Zack Staley has been suspended from Bowman Gray Stadium for the rest of the season.
During the Street Stock race on Saturday, Kyler Staley, son of Zack, and Brad Lewis were battling for the win on the final lap. As they were side-by-side off Turn 4, Zack — who was running at the tail-end of the lead lap — appeared to slow down in front of Brad in an attempt to help Kyler win.
Brad was scored the winner in a photo finish. After the checkered flag, Emilee Lewis, who finished third and is the daughter of Brad, wrecked Zack Staley into Turn 1. After the cars parked on the frontstretch, Zack got out of his car, still sitting in Turns 1 and 2, and sprinted across the infield.
He got to Emilee’s car and drop kicked the windshield. He then grabbed the hood of her car, ripping at it before track officials and police pulled him off.
As a result, Zack Staley will not be allowed to race at Bowman Gray for the rest of the season.
“They didn’t really give me an explanation other than I was already on a short leash from last year,” Zack told Short Track Scene. “They make their list up as they go, just like they do the rules. They just said that I was on a short leash from last year, that I would be suspended for the rest of the year.”
Zack said that he did not block the leaders, as he does not have mirrors and was suffering from damage he sustained earlier in the race.
“I don’t have a mirror in my race car. I don’t race with mirrors. This whole thing, that I was blocking, is not necessarily the situation. On lap two, the [No. 19] car spun out in front of the field. A car clipped him, [then] everybody got piled up, and I got drove over.
“I had to go to the pits and get all the stuff taken off my car. Normally when I’m by myself on the race track I don’t use the brakes. I just let the car roll off in [the turn]. We don’t use much brakes there. With the gear we’ve got it slows the car down pretty good without using the brakes as much, unless you’re in traffic.
“When I got in traffic, I noticed the brakes feeling wrong. On Lap 12 I took my teammate out. I didn’t mean to. I went in there with no brakes. [After that] I was just trying to ride around. I was watching out trying not to destroy anyone else’s race car or tear mine up anymore and just finish the race.
“I was watching [the leaders] across the field and didn’t even know that they were even that close to me. For somebody to say I was interfering with the race; if I was going to interfere with the race, wouldn’t I have done it before the checkered flag? I don’t think I can interfere with the race [when] I was two car lengths past the finish line whenever they crossed the finish line.
“I don’t think that’s interfering with the race. But that’s not what Bowman Gray said. They just said that I would be suspended the rest of the season because I was already on a so-called short leash, is what they quoted. I didn’t know I was a dog and that I was walked on a leash. But that was their quote-unquote reason.”
Zack does not plan to have a conversation with Emilee or Brad, but did commend Brad for how he raced Kyler.
“I don’t have anything to say to [Emilee],” Zack said
“Maybe something to [Brad] for respecting what I said on Facebook the week before. He took [Kyler] out for no reason, so I made a little post about if anybody touched my race car that it was going to be World War III, and I held up my end of the deal. I’m not a bad guy but if I tell you something I can take it to the bank.
“I respect Brad for taking the outside and racing Kyler. Congratulations to him on the win. If they raced like that the whole season we would have never had the issues we had. [Emilee] had a bumper issue the whole race. I’m not the only person she spun out that race. There were four cars she turned around and plowed her way through. You can’t expect people to respect you if you race people like that.”
Zack was surprised that Emilee did not receive a penalty for wrecking him after the race and was not happy about being crashed after the checkered flag.
“I don’t take it lightly that I was hit after the race,” Zack said. “I think that the suspension was a little harsh, as far as [being suspended] the rest of the season. The [No.] 82 car got suspended for hitting me after the race [before]. I don’t see any difference in [what] the [No.] 4 car [did].
“I don’t know. That place is very bias and when your family works the gate, in the tower, sells all the parts in the pits, and races there, that family gets away with murder is what it looks like.”
While Zack is suspended the season, his team still plans to run. Kyler was suspended for three weeks as part of the fallout, but his other cars will still be racing.
“They didn’t say anything about the team and they didn’t say that I couldn’t come [to the race track],” Zack said
“I assume that they said the suspension would be driving. Honestly I don’t know. They didn’t elaborate. They never really had a good explanation. Theres no real rule book, they come up with it as they go. If they allow me [to be at the track] then yes [I’ll be there], if not I’ll be in the parking lot selling T-shirts.”
As mentioned, Kyler Staley has been suspended as well for three weeks following his actions after the race.
“[It was] for what happened after the race. Me getting out of my car and standing on the roof and fighting,” Kyler said.
While Kyler just lost out to Brad in the photo finish, he was not happy with how he lost.
“I could have run [Brad] in the wall and 100 percent won the race,” Kyler said.
“I don’t like racing like that. That’s not how I was raised. I didn’t want to win the race like that. It surprised me [seeing Zack at the finish]. I know his car was damaged. My spotter told me he didn’t have any brakes. I could have run [Brad] up the track and used my dad as a pick but I went to the bottom and gave him room and he still drove through the right side of my car.”
Kyler said he also doesn’t think he will have a conversation with anyone.
“I messaged [Brad] my phone phone number because he said he wanted to talk and now he don’t want to talk,” Kyler said. “If that’s how he wants to do it that’s how we’ll do it the rest of the year.”
The suspension will be of detriment to Kyler’s championship hopes, as he sits in third in the Street Stock points standings, 46 points behind leader Bryan Sykes, Jr.
Brad and Emilee Lewis could not be reached as of press time.
Scotte is from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, living just a few minutes from the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway. Scotte has raced at local dirt tracks for over six years, as well as covering NASCAR and short track races for over a year now, and has a firey passion for all motorsports, working to achieve a career as a driver.
