The second weekend of Modified competition in Bowman Gray Stadium’s 2021 season showcased the track’s past and its future.
While ten-time Modified champion Tim Brown registered his 92nd career victory in the first 25-lap race, John Holleman IV had the opportunity to celebrate his first in front of an ecstatic crowd.
Holleman said that winning in a Modified was a surreal experience knowing that he has joined an exclusive group of winners in the division that include Brown and the driver his car was paying tribute to in Junior Miller.
“I don’t know what to say,” Holleman said. “Getting my name in the record books is amazing, especially since I’m driving the No. 69 made famous by Junior Miller. He’s the king, but tonight was a product of how great this car is.”
Holleman is one of the newest members to Bowman Gray’s Modified class, as Saturday was only his fourth start in the division after previously racing Sportsman cars.
The transition has been far from easy for Holleman but he and his crew worked tirelessly on their Modified to ensure that it would be ready for Bowman Gray’s grand opening on June 5.
Holleman only had to wait one more week before adding his name to Bowman Gray’s prestigious list of Modified winners. He led all 25 laps in the second feature after edging out polesitter Jeremy Gerstner on the initial start.
“Jeremy is a classy competitor,” Holleman said. “I didn’t know if I could get by him but we had to get him on the start if we were going to win the race. I kept him pinned down and put the power down on the outside. After that, we just couldn’t make any mistakes.”
Holleman was able to enjoy his comfortable lead while the familiar frontrunners in Brown, Burt and Jason Myers were unable to move up from the middle of the field following the invert at the end of the first race.
While Brown had hoped to sweep both 25-lap features on Saturday night, he was more than happy to take home just one victory following a disappointing showing last weekend.
“It felt great to be back in the winner’s circle on the second weekend,” Brown said. “Last week we lost power steering before the race even started so we just rode around and salvaged the night. This is a brand new car and we’re going to keep tweaking on it to make it better.”
Holleman knows that wins are not going to come easy against regulars like Brown but he intends to cherish his first win as much as possible before starting his preparations for next Saturday’s event.
“That victory lap might have been the slowest I’ve ever gone around Bowman Gray,” Holleman said. “I had to soak it all in but this is a team effort. My wife has to come to the garage at night to see me because I’m always working on the car whenever I’m not at my regular job. I’m just so proud of everybody that makes this happen. We couldn’t do it without them.”
Although Brown’s milestone of 92 victories will be a near-impossible one for Holleman to reach, he is determined to keep making the same sacrifices as his predecessors so he can carve out his own legacy at Bowman Gray.
Race 1:
1. Tim Brown
2. Burt Myers
3. Jason Myers
4. Chris Fleming
5. Brandon Ward
6. Jonathan Brown
7. James Civali
8. John Smith
9. Danny Bohn
10. Lee Jeffreys
11. John Holleman IV
12. Jeremy Gerstner
13. Randy Butner
14. Danny Probst
15. Daniel Beeson
16. BoBo Brown
17. Michael Clifton
18. Crab Smith
19. Bussy Beavers
20. Brad Robbins
21. Susan Harwell
22. Chris Williams
23. Andrew Harrah
Race 2:
1. John Holleman IV
2. Danny Bohn
3. Lee Jeffreys
4. John Smith
5. Johnathan Brown
6. James Civali
7. Brandon Ward
8. Chris Fleming
9. Burt Myers
10. Jason Myers
11. Tim Brown
12. Jeremy Gerstner
13. Randy Butner
14. Danny Probst
15. Daniel Beeson
16. Andrew Harrah
17. Michael Clifton
18. Crab Smith
19. Bussy Beavers
20. Bobo Brown
21. Susan Harwell
22. Chris Williams
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