualifying lap at 13.411 seconds and started on the pole for the first race. He battled brother Jason Myers for the lead, claimed the win, and continued his lead in the points standings with only next week’s 150-lap season finale remaining.

“It’s everything, man,” said Myers, about qualifying for the intense 25-lap races. “It’s everything and that’s something that we’ve tried to work on the last solid – I mean we’ve always worked on it – but solid last year and a half to get our car to qualify.”

Myers tweaked something in practice Saturday before the race.

“We found a little something this morning by accident,” he said. “Obviously I can’t tell you what it is, but it was an oversight on my part, something I missed because my crew chief, his daughter had a ballgame this morning and I missed it. And he got here, and he said, ‘Did you go out like that in practice?,’ And I said, ‘Yeah, the car was awesome.’ So, we found something that I don’t know that it helps us in the race, but it helped us turn early, which is what you need to qualify. We had a really good night.”

Myers was way ahead until lap 18, but a caution came out with defending-champion Tim Brown just behind him.

“I didn’t want to see a caution because I knew that would get him back to my bumper, but you know I figured Tim would run me with respect,” Myers said. “But the car, it was top-three, one of the best cars I’ve ever had over here. So, it makes my job easy when they drive like that.”

Brown finished runner-up, followed by Jason Myers, Brandon Ward, and Chris Fleming.

Myers also finished fourth in the second 25-lap race.

“First and fourth, first-place points, and nothing’s torn up,” he said. “So, it’s hard to ask for much more than that when you come to Bowman Gray.”

Before Saturday night’s racing, Myers had a 22-points lead over Ward. Ward finished fourth and second respectively in Saturday’s two races.

“We’re just going to come in and do what we do,” Burt Myers said. “You know I’m a believer in everything happens for a reason. So, (I’m) just going to ask the Lord to give me peace with whatever happens. We’re going to come in here, we’re going to do our best, try to set on the pole, lead every lap and win the race.”

In next week’s AgSouth Farm Credit 150, lineup is determined strictly by qualifying. Myers is a 10-time champion, but he hasn’t claimed a title since 2019 after winning straight championships.

“We talk about points early in the year, and we knocked off three quick ones (wins). And then we had a really bad rut there, and now we’ve knocked off two in a row. So, (I’m) hoping we’re coming back into our stride, but I mean, you think about points, but you don’t. But when it gets down to that last race that’s what you have to focus on. So, our goal next week is to set on the pole and win the race.”

As for the second 25-lap Modified race, Speeney put himself on a list of winning legends at Bowman Gray Stadium, such as Richard Petty, Ralph Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, and Junior Johnson. The list also includeds Speeney’s brother, Dan, who has one career win.

“It’s special,” Speeney said. “I mean (I’ll) put the trophy in my son’s room, so it can add to his collection of medals and trophies in quarter midgets. So, it’ll be special to have that sit next all his stuff.”

Mike Speeney started fifth in the second race, but Riley Neal, who was leading, was bumped by Mike Speeney on lap 10 and sent sliding wide into turn one. Speeney took advantage and claimed the lead.

“I knew he was not up to speed and, you know, I used my bumper, but it’s not scratched. And he didn’t spin, so I was going to get him one way or the other,” Mike Speeney said. “I’d rather have gotten him on exit, but he was showing me that on entry it was was going to be, and in the center it was going to be a little bit easier than exit. So, that’s where I took my shot.”

Ward finished runner-up in the second 25-lap race, followed by Brown, Burt Myers, and Jason Myers.

“It feels good,” Mike Speeney said. “It was a long time coming. We’ve had speed this year and it’s been frustrating because we have the speed to win, it’s just it’s like we’ve started in the back and had to come from the back.”

The points chase in the Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series is still incredibly tight with the season finale coming up next week.

Chase Robertson, who is the defending points champion, entered Saturday trailing points leader Zack Ore by four points. Robertson claimed the victory in the first 20-lap Sportsman race.

It was Robertson’s fourth win of the season. Ore finished runner-up.

“We had a really, really good car like last week,” Robertson said. “I mean, Dylan (Ward), oh my God, he’s got this thing on the rail and it’s showing.”

Connor Branch finished third, Ward was fourth, and Justin Taylor was fifth.

Ward returned the favor in the second 20-lap Sportsman race to pick up the win.

Ward started 11^th but climbed up to second. Then on lap 16 Ward bumped leader Tommy Neal on the backstretch, giving Ward the lead.

“We can go to dinner. It don’t matter to me,” Ward said of Neal. “We can go talk after this. I really don’t care. You can’t brake-check somebody and expect them not to turn you.”

Sterling Plemmons finished second, followed by Ore, Robertson, and Michael Adams.

Austin Jones crossed the finish line first in the 20-lapper for the QRC HVAC and Refrigeration Street Stock Series. But after failing post-race technical inspection, Jones was moved to the rear and Nick Wall was credited with the win.

In the first 15-lap race in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series, Connor Keaton won to pick up his second win of the season.

Keaton was in second place, but he swerved around leaders Tyler McDonald for the lead on lap 13. On the same lap, Grayson Keaton, who is Connor Keaton’s brother, who was in third, bumped McDonald and caused a caution.

That led to a Connor Keaton-Grayson Keaton finish.

In the second 15-lap race in the Stadium Stock Series, Patrick Mullen won his first race after coming from behind on a green-white checkered finish.

It’s hard to believe, but next week is the final racing Saturday of the season at Bowman Gray STadium. Championships will be decided in all four series with each race being awarded double the normal amount of points.

The highlight of the night is the AgSouth Farm Credit 150 in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series. The 150-lap race features double-file restarts. In addition, there is a 40-lap race in the Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series, a 20-lap race in the QRC HVAC & Refrigeration Street Stock Series, and there will be a 15-lap race in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series.

BGS Racing PR