Bowman-Gray Stadium
| NASCAR's longest-running weekly race track | |
|---|---|
| Location | 1250 S Martin Luther King Jr, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27107 |
| Capacity | 17,000 |
| Owner | City of Winston-Salem |
| Operator | Gray Garrison |
| Broke ground | 1936 |
| Opened | 1937 |
| Major events |
NASCAR Grand National (1958-1971) NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (2011-2015) Whelen Southern Modified Tour |
| 1/4 mile flat oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.25 mi (0.40 km) |
| Banking | 0 Degrees |
| Lap record | 12.965 seconds (Tim Brown, Brown Motorsports, 2016, Modified Division) |
| The Madhouse, Home of the Hot Modifieds | |
| Location | 1250 S Martin Luther King Jr, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27107 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°4′58″N 80°13′20″W / 36.08278°N 80.22222°WCoordinates: 36°4′58″N 80°13′20″W / 36.08278°N 80.22222°W |
| Owner | City of Winston-Salem |
| Operator | Dale Pinilis |
| Capacity | 17,000 |
| Surface | Turf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1936 |
| Opened | 1937 |
| Tenants | |
|
Winston-Salem State Rams (NCAA) (1956-present) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (NCAA) (1956-1967) |
|
Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned 1⁄4-mile (0.40 km) asphalt flat oval short track and longstanding football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most legendary venues, and is referred to as "NASCAR's longest-running weekly race track". Bowman Gray Stadium is part of the Winston-Salem Sports and Entertainment Complex and is home of the Winston-Salem State University Rams football team. It was also the home of the Wake Forest University football team from 1956 until Groves Stadium (later BB&T Field) opened in 1968. Bowman Gray Stadium was a popular venue for high school football in the 1970s and 1980s. Parkland and R.J. Reynolds High Schools shared Bowman Gray Stadium as their home field for high school football until the two schools built their own facility (Deaton-Thompson Stadium) in 1994.
The first NASCAR-sanctioned event took place on May 18, 1949 and was won by Fonty Flock. The track was opened by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins, and remains operated by members of the Hawkins family to this day. In 2015, Bowman Gray celebrated its 1,000th NASCAR sanctioned race
The first Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) event took place in 1958 and it was won by Bob Welborn. Other winners include Glen Wood, Rex White, David Pearson, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Junior Johnson and Marvin Panch. The Grand National Series first raced at the track in 1958 and hosted a total of 29 Grand National races through 1971.
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