Story by: Corey Latham ~ corey@RACE22.com
 
Winston-Salem, NC(May 13, 2010) -- Pits full of cars. Check. Grandstands full with 17,000+ two hours before the green flag waves. Check. Beautiful weather on a Saturday night overlooking downtown Winston-Salem. Check. Feeling the goosebumps at "Still the most exciting of them all", Bowman Gray stadium, NASCAR's oldest sanctioned track. That's a big check.

It was time once again for round two of the 2010 season at the famed 1/4 mile, after Tim Brown took home the season opener a week ago in a 200 lap modified event. The nights schedule had the featured mods going for 100 laps, two 20 lap Sportsman races, two 15 lap Stadium Stock events, a 20 lapper for the Street Stocks, and a demolition derby would cap the evening off. But as we got going, it became clear that the demolition derby was going to actually occur all night long.

First up was the Street Stocks. While usually entertaining, the Street Stock guys have been getting a bad rap as of late, and with good reason, when it takes you over 50 minutes to run a 20 lap event, some jawing is going to be expected. We just hoped that would be the case this week, as Bowman Gray has a strict curfew policy, and the week before the long Street Stock race caused the last Stadium Stock event to be cut to under 8 laps.

Matt Cotner in his old school Ford Falcon would lead the field to the green, but it would come to a halt on lap one as KC Myers and John Gregg would get together and cause a log jam in turn four collecting half the field. Some were scared of a repeat from the week before, but we were treated to a good race after the initial start, with Cotner and Billy Gregg going hard for the lead. Gregg would scoot by Cotner with a handful of laps remaining, only to have Cotner use the chrome horn in the very next corner spinning Gregg and securing the victory. It may sound dirty to some, but at the stadium it's common practice.

Next on the agenda was the first 20 lap event for the Sportsman, a division that is just a tad off from being considered Late Model Stocks. Bryant Robertson would draw the #1 spot, as he had to qualify into the field from getting dumped a week ago by Luke Fleming, and not being high enough in the points to lock in his starting spot. Robertson had some tough company on the outside as Michael Adams hung tough on the slick outside groove for nearly three laps before falling into the second spot. we make it nearly six laps before the first caution of the night as Jim Shoaf spins and collects "Bad" Brad smith in the process, ripping away the front of Smith's car.

After a few more cautions, it looked as if Robertson was going to get something he has never had before at Bowman Gray, a victory. Even though Bryant has raced at the bullring for some time, with each race lining up by random draw and the numerous wrecks, lady luck has never been kind to him. But this was the night, he had led every lap and you could almost see the smile on his face as he rounded the turns with the laps winding down. But, that smile was quickly erased as the caution flew for the final time on lap 19, one shy from the end, leaving the field with a one lap shootout.

Most of the time at Bowman Gray, and considering who is behind you, being the leader on a one lap shootout is not the place to be as the bump and run is a way of life there. But Robertson had a good one behind him in Adams, as he roughed him up slightly going into turn one, but didn't press the issue and Robertson jolted away down the backstretch for his first Bowman Gray stadium victory. As the tears were flowing from family and friends, and his voice crackling on the PA, you could really tell what a victory at the Madhouse really means.

Now up were the beasts of the 1/4 mile, the most powerful cars under NASCAR sanction, the mighty modifieds. With the new reality show "Madhouse" airing on the History Channel a few months ago, the mod drivers have become celebrities so to say, and the out of state license plates, tour buses and the roar of the crowd can prove it. They came from far and wide to see the show, and with the "choose" cone were a driver can try his luck on the outside on restarts, what a show they got.

Burt Myers qualified his ground pounder on the pole, but at Bowman Gray that doesn't mean much, as the field draws for position after qualifying (which makes you wonder why they qualify at all).Myers would roll off 16th with crowd favorite and most hated at the same time, 15-time modified champion Jr. Miller starting on the pole, and we all knew that some sparks were going to fly.

Miller wasted no time making waves, matter of fact about 100ft after the start of the race. Brian King was starting to his outside and got the jump on the start, but Miller wasn't having any of it and spins King in turn one, then bounces to the outside and spins the passing car of Brian Dauzat to keep the lead.The #69 driven by Miller is obviously built like a Sherman tank, and he would show more of it's durability as the evening went on.

One driver that came out of the first lap melee smelling like a rose was defending champion Tim Brown, who moved from tenth to fourth before a half a lap was run. On the restart Brown chose the inside line while Zach Brewer went to the outside of Miller. Brewer holds his own through turns one and two on the outside, but Miller drives him to the wall in turn three allowing Tim Brown to move in the second spot. Another driver not happy with Miller, and we haven't even ran two laps, but Brewer would have his revenge.

After a few more restarts for a Austin Pack spin and Johnathan Brown being turned out of third by Brent Elliott, we get to a lap 27 restart with Tim Brown finally beating Miller into turn one to take the lead. As Brown was begining to pull away, Miller would have his hands full with a very angry Zach Brewer. Lap after lap Brewer blatantly tried to wreck Miller in every corner, and finally succeeded on lap 36 spinning the former champ into the infield as the crowd goes nuts. Brewer is making it know to the Bowman Gray faithful, he is a contender and will not be pushed around.

After a few more restarts, Miller is once again towards the front, but now he has the #1 of Burt Myers in his mirror, wearing out his back bumper. Brown and Brewer are pulling away, and Miller is holding up the rest of the field. But before we get to see a classic Myers/Miller knockdown, the caution waves once more, and it gets even more interesting.

Once again Miller tries his luck for the lead on the outside for the restart. It had became apparent, the #69 of Miller was realistically a 8th place car, but he stayed near the front for the first of the event with the restart rules. This time he gets into Brown coming to the green, and Brown swerves right back, putting Miller into the outside wall and jamming up the rest of the field behind them. Jonathan Brown and Chris Fleming would get the worst of it, with Fleming having to be taken off on two wreckers. Miller's car was finally beaten up a little, and his right front tire was flat. As the crowd roared when he went to the pits, nobody expected him to come back out, but before he even lost a lap, Miller was flying back onto the track with a new right front, we were starting to wonder if the car was indestructible.

The restart after the pileup was the race changer, as Burt Myers held his own on the outside of Brown for nearly three laps before finally getting in front of Brown. Brewer would try to stick his nose in to take second and gets into Brown sending the 8-time champion high and out of the top five. Miller now starts racing with Brown very hard, nearly wrecking him numerous times, as he gets black flagged for dragging debris under the car. They finally disqualify him, but he never leaves the track, and even lines up on the outside on the next restart. Only at Bowman Gray.

We get to ten to go and now former Whelen modified champion Brian Loflin is going for the lead on the outside after a restart as Brewer gets into him and spins off turn two, collecting Miller in the process. Now the #69 of Miller is finally done as it gets towed off on the wrecker, and the crowd is livid.

In the end, nobody would have anything for Myers as his Roush powerplant would be the difference getting away from the pack. "I knew we didn't need to run hard at the beginning, it's a long race and we just waited on our chance and put it in the front", said an excited Myers."That restart with Tim (Brown) was probably the key moment of the race. that Ford motor pulled him all the way down the