Brown, Loftin win in Modified
By Tommy Bowman/ JOURNAL REPORTER
Tim Brown, out of the top 10 the previous two races and victim of his share of sheet-metal misfortune for three straight weeks, said his goal last night was just to finish in one piece.
He was halfway successful.
Brown came out unscathed in the first of two 25-lap Modified races at Bowman Gray Stadium -- leading all the way to his second victory of the season -- but had a run-in with newcomer James Civali that doomed him to a 20th-place finish in the second race, which was won by Brian Loftin.
Burt Myers came out with his season points lead intact, helping himself with a fourth-place finish in the finale.
Gary Ledbetter won a 100-lap Sportsman race, the longest-distance race of the season for that division.
Brown was the fastest qualifier with a lap of 13.451 seconds (66.9 mph) on the quarter-mile track. That won him the pole position for the first 25-lap race and he pulled away in a caution-free race for his 52nd career victory. Randy Butner finished second and John Smith was third.
Brown -- an eight-time champion in the featured Modified Division -- appeared to have helped himself in this season's title race by drawing an "eight" for the inverted start of the second race.
It is not only the best possible number, but it saddled season leader Burt Myers with a poor starting position in the second race on the first of three double-points nights for this season.
But Brown, running sixth in the second race, was clipped and spun by Civali. He dropped to the rear of the field, in 20th place, and then rode Civali into the guardrail a few laps later.
Brown declined comment afterward. Civali wasn't available for comment, but Civali's car owner, Roger Hill, said that Brown's retaliatory slam "was unnecessary."
Loftin, who won NASCAR's Whelen Southern Modified Tour championship in 2008, returned to Bowman Gray's weekly Modified Division this season for the first time in three years.
He got his third career victory at Bowman Gray, leading all the way in the second race. Chris Fleming finished second and Smith was third.
Myers, who finished 10th in the first race, had to start 10th in the second but finished fourth. His season lead actually increased from 21 to 25 points over Lee Jeffreys. Brown fell 61 points behind.
It was also a tough points night for Zach Brewer, who was sidelined in the second race after an opening-lap crash with Ryan Preece, and Jonathan Brown, who failed to start either race as a result of mechanical problems.
Preece, a 19-year-old driver from Berlin, Conn., made his Bowman Gray debut. Preece, who will compete in today's NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Martinsville, Va., drove a car owned by Danny Baker and normally driven by Rupert Sink.
"I had fun, I experienced it," Preece said. "I definitely had a good time and I'd love to race here again sometime."
Civali, a Connecticut driver who competes in both of NASCAR's northeastern- and southern-based Whelen Modified tours, made his debut at Bowman Gray a week earlier.
Ledbetter took the lead from pole-sitter Scott Hall in the 16th lap and survived six double-file restarts from that point. Ledbetter had finished second in last season's 100-lap race.
tbowman@wsjournal.com.
727-7320
MODIFIED DIVISION
FIRST 20-LAP RACE
Driver (Hometown) Money
1. Tim Brown (Cana, Va.) $950
2. Randy Butner (Pfafftown) 500
3. John Smith (Mount Airy) 425
4. C. Fleming (Mount Airy) 375
5. Zach Brewer (W-Salem) 350
6. Alfred Hill (Jonesville) 275
7. R. Preece (Berlin, Conn.) 260
8. Brian Loftin (Lexington) 245
9. J. Civali (Meriden, Conn.) 230
0. Burt Myers (Walnut Cove) 220
11. Lee Jeffreys (High Point) 210
12. Junior Miller (Danbury) 200
13. Robert Jeffreys (W-Salem) 195
14. J. Myers (Walnut Cove) 190
15. Brad Robbins (W-Salem) 185
16. Kevin Powell (W-Salem) 180
17. Brent Elliott (Denton) 175
18. Austin Pack (Walkertown) 170
19. Dean Ward (W-Salem) 165
20. Bobby Reed (Clemmons) 160
21. M. Clifton (Walkertown) 110
22. Jo. Brown (Kernersville) 110
MODIFIED DIVISION
SECOND 20-LAP RACE
Driver (Hometown) Money
1. Brian Loftin (Lexington) $750
2. C. Fleming (Mount Airy) 500
3. John Smith (Mount Airy) 425
4. Burt Myers (Walnut Cove) 375
5. Lee Jeffreys (High Point) 350
6. Junior Miller (Danbury) 225
7. J. Myers (Walnut Cove) 210
8. Kevin Powell (W-Salem) 195
9. R. Jeffreys (W-Salem) 180
10 Dean Ward (W-Salem) 170
11 R. Preece (Berlin, Conn.) 160
12 M. Clifton (Walkertown) 150
13 Brad Robbins (W-Salem) 145
14 Austin Pack (Walkertown) 140
15 Bobby Reed (Clemmons) 135
16 Alfred Hill (Jonesville) 130
17 Brent Elliott (Denton) 125
18. Randy Butner (Pfafftown) 120
19 J. Civali (Meriden, Conn.) 115
20 Tim Brown (Cana, Va.) 110
21 Zach Brewer (W-Salem) 60
22. Jo. Brown (Kernersville) 60
STREET STOCK DIVISION
20-LAP RACE
Driver (Hometown) Money
1. Matt Cotner (Rural Hall) $185
2. Reggie Doub (Germanton) 135
3. K. Stimpson (Lewisville) 105
4. Tim Vaden (Kernersville) 90
5. Jody Fritts (W-Salem) 80
6. Doug Wall (Pfafftown) 70
7. Billy Gregg (W-Salem) 65
8. David Sumner (Trinity) 110
9. Darren Cotner (King) 55
10. K.C. Myers (Linwood) 50
11. John McNeal (W-Salem) 25
12. Zack Clifton (Walkertown) 25
13. Frank Fritts (Kernersville) 25
14. Richard Reeves (Cooleemee) 25
15. Jerry Helms (W-Salem) 25
16. Kris Hoots (Mocksville) 25
17. Hal Seats (Yadkinville) 20
18. Spencer Martin (W-Salem) 20
19. Michael Nichols (Trinity) 20
20. Brian Wall (W-Salem) 20
21. Daniel Fishel (Greensboro) 20
22. Kevin Gilbert (Pfafftown) 20