Burt Myers and crew brawl with officials at Franklin County

Update and correction: Carolina Crate Series director Keith Graham reached out to note that the yellow shirt officials were track officials and not his series officials, and that his crew would not behave that way.

—

The Carolina Crate Modified Series race at Franklin County in Virginia was decided six laps short of its scheduled finish due to a brawl involving Burt Myers, on behalf of 15-year-old son Slate behind the wheel of their car, and series officials on the frontstretch.

The entire ordeal began with an incident involving Slate Myers and Paul Hall racing for third place with seven laps left. Myers passed on the outside but was spun on exit.

Race control ordered Myers to go to the rear of the field but he objected, either on his own or on the recommendation from his father.

That detail wasn’t immediately known.

Myers eventually drove right back under caution where he thought he should have blended back in and rode there despite being told repeatedly by race control to go further to the rear, behind Richie Cooper. You could hear the race director increasingly getting more and more animated on the FloRacing race broadcast, his loud orders bleeding over onto the broadcasters microphones.

The series eventually stopped scoring Myers and then he was ordered to get off the track. Myers once again refused and the race resumed even with Myers on the track.

An immediate, unrelated, spin brought the field under caution and Myers still refused to get off the track. As a result, race control red flagged the race to sort out the issue.

Burt Myers then walked over to the frontstretch where he tossed his headset at one official before being met by another at the start-finish line. The elder Myers, a 10-time Bowman Gray Stadium champion, was then met by additional officials where both the shouting and punching commenced.

There was more brawling that even the FloRacing broadcast did not pick up.

Longtime short track racing content creator Corey Latham was on site and shot footage.

Tempers erupted during the Carolina crate modified main event at Franklin County Speedway pic.twitter.com/Yc0NG4HzDy

— The Derek Pernesiglio Show (@RealDPShow) May 25, 2024

The race was a companion event alongside the SMART Modified Tour and officials from that series worked to separate the Myers clan and Carolina Crate officials from each other.

The race was deemed official at that point with Dale Ogburn and James Blewett and Cody Norman on the podium. Ogburn led every lap.

“We’ve been struggling all year,” Ogburn said. “To get this win tonight means the world to me, especially with my son here.”

What did Blewett know about the fight?

“I didn’t see anything,” Blewett said. “I wish we just could have finished the race because I think we would have had a shot to win.”

Carson Loftin claims fifth SMARTY trophy as Baldwin, Newman clash

The full broadcast can be found below.