Visited Bowman Gray for the first time this past weekend. The Southern Modified Tour put on an excellent night of racing and the joint was close to being packed.
Great time at the MAD House!!!
Start of the Modified feature...
Photos...
Visited Bowman Gray for the first time this past weekend. The Southern Modified Tour put on an excellent night of racing and the joint was close to being packed.
Great time at the MAD House!!!
Start of the Modified feature...
Photos...
24 modifieds & 12,000 butts in the seats in this crappy economy.
They are doing something right up there in W-S
Its pretty hard to not have fun there
Faster than a bullet from a gun
He is faster than everyone
Quicker than the blinking of an eye
Like a flash you could miss him going by
No one knows quite how he does it but it's true they say
He's the master of going faster. -George Harrison
Bowman Gray is on my bucket list. My in-laws live just outside Winston-Salem. We attempted to go on one of our recent visits but the evening's race was rained out.Originally Posted by KevMcNJ
The Unofficial, Self-Appointed Gloom & Doom Police...
It's on my Bucket list too! Been working on my list this year and have knocked off Oswego. I will get to check off two more in the next couple weeks.
Bowman Gray 2013?
"If you don't do it this year, you'll be another year older when you do"
http://www.pbase.com/davidm2
http://www.jacksracephotos.net/
Find a Friday night track somewhere in VA and make it a double!
Southside (Richmond) runs Fridays.
IIRC, B-G qualifies on Friday night and races Saturday night (at least they used to, think it's still that way).
"Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less" - R.E.Lee
Not sure if that is still true. Check bowmangrayracing.com
By the way, I didn't know this before I started checking into schedules, etc. Bowman Gray, Sr. was a CEO of the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. He gave a lot of money to Winston-Salem State and Wake Forrest...
Went there when we were in Richmond for an IRL race. Bought our tickets, walked in and a quick shower rolled thru and they cancelled immediately. It was so warm that day that the road in front of the track was already dry when we were leaving. So the track was probably dry too
Very bad first impression.
Im pretty sure it was a Satruday only affair when we went. Sounds expensive to make every one tow there twice to race once every week
BG is now all Saturdays.
Do they still play football games there, the grass looks like it?!
Yes, it's home to Winston-Salem State.
http://charlotte.news14.com/content/...n-gray-stadium
They want to buy the Stadium from the City and keep the racing as a money generator.
They'd be crazy not to.
From the looks of the crowd, you'd be right. Bet they get more in there for racing than football.
Some of my photos show the fan walk that they did before the Late Models and Modifieds ran. While I was down on the track walking around, I did walk across part of the field. I was looking for evidence of football markings, but I didn't notice any. Winston-Salem must be doing their practices somewhere else.
I think it would be a bad move for the city to sell it as stadiums are expensive to maintain. You would have to wonder if push came to shove for the school if money would go towards football use and not race track use or even not at all.
It was surprising to find that the admission was $12. I was expecting something closer to $20. Given the size of the crowd, perhaps that is what facilitates the low price.
Does anyone know if they use any sort of traction compound on the track? My shoes sounded like I was walking across a tile floor where something sticky had been spilled but not entirely cleaned up.
Interesting to note that there is a difference in the satellite photos used on MapQuest and GoogleMaps. One shows the building off the north end of the track and the other doesn't. The building doesn't look to be more than a few years old.
Like most football teams, they practice elsewhere otherwise the field would be torn up before the first home game. Thanks for the info!
Coke syrup? That's what they use (or used to use) for indoor races.
You could be feeling the tires that have been worn into the surface. They always talk about how a green track is tough to get grip.
I seem to recall hearing recently that they just signed a new long term lease for auto racing there so I really dont think its going away. The season is so short because they need the field come September. Also Id guess they dont want racing going on while students are trying to live one block away. I assume theres dorms there.
Yes, that was my first thought. We didn't there early enough to see anybody working on the track. The web site said that the gates opened at 6pm. I sent an e-mail to ask some questions, including a confirmation of the opening time, and the reply was that there was a "soft opening" (their words) at 5:30. We arrived a few minutes before 5:30 only to see the last Modified qualify. Bummer...
Next time you go leave so you arrive by 4:00 Most of the cars and drivers are already parked by then and youre allowed to roam the pits until about 5:30 when they clear everyone out and make you either get a pit pass or a grandstand ticket
I've walked race tracks before, but I had never run across anything that sticky. It made that separating Velcro sound.
Yes, there are university buildings not far away; maybe a 1/4 mile off the north end of the track. Not sure if they are dorms, though...
I asked about pit passes and the reply was that they only sell them to NASCAR members. I used to be a member 10-12 years ago when I used to help a friend with his Modified. Anyway, I can see why they don't make a point of telling people so they don't get get a bunch in the pit area. I took a co-worker with me who had never been to a motorsports event in person. Would have been great for him to see what goes on and I would have had some more photo opportunities.
I have to think thats the perfect track to take someone who has never been to a race of any kind
What did co-worker think?
He was pretty impressed. He has watched some racing on TV, but never live. He got right into it. I've known him for about 8 years and I've worked with him and for him. The point is that I know him pretty well so I could tell that he enjoyed the experience. The drive over from Wilmington was close to 4 hours so we had a lot of time to talk, so I think I prepped him pretty good.
For me, it's always a neat experience to take someone with me who hasn't been to a track before. I've taken some folks with me to Watkins Glen and people have just been blown away; folks who have lived in the area for 10-15 years but had never been to the track. Besides, even a bad day at the race track beats a good day at work, anytime.
Compadre!!!
http://www.hoseheads.com/dannyb.html
Wanna know what's wrong with NASCAR? They've gone from Junior Johnson to Jimmie Johnson.
Wanna know what's wrong with IndyCar? It's gone from dirt ovals to street races.
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