Brown Breaks Winless Streak at Bowman Gray

The streak is over for Tim Brown.

He finally won in the Brad’s Golf Car’s Modified Series.

Even though Brown won his 12^th championship last year in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series, he failed to win the entire season. In fact, he hadn’t won since July 24, 2021. After 32 races without a win, that all changed Saturday night with a win in the Kevin Powell Motorsports 100, his 95^th in his storied career.

“It’s everything,” Brown said. “So now we can just get back to doing it more often. Now the monkey’s off our back and we can just keep winning.”

It wasn’t easy. Brown, who has the most Modified wins in Bowman Gray Racing history, had to fend off Burt Myers, a 10-time championship and 89-race winner.

“Me and Burt have been the two dominant cars over here for years,” Brown said. “There at the end we made it exciting. He was knocking the crap out of us, so I just backed into the corner and let him hit me. It’s hard to wreck a stopped school bus. You know, I’ve been doing this a long time. 

“Yeah, I’m just glad to get this car back into Victory Lane. This is the first race I’ve ever won with both of my children here and my wife. So, this one’s probably the most special to me, and not because it’s been a year since I’ve won. But just because my wife and kids are here. It’s super-special.”

Brown started on the outside front row and bolted out to the lead on the initial start. He then led 99 of the 100 laps, with only third-place finisher Brandon Ward leading the other lap.

However, there were seven cautions, and Tim Brown didn’t take anything for granted. “I’ve led a bunch of races and got beat right at the end,” Brown said. “And I know it’s not over until it’s over. So, I just put my head down the best we can. And we won.”

The final caution came with eight laps remaining.

“We had a good, strong run today,” Myers said. “We had a great race car. Just circumstances. The start of the race hurt us. The 44 (Daniel Beeson) couldn’t get going and it let Tim and Brandon get by us there initially. And the control cars, it’s hard to beat that control car because they can take off whenever they want to. They can hold you out whenever they want to. And it just makes it really hard.”

Myers, who had repeatedly taken the bottom on the double-file restarts, elected to move to the outside of the front row on the final restart. That set up a finish between the two winningest Modified drivers in the 75-year history of Bowman Gray.

“I was third at that point,” Myers said. “If you’re second, you can halfway control your own destiny. The restart line is a joke. You know, people just take off whenever they want to. I mean, I’ve done it before. They warn you, but it doesn’t mean anything.

“But I’m not here to make excuses. We just got beat tonight because of circumstances.

Brown had to fend off Myers, who has finished first, has two runner-up finishes, and a third through the first four races this season, just like they’ve done many times in the past.

“I don’t care,” Brown said. “As long as I won, I don’t care who’s second.”

Myers, just as Brown said, couldn’t get past Brown the last eight laps.

“I was trying to be aggressive,” Myers said. “I had so much a better car than Tim. But he was just really tying it down and brake-checking me and waiting for me to hit him to go.

“I was hoping that he would at least drive away from me and we race it out, but I’m excited for where we, where our car is, and just look forward for more weeks to come.”

No matter how it finished, Brown still collected his first win in 22 months.

“I was heartbroken every week last year, and to explain to Cam (his son) that you can’t win every race,” Brown said. “And I’ve literally been in my race shop every day since the last race last year — Saturday, Sunday, every day. When I say every day I’m talking about every day working on this race car to get back for tonight to win again.

“And to win with my family here, it just means the world to me.”

Then there was the intrigue of whether any of the three drivers who elected to take the $3,000 Fans’ Challenge would finish in the top four to collect all or part of the prize.

The four drivers who qualified fastest were John Holleman IV, Danny Bohn, Jordan Fleming, and James Civali. They all had the chance to go to the back of the field in hopes of moving to the front of the field and winning big prize money. Holleman was the only one of the four not to take the Challenge.

Bohn survived the war of attrition with just 10 cars left at the end of the race and finished fourth, giving him all of the $3,000 prize.

“I’ve probably got $1,000 worth of damage, so we’ll take the other $2,000 and try to make this car a little bit better,” Bohn said.

In the first 20-lap McDowell Heating & Air Sportsman Series race, Riley Neal took the lead with less than three laps remaining to win the race.

Neal, who is 15 years old, took the lead on lap 17 from Sterling Plemmons and was able to hold on to win.

“Oh, yeah. It feels amazing man,” Neal said. “I’m just so proud of this team. We struggled the first week, but I think we’ve got it back right. It was a little bit tight right there.”

Amber Lynn was runner-up, followed by Plemmons. Spencer Martin was fourth, and Chase Robertson was fifth.

In the second Sportsman Series race, Michael Adams held off Justin Taylor for the win.

It was Adams’ second win in successive weeks, and it was his 25^th career win.

“I want to thank Justin Taylor,” Adams said. “I give him all respect for running me clean like that, man. That’s what racing’s all about. If everybody else would do that, everybody here would be on their feet.”

Robertson was third and Lynn was fourth.

In the Law Offices of John Barrow Street Stock Series, Christian Joyce came from behind and was able to get past Austin Jones on the final lap to win.

Joyce was able to catch Jones with about a half-lap remaining.

“I’ll take them any way I can get them,” Joyce said. “We do have one of the best cars here, and it’s kind of shown this year. And it’s all because of this man right here — Dylan Ward is where it’s at.”

There were six cautions in the race.

Bryan Sykes Jr. was second, Cody Gum was third, and Jordan Atkins was fourth.

The first 15-lap race in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series came down to the final lap.

A.J. Sanders led for much of the race, but Robert Strmiska slid underneath him on the final lap. Sanders spun out, allowing for Strmiska to win and Isaac Harris to finish runner-up. Sanders finished third.

“A.J.’s the best there is…,” Strmiska said. “…I just tried to get under him. It worked. but then he tried to cut me down on the inside. It is what it is.”

Justin Owens finished fourth.

In the second 15-lap race in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series, Chuck Wall defeated Brandon Clements for his 27^th career win.

“The car was on the rails tonight,” Wall said.

Brandon Brendle was third and Blaine Curry was fourth.

Next week’s racing is highlighted by the Thunder Road Grill Street Stock 50. It’s the longest race of the season for the Law Offices of John Barrow Street Stock Series.

In addition, there will be twin 25-lap races in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series, twin 20-lap races in the McDowell Heating & Air Sportsman Series, one or two 15-lap races in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series, plus there will be a Classified Modified race. 

 BGS Racing PR