ABOUT US | BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM

ABOUT US NASCAR'S LONGEST RUNNING WEEKLY TRACK Located conveniently in downtown Winston-Salem, NC, Bowman Gray Stadium is the definition of excellence in short track racing. Each and every Saturday night in spring and summer, thousands and thousands of fans pack the stands to see the most exciting racing action found anywhere.

On any given Saturday night, the stands at Bowman Gray Stadium will be packed with children, families, parents, and grandparents. For many area families, a picnic at the Stadium and then watching the racing action is a Saturday night tradition. After the night's racing draws to a close, the pit area is opened to the public, and smiling children expectantly wait in line to get autographs from their favorite drivers.

A large part of the family appeal comes from the budget-friendly ticket prices at Bowman Gray Stadium. Adult admission is only $15, children 6-11 can get in for $2, and children 5 and under are free!

A LEGENDARY PART OF NASCAR'S HISTORY

Bowman Gray Stadium is NASCAR's very first weekly track, a famed quarter-mile where the sound of roaring engines and cheering fans has been heard since 1949. Racing at Bowman Gray Stadium was started by Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins, two men who were founding fathers of NASCAR itself. It's the track where Richard Petty won his 100th race. It's the track where a young Richard Childress fell in love with racing, hawking peanuts in the stands and then later taking the wheel himself.

It's the track where Junior Johnson, Glen Wood, David Pearson, Richie Evans, and Jerry Cook competed. It's the track that has been part of such racing dynasties as the Pettys, the Allisons, the Myerses, and the Earnhardts. It's the track with drivers whose fathers and grandfathers used to race at Bowman Gray, where fans come to see the racing action just like their great-grandparents did so long ago.

Today, a new generation of legends races at Bowman Gray. This season, future Hall-of-Famers may be taking the checkered flag, giants of racing whetting their appetites at the longest running weekly track in all of NASCAR.

Each and every week, four classes of competition take the stage on the bullring that is Bowman Gray Stadium. That gives fans the chance to see multiple storylines, multiple battles for the checkered, multiple moves for the finish line, and multiple reasons to stand on their feet.

Modifieds, NASCAR's first sanctioned division, have been the featured division at Bowman Gray Stadium since racing began in 1949. At 2650 pounds minimum, the lightweight Modifieds are still the most powerful cars sanctioned by NASCAR. With their open-wheeled design, Modifieds bear no resemblance to today's stock cars. Completely engineered from the ground up with racing body, transmission, suspension, steering, braking, and engine components, the engine block is the only part that can be readily identified with a car manufacturer.

The Sportsman Division includes selected late model cars that must remain stock in appearance. Unmodified eight-cylinder "crate motors" are used in this class.

The Street Stock Division is similar to the Sportsman Division. Street Stock cars have smaller carburetors and also weigh more than Sportsman cars.

The Stadium Stock Division is open to foreign and domestic cars and mini-trucks with stock bodies and four-cylinder engines. Only minor engine and chassis modifications are allowed. The minimum allowed weight is 1,800 pounds (without driver) with at least one pound for each cc (cubic centimeter of piston displacement).