Any Southern Modified or Bowman Gray fans?

[Someday I Suppose]

Got a real treat on Saturday, a buddy of mine from high school is racing in the Whelen Southern Modified tour this year and Saturday I went down to Bowman Gray to help them out. 199 laps around Bowman Gray, Joe finished 12th running one lap down from the leaders, car pretty much un-damaged except for a bent tie rod that came with 19 laps to go.

This is the team site. Joe Scarbrough Racing - Home

Next race for them in the series is at Bristol later this month, wish I could get down there for that, but will try to catch up with the team when they head north in September.

-Scott

[Hoosier]

Pretty cool stuff. It's all dirt track racing around here. The modifieds are big with the budget minded racers, but Late Models and Sprints are where it's at...

Personally I like Late Models and only go to the shows where they are featured.

My buddy Scott here:

[Someday I Suppose]

I spent more then a couple nights at Flemington when I was a kid watching the dirt cars. Mods were the popular car there and I'll never forget seeing the Outlaws there. Great show from what you could see through the dust. :-)

Bowman Gray though is a tiny bullring which made it fun, 199 laps on a 1/4 mile track. Nascar series racing so all crew has to wear fire suits, gloves, shoes, and helmets.

The next race for these guys is Bristol the week of the Cup race.

-Scott

[slaga]

I live about 25 minutes from the track and have been a couple times. I am not a huge fan but I do enjoy it. I heard it was pretty interesting a couple weeks ago when one of the drivers was hauled off by the police... Are you familiar with the Madhouse series?

[Someday I Suppose]

Aaron, wish I had knew you were so close I would have dropped you a note before hand. I am familiar with the series, the Myers brothers and Tim Brown are also racing in the Whelen Series as well as the Bowman Gray series. (The show was part of what made me want to make it to this race lol.)

-Scott

[Buck70]

[QUOTE=Hoosier;2695336]Pretty cool stuff. It's all dirt track racing around here. The modifieds are big with the budget minded racers, but Late Models and Sprints are where it's at...QUOTE

I really like the way they do the trailing arm pivots on the modifieds.
They actually shorten the wheelbase on the drivers side when they are on the gas, making it turn left better. When they let off it swings back several inches to center back up in the wheelwell. I have seen them come out of the turn on only the right rear tire when everything is hooking up hard.
Sprints use to carry the left front and sometimes lift both fronts a bit, but I've never seen them actually lift the left rear.

Mod lites are kinda fun too, anyone seen those yet?
DB

[MrJeffreyB]

Huge Modified fan here. I'm fortunate to have three local tracks within an hour here in CT. (Stafford, Thompson and Waterford) We get the SK Mod's and SK Light Mod's here at Stafford every Fri night and the Whelen Tour Mod's a couple of times a year at each track. The Tour Mod's run on Sat at New Hampshire the weekend the Cup guys are there and the Mod race is almost always the best race of the weekend. If you have never seen a Super Modified race check those guys out. They tour this area once a year.

[Mike Forte]

Love those modifieds!!!! Great show when they run!!! Just look at those tires!

[Someday I Suppose]

Mr. Jeffrey, they will be at Thompson on September 8th and 9th, the Whelen Site says the 9th, but Thompson's page lists both dates. Going to plan on going up and helping the Aftershock team for that race as well. Thompson is a speedway compaired to Bowman Gray though.

Mike, tires are crazy, on the Whelen cars they are 15 inch tires all the way around and remind me of that scene in Days of Thunder where he is trying to explain how on modifieds they ran small lightweight cars on big fat tires. :-)

[geoffav]

A modified fan from way back. I fell in love with those cars when they raced coupes mostly in the 60s. My dad was a modified driver from even earlier. A herd of 35-37 Chevy coupes were cut up in and behind our garage. My favorite drivers from back then are mostly gone today. Big names like Ray Hendrick, Eddie Crouse, Al Grinnen, Charlie Z, Richie Evans, and even Gene Lovelace. I regret not taking pictures or keeping programs and other memories, it was a great time for racing. Langley Speedway, South Boston, Martinsville, Wilson, Moyock (the dog track), and Richmond. There was even a track in Norfolk before I was born that was run by Joe Weatherly.

My Dad never drove full time and at some point just stopped getting behind the wheel. He worked on some great cars for years after he stopped driving. When he retired at age 65 (from a real job) he drove Legends with me for a few years. What a great time driving those little coupes.

I would be driving them now if we had interest in the area. If we could get 6 cars locally, I think we could grow a full field. The economy is a bit weak for that right now.

[raceral]

I'm about 40 min away... talking about a short track... I think this is the shortest only 1/4 mile and flat flat.
Did you see any fights.

2009 NWMT Bristol practice Ted Christopher incar - YouTube

2009 NWMT Bristol practice Ted Christopher incar - YouTube

[Someday I Suppose]

Jeff, Richie Evans rings a bell for sure. The cars really are cool.

On affordable racing, Joe has also been really involved in helping get a new division started in the Virgina area called MAD, Modified Affordable Division.

Welcome!

They are getting a pretty good turn out and really pushing the whole idea of trying to keep the racing exciting and fun!

-Scott

[Someday I Suppose]

Al, I think the only reason they race at Bowman Gray is to decide who is going to fight who. :-) Apparently there was a shouting match between some of the fans and a spotter towards the end of the race, and the #1 car of Burt Myers got dumped big time with about 5 laps to go. There was a large crowd at their pit area after the race, but we stayed away.

Originally Posted by raceral

I'm about 40 min away... talking about a short track... I think this is the shortest only 1/4 mile and flat flat.
Did you see any fights.
2009 NWMT Bristol practice Ted Christopher incar - YouTube

On Bristol that is the next race, man I would love to go there, but its mid-week and I would need to take three vacation days to do it. As one of the other crew members asked, 'How often can you say you were crew on a Nascar team at Bristol?' If they run the series again next year I am going to make it a point of getting there.

[modtour4]

The Bristol modified race will be on SPEED live on the 22nd at 6pm. Watch the yellow V4 (the one in the above picture). Won the first modified race at Bristol.

Russ

[MrJeffreyB]

Scott,

Come back to Thompson in the fall for their final event the World Series of Racing. Racing Fri PM, all day Sat and all Day Sun with about 15 different divisions including the Tour Modifieds and the Super Modifieds that have fuel injected methanol powered big blocks running about 800hp in an 1800lb car. Here's a pic of a Super if you haven't seen one.

Oh, and Russ misspoke. Watch for the #36 he is usually running in front of the #4 like in the pic above. ... (actually T.C. in the #36 is looking for a regular full time ride right now)

[Someday I Suppose]

Jeff, those are crazy looking beasts, I'll try to get back up there for the event for sure, looks like a great couple days of racing.

As for Bristol, I'll be watching the 37 of Joe Scarbrough of course, he doesn't have the budget of some of those other guys, but would be great to see him in the top half of the field. I was watching some of the race footage from last year, man I would love to go down for the race... my wife might kill me lol....