The story of Bowman Gray Stadium can not be told without mentioning Tim Brown or Burt Myers.
Both began their respective careers at the facility in the 1990s and have since become the two most dominant drivers in Bowman Gray history with 178 victories between them and 10 titles apiece.
Brown and Myers will have an opportunity to claim an unprecedented 11th championship in Saturday’s season finale; a concept that Myers has not seriously pondered while trying to keep his program competitive in 2021.
“We really don’t think about milestones unless other people mention them to us,” Myers said. “We’re always getting after it and accomplishments don’t often cross our minds. To be able to have a shot at 11 track championships is just really unbelievable.”
Myers has won the last four track championships at Bowman Gray and is only four points away from a fifth title despite having a quieter season by his standards.
The lone victory at Bowman Gray for Myers in 2021 so far came back on June 26 but consistency has kept his title hopes alive. Through 12 races, Myers has only finished outside the Top 10 twice.
Myers said that quality finishes are always difficult to accomplish at Bowman Gray with races ranging from 150-lap endurance events to twin 25-lap features that require a strong qualifying run or an invert to be at the front of the field.
Despite the varying formats, Myers remains one of the top drivers at Bowman Gray well into his 40s and considers himself fortunate that he gets to play out a familiar scenario in which him and Brown are once again battling for a track title.
“It’s kind of the norm racing with Tim now I guess,” Myers said. “It’s amazing to think about what Tim and I have accomplished together and we both have a shot at making history yet again. Tim’s been going [to Bowman-Gray] all his life like me and he’s also been blessed with good cars, good sponsors and good health.”
Brown, who turned 50 this year, further solidified his position atop Bowman Gray’s all-time wins list with three victories on the 2021 season, giving him 94 in total throughout his prestigious career.
Like Myers, Brown fully understands the challenges that come with winning on a regular basis at Bowman Gray but he said that none of his achievements would have occurred without the long-time assistance of his crew and sponsors.
“It’s all about the people,” Brown said. “If you surround yourself with good people then you’re going to have success, whether that’s in racing or life in general. We have great sponsors to go with a great race team, so I’ve been very fortunate.”
Only one race stands between Brown and an 11th track championship, which is a 150-lap feature that is expected to include one of the largest fields of the season and also award double points to competitors.
With a miniscule difference between himself and Myers in the standings, Brown knows that he will have to be perfect through all 15 laps on Saturday so he can bring home his first Bowman Gray championship since the 2015 season.
“My plan is to sit on the pole, lead every lap and win the race,” Brown said. “We work hard each and every week to bring the best possible piece to the track, so if we do everything we’re supposed to do on Saturday, we’ll win the championship.”
Should Brown and Myers end up tying in the standings at the end of Saturday’s night feature, the championship would be awarded to Brown due to him having two more victories than Myers on the year.
While Myers would prefer to redo a couple of races, he feels calm and composed ahead of the season finale and is focused on putting together a race-winning car that will provide Brown an intense challenge all evening long.
“The pressure is on Tim,” Myers said. “My goal is to go and win the race Saturday night but if I do that and Tim ends up winning the championship by finishing second, then I know that I did all I could. We’re going into the event open minded, so we’ll just see what happens.”
The past three decades of racing at Bowman Gray have been filled with many memorable battles between Brown and Myers, all while thousands of fans have been enthralled by their on-track pursuits and passion for winning.
Another chapter in their storied rivalry will come to a close on Saturday evening, with either Brown or Myers holding the distinction as the first 11-time track champion in Bowman Gray history.
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