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LUCAMA, N.C. :: Bradley McCaskill returned to Late Model Stock racing for the first time in over three months Saturday night, scoring a pair of runner-up finishes at Southern National Motorsports Park.

McCaskill finished second to Tyler Matthews in the first 40-lap feature of the evening before chasing Matt Bowling to the checkered flag in the second Late Model Stock race of the night.

McCaskill, racing for the first time after suffering third-degree burns in an incident at East Carolina Motor Speedway on June 4, qualified third for the first race of the night at the Lucama, North Carolina facility. The 27-year-old from Knightdale, North Carolina took the second position from Bowling on a lap 12 restart, but could not reel in Matthews for the victory.

A relaxed and excited McCaskill expressed that he hadn’t missed a beat despite his absence.

“It’s like riding a bike,” McCaskill said after the first race. “I just hopped right back in. Not a whole lot different has changed. I’m just getting to turn more laps, and I’m just happy to do it.”

McCaskill said he experienced no pain or discomfort during the race, outside of the disappointment of missing out on a victory.

“Yeah, finishing second. That’s about it,” McCaskill answered when asked about any discomfort in the car. “Everything felt fine, felt great, so we’re looking forward to the next race. I think everybody saved a lot so it should be an interesting race.”

McCaskill correctly predicted that several drivers saved tires and equipment during the first race, while Matthews faded to a sixth-place finish in the second feature.

However, McCaskill once again came home second, after a bold move by NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Championship Matt Bowling. Bowling executed a three-wide pass for the lead on the opening lap and held off McCaskill’s charges throughout the race.

Despite missing out on another win, McCaskill was still all smiles after the second race.

“We put together two strong runs,” said McCaskill. “We just came out here to gain some track time. I felt like we had a great car, but a couple of guys were just a little better than us.”

“The 63 [of Matthews] really used up his stuff in the first race, and then the 83 [of Bowling] saved enough for the second race,” McCaskill added. “We were right in the middle. Second place ain’t bad, though.”

While McCaskill longed for a win in his return to action, he had no intention of “stealing” one from Bowling. McCaskill noted Bowling had raced him cleanly and respectfully throughout the evening, as well as the national championship implications riding on their battle.

“I really wanted a win, but it wasn’t worth knocking someone out of the national championship just for that,” McCaskill said. “I don’t really race to knock someone out, especially someone with that much on the line. I try to show a little bit of respect. He showed it to me, so I’ll show it back to him.”

Ultimately, the biggest joy for McCaskill came from returning to the race track. Surrounded by family for post-race photos, it was hard to tell he had been gone at all.

“Everywhere we go, outside of racing, we’re still a big family and we still spend every minute together,” McCaskill said. “This is just another opportunity for us to spend time together and have a little fun racing while doing it.”

Zach Evans is in his second season covering short track racing, A 2012 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Evans is a proud alumnus of The Daily Tar Heel, the school's award-winning independent student newspaper.

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