What to know if you are heading to opening night of Bowman Gray Stadium racing

The 77th season of racing at Bowman Gray Stadium is scheduled to begin on Saturday night and, thanks to Mother Nature, the skies should be clear.

A good forecast means there should be a capacity crowd of around 14,000 at the famed quarter-mile track.

Here are some things to know about this season:

For the first time since 2019, the admission price has increased from $12 to $15. However, fans can order season tickets for the first time this season, and if they do, it averages out to $12 for the 18 weeks.

Online tickets also are available, but there's a fee for those. You do get to skip the ticket lines to get in.

Parking remains free, and fans can bring food into the stands provided it's in a small enough cooler.

Because Brandon Ward will be focusing more on the SMART Modified Tour, he won't be in the 18-week grind of trying to defend his points championship. Ward has won two titles, but, thanks to a few more sponsors, he's going to branch out this season to other tracks and not race every Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium.

With Ward out of the picture, Tim Brown and Burt Myers, who have combined for 25 Modified titles, will be favorites again. Others who could be in the mix this year are Chris Fleming, Junior Snow, Mike Sweeney, Jason Myers, Riley Neal, Randy Butner and Lee Jeffreys.

Chase Robertson, the defending champion in the Sportsman Division, also will drive only four or five times in that division. He'll also be racing at other tracks this summer.

Bryan Sykes Jr. won't defend his Street Stock championship because he's moved up to the Sportsman Division.

In the Stadium Stock Division, Brandon Brendle is expected back this season, but his son's baseball exploits will determine if Brendle runs a full season.

There could be different champions in all four divisions by August.

Amber Lynn (Sportsman) and Zack Staley (Street Stock) will not be running at Bowman Gray Stadium this season.

Lynn will be announcing her racing plans for this summer next week, but she said in a text message and on social media that she won't be running at the stadium. She will be there to support boyfriend Kirk Sheets, who runs in the Sportsman Division.

Staley, who was suspended for much of last season, is also indefinitely suspended for this season. A NASCAR spokesman said Staley is not welcome at the stadium.

Through social media, Staley released a letter from Winston-Salem Speedway Inc. that said he was suspended.

Fans will notice an updated and enhanced scoreboard that has opened up plenty of sponsorship opportunities. The new scoreboard is also capable of replays and more that will make it easier for fans to follow along each Saturday night.

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 1:18 PM.