Story by: Corey Latham ~ corey@RACE22.com
Photos by: Chuck Buchanan/RACE22.com Contributor

Winston-Salem, NC(August 3, 2009) -- Bowman Gray Stadium. Love it or hate it, the tradition of the place is something that no other track has.

Pictures from 1960, compared to ones today looks no different, aside from being in color and different cars on the track. Everything else is still the same, as was the case last Saturday night as the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour made their annual stop for 199 laps, before a packed house just like it has been for 60 years. The 1/4 mile bullring is known for tight racing, but Saturday's main event rivaled that of a demolition derby, and through the smoke emerged a first-time winner, who had at one point been put 2 laps down, Luke Fleming. You heard right, Luke Fleming.

Luke was able to keep his nose clean, which turned out to be the winning move of the race. Some say the best move of the race was the decision by Tim Brown, the stadium modified division point leader, to not attend at all due to the low payout. But there were others to take his place, as 20 cars showed up to race the seasons longest race, and one they will not forget for some time.

Brian Loftin took home the pole on Friday, but after a redraw, point leader George Brunnhoelzl III and stadium regular Burt Myers led the field to the green. Other notes in the starting lineup were Tommy Neal back in the mods for the first time this season, Bobby Hutchens back on Saturday after tearing his car up in the weekly event the night before, and the absence of Jonathon Brown and crowd pleaser and all-time mod winner Junior Miller.

The race started off rather tame, with Andy Suess being the only car to not be able to get in line, he hit the wall a few times but was able to blend in, but his night, like many others was about to get worse. Green all the way for the first 20 laps, until longtime stadium regular Brent Elliott takes a spin off turn 2. Now to the first double-file restart of the night with Brunnhoelzl and Myers still 1-2, and these would turn costly for most of the field.

The field takes off and Suess goes straight into the turn 1 wall, but continues slowly around. The very next lap Brian Loftin is able to keep Myers to the outside, and gets a run under Brunnhoelzl for the lead going into turn 1. Brunnhoelzl comes down ever so slightly and the two make contact and come to a spinning stop in turn 1, as does the rest of the field, except for one car, John Smith.

Smith is a fierce competitor on the tour, and is a 2-time winner of the 199. But the past few years have been nothing but bad luck, most of the time while running in the top 10. But here Smith was again, a place familiar to him, up front at Bowman Gray. Somehow, Brunnhoelzl was put back into second, and as the race went green some of the best racing of the night got going. Brunnhoelzl had a beast under the hood, and Smith had his car on a rail in the corners. That combination, and two of the smartest drivers in the business, put on a show for the fans as they raced side-by-side, lap after lap. Smith was able to pull out in front and the race become his to lose after leading over 100 laps. But heartbreak was on the horizon for the Tutterow Surveying machine.

As Smith was leading, cars were falling by the wayside at a pretty good clip. Burt Myers, who had made numerous pit stops from the first altercation in turn 1 after his toe was knocked out, finally had it hauled off on the hook. Jason Myers spun Luke Fleming after Fleming brake-checked the field going down the backstretch allowing his uncle Frank Fleming to move ahead, and as Bobby Hutchens came to a stop to avoid, Burt Myers could not and severely damaged the right front suspension. In a twist of fate, the #13 that Myers spun came back around clipping him in the right rear, ending his night also. Brian Dauzat and Scott Rigney also got into some trouble before lap 100, as Rigney got into the back of Dauzat and spun him, Dauzat took offense and tried ramming the #49 of Rigney under caution. Dauzat is a relative newcomer on the tour, and while that may be accepted in a weekly event there, the Whelen tour doesn't play those games. 2 laps in the penalty box a a stern warning from NASCAR to both drivers were in order. Tommy Neal also retired with radiator problems, ending a successful return to the modified ranks for the weekly Sportsman driver.

As the race got past the halfway point, Smith was in control, Brunnhoelzl was riding in tow, and Dean Ward was now the other man in the lead battle in 3rd. We get to 60 to go, and suddenly the #25 of Smith comes to a stop on the track, the motor silent. Engine problems? Not even close, it was out of gas, 60 laps from the finish. How could this happen? When asked, the team said they were already way too heavy, they didn't really know how it happened. But it did, and the hopes of John Smith becoming a 3-time winner of the 199 were over as the team retired for the night.

Now it was on Brunnhoelzl, who had been one of the dominate cars all night, to take his injured car to the checkered. In the wreck on lap 27, Brunnhoelzl's left front wheel was severely damaged, nearly having it bent in half. But he soldiered on the entire night, but as it usually goes at the stadium, it gets even more wild towards the end.

After a restart with 30 to go, LW miller has now moved into the 2nd spot. the stadium has long been a thorn in Miller's side, as the previous trips here have not been kind to him. but he had the Baker Motorsports car in the wind, and as the green flag flew on the restart, he cleared Brunnhoelzl on the outside exiting turn 2.......well, almost. Just after the exit of the turn, Brunnhoelzl clips the rear of Miller, and all heck broke lose after that as 8 cars pile into the crash, leaving Bobby Hutchens on his side. Hutchens, Randy Butner, Brian Loftin and Frank Fleming were put out, with Fleming having the rear of his car pretty much destroyed.

This caution had all sorts of drama as a whole new fiasco was started in the pits. LW had came out of the wreckage with a flat front tire, and went to the pits to change it. As the team was changing the tire, the yellow flag was replaced by the red flag, meaning no work can be done to any car during that period. At Bowman Gray, the pits are outside turn 3 and 4, and are separated from the track by a huge field house used by the Winston-Salem State football team. The official in the pits didn't stop the crew, and the yellow flag was out when they entered the pits, but NASCAR saw it another way issuing a 2 lap penalty for changing the tire under red. Miller came back tot he pits a lap later, and when he exited, he was running about 60mph over the pit road speed of 25mph, got to turn 1 and spun out.. then NASCAR hit him with a speeding penalty on pit road. Needless to say, Miller and the Baker crew were not fans of the officials after the race and let it be known.

OK we get down to 20 to go and only 3 cars are on the lead lap. Rigney and Ward got into each other a few laps before the big wreck knocking each other from the race, it was a graveyard of Modifieds in the pits. But it was going to be settled now between Luke Fleming, Gene Pack, and Brunnhoelzl.. As they take the green Brunnhoelzl blows by the crowd favorite Pack, and quickly closes the gap up to Fleming. 10 laps to go and Brunnhoelzl is definitely better in the corners, but the only way around Fleming will be to knock him out of the way. Brunnhoelzl starts to apply the bumper just a touch as we get to 5 to go, but loses some off turn 2 after a hard shot from him shoots the #13 ahead and causes Brunnhoelzl to lose ground. He never made it back up. Fleming has won the biggest race of his career, and his only Southern Modified start of the season, the "199" at Bowman Gray.

We really didn't know what to make of what we had seen on Saturday at Bowman Gray, but at times it resembled a race. Some of the battles were excellent, and then it was like a switch would turn on, and a driver would forget to even use his brakes getting into the corners. It has always been one of the "rougher" tracks to race at, but this night was an all-out war.. The winner was 2 laps down at one time and the guy that finished 6th wasn't even on the track for the last 39 laps, it was an all-out slugfest. But, to win the race, you must finish, and Luke Fleming played the cards right and never gave up, putting his name in the record books of the "199" with names like Myers, Brinkley, Miller and his uncle Frank.
 
Unofficial Results:
1) Luke Fleming #13
2) George Brunnhoelzl #28
3) Gene Pack #31
4) LW Miller #36
5) Bryan Dauzat #97
6) Dean Ward #71
7) Frank Fleming #40
8) Randy Butner #5
9) Brian Loftin #23
10) Bobby Hutchens #14
11) Scott Rigney #49
12) Burt Myers #1
13) John Smith #25
14) Andy Seuss #47
15) Tommy Neal #21
16) Rich Kuiken, Jr. #44
17) Jason Myers #4
18) Buddy Emory #02
19) Zach Brewer #18
20) Brent Elliott #72