(The article below is a RaceDayCT column – The views expressed in this column are solely the opinion of the writer)
I messed up.
I’ll be the first to admit it. I messed up bad.
All the credit in the world to NASCAR for all the promotional effort they put in to building up attention for the Cook Out Madhouse Classic at Bowman Gray Stadium on Saturday.
When it was first announced that NASCAR would add a Modified feature to the weekend schedule for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray I really figured the event would get deeply lost far behind in promotion of the event. But that wasn’t so. NASCAR’s social media channels have been heartily building up to the unique event. It felt good to see that.
And I genuinely wanted and hoped this event would be something that would promote the greatness of short track racing in this country.
But darn, I messed up.
Earlier this week I said that I wished NASCAR had taken things one step further and put the Madhouse Classic Modified feature on a regular national broadcasting outlet rather than on the FloRacing subscription streaming service.
Get Modified racing some national attention I said. Get some eyeballs on Modified racing that might never have watched it before I said.
Oops. Big oops. So glad that didn’t happen.
Yeah, I screwed up thinking this Madhouse Classic would be any sort of way to showcase what Modified racing or any sort of short track racing is like around the country.
I guess I should have known that Bowman Gray would be Bowman Gray.
The Bowman Gray Modified division, with some special guests invited to the party, was tasked with putting on a 125-lap feature on Saturday as the undercard for the Cup Series Cook Out Clash qualifying and heat races scheduled for Saturday evening.
Calling what took place any sort of illustration of what short track racing is in this country would be an insult to almost every short track racing promoter in this country who works hard to put on entertaining events at their respective facilities.
Yes, we get it, Bowman Gray attracts more than 10,000 people every Saturday they run during the summer. Yes, we understand that most short track racing promoters in the country would do anything to have attendance numbers anywhere close to that.
But, and we’ve said it before, just because 10,000 plus people show up every week doesn’t mean it’s what short track racing should be about. Millions of people watched Jake Paul fight Mike Tyson on Netflix, but it certainly wasn’t anything close to what world class boxing is about.
We lost count at about 14 cautions during Saturday’s Bowman Gray event. We also lost count trying to figure out if at any point there was more than 10 laps of green flag racing strung together. It was just painful to watch. Just brutal. It wasn’t short track racing, it was an enduro with really expensive race cars.
I get it, I’ll get people that call me a hater or say that I don’t help racing by being critical of it. I’ll put my helmet on and wait for the incoming from Matt Dillner. But I’m sorry, this is not short track racing and there’s absolutely positively no reason whatsoever why anyone involved in short track racing in this country should feel compelled to sugarcoat that fact. This is not short track racing, period, end of story.
And when it was all said and done, there could have been some redeeming of the whole mess. Do an interview with race winner Chris Fleming on the FloRacing broadcast and at least display the passion and emotion of a short track racer. Nope, NASCAR couldn’t even get that part right.
Next Saturday the Whelen Modified Tour kicks off its 2025 season at New Smyrna Speedway. On March 1 the SMART Tour gets their 2025 season started at Florence Speedway. On March 29 the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series kicks off their 2025 season at Thompson Speedway. On April 12 the Race of Champions Modified Series gets their season started at Lake Erie Speedway. And all summer long Modified racing will be showcased at places like Stafford Speedway and Thompson Speedway and so many other places.
What you saw on Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium was not “Modified Racing”. It was a demolition derby with Modified style racer cars. And hopefully nobody watching what took place Saturday thinks it was in any way indicative or representative of what real Modified short track racing is all about.
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Even the announcers couldn’t keep up with the lap count. With the caution flag periods being numerous in numbers, they were calling the leader a taking the white flag when in fact the race was over and the winner was heading into turn one on the cool down lap
The cautions were interminable, I checked out at the halfway point. Then watched the replay on FloRacing able to blast through the cautions less annoyed and take in the spectacle of the entire event.
It is a beautiful facility with no bad seats it would appear. As much vehicular fisticuffs as there were on the track the crowd well mannered standing much of the time with sections cheering wildly when retribution is exacted. In my estimation the teams and drivers that race at the facility have a deeper personal connection to the fiercely loyal fans. Like a clan mentality with all kinds of deep loyalties to the various teams that provide energy when racing battles are framed as grudges whether that be ongoing or in the race at hand specifically.
As much as televising races with full replays serves many types of racing I don’t think it captures the action at Bowman Gray that has fans coming back for more. You need to see the entire field all the time, the action happening constantly through the field anticipating when the developing initial contact is going to boil over into a crash. Camera’s isolating on two or three cars waiting for some classic racing move for position not the heart of why fans love this track so much.
Not packed as the announcer said but it was a very good crowd. That came out in chilly conditions in large numbers in spite of the fact they could have stayed home and watched it comfortably at home. What the crowd did see with greater perspective then watching at home was though all the cautions and mayhem Fleming and Myers came from the back of the field to come in first and second. Even our man Preece was up to 5th before a wreck took him out but in any event he done good.
I seem to be defending the racing at Bowman Gray probably from personal experience growing up. Uncle Chick Stockwell Sr. down the street in one direction car owner of the 155 that Chick Jr. had moved on from then driven by Lou Judson. John Jenkins down the street in the other direction. Proximity and relationships translating to the clan mentality when we filled the stands at the Danbury RaceArena in the 60’s. More wrecks then Bowman Gray but I can’t recall finding them particularly annoying it was just part of the spectacle. Rough housing all over the track, various sections of the stands cheering or booing, the crowd experience part of the entertainment value as far as I can recall, rose colored glasses notwithstanding.
Maybe it’s a little offensive when the majority of fans up here mock the racing at Bowman Gray including observing that it’s not real modified racing which from my perspective sounds a lot like saying the racing some of us grew up with was not real modified racing. But not too offended because it is all about your entry point to the sport, your perspective and your expectations going in.
Maybe you could argue that if the goal is to have a large, passionate fan base Bowman Gray is the real racing of which modifieds are a part at the track. Everything else so purified, so sophisticated with standards so high it can’t draw new fans because much of the time it bores them to death.
Were the cars running a narrower tire? Looked strange.
Well put, Shawn. But I think you actually went too easy on them. Thank goodness only Flo viewers got to see it. That was an embarrassment to sport fans. This no way they raced even half of that race under green.
I also watched the Lucas dirt LMs from Saturday night. The contrast to the mods from BG is mind boggling. Those LMs put on a real race. Exciting, competitive, sportsmanlike racing. Check it out.
And Doug, to even mention old-time modified bullring racing from our past in the same breath as that debacle last night is truly, truly an insult to the people who were involved back in the 50s, 60s 70s. You blew it.
Let me just start by saying, my opinion here is gonna offend someone. Sorry, no ill will.
I think the bowman-gray modified division are their own animal. The track/promoters, found what works. The worker bees (drivers/owners) go along with it cause it fills the stands, and thats what it’s all about. It pays the bills. No fans? No Saturday night. (And notice, i did not call it Saturday night racing). No disrespect.
I got what Doug was saying. When I was 8 years old, I got my first Saturday night outing to Norwood arena.
In the 60’s, that was the place to be on a Saturday night in our area. I remember sitting in certain sections of the stands, cause thats where you sat if you liked Bugsy and Flemke. Other areas were Desarro and Cleary. You get my drift. And boy, you better not pick the wrong place to have sat.
My dad, wasn’t a race car fan. Got into it because my next door neighbors kid built a dare devil, and raced it. Then Hobby. Then modified. His dad, and my dad, were drinking buddies. So, we went to the races. Actually, got most of the neighborhood involved.
You know the most common answer you got if you asked anyone from the neighborhood the question of, “what do you like most about the races” was? “I like the crashes”. And when crashes happened back then, the place was on its feet cheering. Knew no better.
Yep. Thats the draw for a lot. Its kinda like an accident scene when you are driving. You know you should not look, but cant help it.
Now. Some people move on, and some become race fans and get it. Race fans hate crashes and bs moves, and love the competition.
In those old days, those guys raced just as hard, if not harder. I think for me now, the difference was, just about all those guys were kids with muscle cars, decided to strap on a helmet and have a go at it at their local Saturday night venue. If they wrecked, then it was off to their local junkyard on monday to pull a 50-58 unused chevy for the frame, and build anew by Saturday. Most those guys learned on the fly, built cars on the fly, and did not have the options of coming up through organized youth racing disciplines.
At Bowman, what gets me is that these machines aren’t old chevy based frames. They are sophisticated and costly. And yet, caution to the wind at Bowman, and wreck or be wrecked. As a side note, how does race control function there? I’m not sure that stuff would fly at most tracks.
So, does Bowman have it right? Is that what it takes for modifieds to survive?
I hope not. But I cant ignore that they are wildly successful. Like my old Saturday nights where the stands would fill, because “I go for the crashes”. And there were stellar drivers in that day, that were part of the show, but knew how to avoid the carnage. (Or were lucky)
Certainly reminded me of my old local short track on a Saturday night back in the day.
Not saying it’s right, but…….
Jmo
I, like most people have been an asphalt modified fan for a long ass time. I have seen them race all over the place. Last night’s race was an absolute disgrace to mod racing. I was at Caraway for the North South shootout in November that took almost 3 hours to run and last night was equally as painful. It does nothing to promote mod racing. Bowman Gray has tons of history but the racing there isn’t great unless you like the use of bumpers and retaliation.
ASSCAR: strikes again that modified race was a joke call it what it is an Enduro race or demolition derby that’s why those guys down south can’t run up here in the northeast with our guys everybody thinks Bowman Gray Stadium is the best thing since apple pie. The only thing it’s good for I think is go kart racing or turn it back into a football field end of story.
Agree with your opinion. There is a big difference between BG fans and real racing fans.