Jonathan Brown and Randy Butner Win Twin-50 Races at Bowman Gray Stadium

Jonathan Brown

Jonathan Brown won his second Modified race of the year, and Randy Butner won his first of the year in the twin 50-lap Modified races Saturday night at steamy Bowman Gray Stadium.

The temperatures at the start of the race were in the 90s — and track-surface temperatures were much hotter than that. The track was slippery all night and there were numerous caution periods during the six races.

Brown held off Danny Bohn in the first 50-lap Modified race, winning for the first time since May 12.

The race featured a wreck that involved 19 cars on Lap 22; seven of those cars were taken out. The last caution was on Lap 40, when Steven Truell wrecked.

Brown took the inside on the double-file restart and led the rest of the way.

Brown had been using the backup car of his brother, Joseph, the past two weeks. He didn't get the engine for his car until Saturday at 1 p.m.

"I haven't been able to drive my own car," Jonathan Brown said. "We did not get a motor for that car until 1 o'clock today. So it was last-minute. We missed all practice here. We qualified the best we've qualified all year....

"We led all 50 laps, so it doesn't get better than that."

For Bohn it was more disappointment. Bohn has finished second five times this year. Bohn started eighth on the pre-race draw.

"I don't know what it is," Bohn said. "Like tonight was a draw, we ended up not qualifying well. I had to start eighth. I have a really good car on the restarts, which is on those double-files allows me to get up to the front. As we run longer it tends to tighten up.

"I think it was a lot better in the second one (race). With all that heat on the track, the greasiness on the track to get a judge on your car during practice."

Jonathan Brown said he usually picks the inside on double-file restarts, but Saturday night the position was more important than usual with the track being so slippery. "Normally over here, unless there's something really bad on the inside of the track, if you're leading you're smart to go to the inside and hold that inside line."

The second Modified race started much like the rest of the races, with cautions on Lap 1 and 13. But the top four positions held for the last 30 laps of the 50-lapper.

Butner won the race, beating points-leader Jason Myers. Butner admitted Myers had a better car, but he was able to hold off Myers on the turns for the win. Lee Jeffreys was third in the second race and Bohn finished fourth.

"We've been struggling," Butner said. "We can't quite get handle where we need it to be. We got it good enough to win the pole tonight. We got a good draw for the second race (first place)."

"He ran me clean," Butner said. "He could have taken me out. I wasn't getting in the corners good. I was running loose, and he ran me clean. We were able to pull it off."

Myers said he had a good car.

"We, by far, had the best car that second race," Myers said. "Over here you just take what this place gives you. I could've wrecked Randy, but if you reverse the roles I wouldn't want Randy wrecking me, so I didn't want to wreck Randy."

In the 60-lap Sportsman race, Noah Triplett, who is 16, spun out leader Kenny Bost on lap 47 and led the last 13 laps. It was Triplett's first win. Bost went all the way to seventh on the re-start and finished sixth. Ryan Robertson was second and Derek Stoltz was third. Bost is protesting the results and the results are unofficial.

The race also had 12 caution flags.

"I really didn't mean to get into like that, but racing is racing," Triplett said.

Asked how it feels to be so young and to win his first race: "It feels great."

Stoltz started the race leading the points with 366 points and still leads with 412. Jeff Garrison (387) is second and John Lain (360) is third.

K.J. Stimpson won the 20-lap Stadium Stock race, leading all 20 laps. He had to fend off Whitney Clifton, the daughter of Ronnie Clifton, who races in the Modified Division. Whitney, who finished second, was going for her first win. Billy Gregg was third. David Sumner who started the night with a six-point lead over Gregg for the points lead, finished 10th.

Gregg is now in first place with 450 points, eight ahead of Sumner.

Andrew Sanders won the first 15-lap Stadium Stock race, and his father, A.J., won the second race.

Myers maintained his Modified points lead over Tim Brown. Myers has 428 and Brown has 415 after Brown finished third and 17th.

There will be a week off next before a 100-lap double points race in two weeks.

"That double-points night after we come back from the break will make up for one of these races right here," Myers said.