Since the end of July, much of the headlines surrounding racing at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina hasn’t been about the always aggressive bullring style racing on the track. The hubbub has surrounded what happens behind the field house at the historic ¼ mile oval. 

A crackdown on the rulebook in various divisions has sent shockwaves through the pit area towards the end of the 2025 racing season. The most notable being in the Sportsman division, where since the end of July, several drivers have been torn down, fined, docked points and disqualified from their finishes. 

Let's take a look at the timeline of what has gone down in the division in recent weeks. 

July 26

On the July 26th weekend everything seemed hunky-dory until after the Colors Edge Sportsman 100 was completed. The top-five finishers of the race were pulled behind the ropes of post-race technical inspection. The top-three cars had their right-rear tire pulled for inspection. The top four cars were asked to drop their oil pans. After the process was complete, the top-four finishers were disqualified.

The 100-lap race that night was dominated by Zack Clifton’s number-81 car. In tech, Clifton refused to drop his oil pan and was disqualified from his win, fined $400 and handed an additional 40-point penalty. 

Runner-Up finisher, and Sportsman points leader, Chase Robertson and his team complied with Stadium officials and dropped their oil-pan for a closer look. The engine on the Jerry Hunt Supercenter 31 was deemed legal. However, Robertson, the 2023 Sportsman Champion, was disqualified from his finish, fined $400 and docked 40-points for a tire infraction. The penalty and being scored 19th, at the time, greatly eroded his massive points lead from a 66-point to an 18-point advantage. 

The race’s third-place finisher, Sterling Plemmons, refused to drop his oil pan and became the third disqualification. He too was also assessed a $400 fine and a 40-point penalty. 

But wait, there’s more!  

Fourth Place finisher, Zack Ore didn’t have a tire pulled from his car (Officials only pulled tires from the top-three finishers), but the Pulse Vodka 55-team refused post race technical inspection. Ore did not receive a points penalty or fine but was disqualified from his finish. Ore is the defending champion of the Sportsman division, and was the Division II NASCAR Advance Auto Parts National Champion in 2025.

The fifth place finisher of the race was Justin Taylor. Taylor ended the 100-lap race in the ambulance due to heat exhaustion. While his car was inside the tech area, The “Donkey Strong” 12-team was permitted to pull out of tech due to their driver being transported to a local hospital. Two-days later, Justin Taylor was declared the winner of the Colors Edge 100. 

August 2

The slue of DQ’s was all the talk for the week leading into August 2nd action at the Madhouse. Zach Ore won the first of the Twin-20-lappers at the historic track. Amber Lynn, making her comeback from health complications due to a cyst on the back of her brain, took the second 20-lap feature. There were no disqualifications.

August 9

Fast forward to August 9th and the 1125th NASCAR racing program at “the famed quarter-mile”. While Bowman Gray fans saw another pair of Sportsman races, and another week of Ore and Lynn splitting checkered flags, most of the pit area’s concern was about the loss, that night, of Sportsman driver Robbie Brewer. Brewer, an 11-time Sportsman winner and 2011 Champion, suffered a medical emergency during race number-one and was later pronounced dead at the age of 53. 

After the races, while teams mourned, there was some talk coming out of the technical inspection area once again. Both Ore and Lynn refused tech and were both stripped of their wins. Tommy Neal was declared the winner of the first race, the 56th of his career, while Mitch Gales was awarded his second victory of the season for race-two. 

August 16

The story doesn’t end there. While the August 16th date at Bowman Gray Stadium will be forever remembered for touching tributes to fallen Sportsman driver Robbie Brewer, the technical inspection area behind the Fieldhouse became a headline maker yet again. 

For the third week in a row, Amber Lynn drove her car into victory lane.  For the second week in a row she had to hand back the trophy. Lynn was disqualified for not dropping the oil-pain on her Walkabout Flooring No. 02 in post-race tech. 

Zach Ore took another checkered flag in the second 20-lapper and was asked to drop the oil-pan on his racecar, again, in post race tech. The team did not do so within the allotted time period, resulting in a disqualification from the 55’s race finish.

Sterling Plemmons and points leader Chase Robertson have officially been awarded the August 16th Twin-20 Sportsman wins.

The drama didn’t end there, as Ore filed a protest with Bowman Gray Stadium officials Saturday night against the Harkey Litigation No. 21 of Tommy Neal. Neal had crossed the line sixth and third in the Twin-20 features. Officials and the Mack Little lead team worked late into the night, after most of the haulers had left the pit area, to tear down the powerplant under the hood of Neal’s red-racer. The Heads and Camshaft were both removed and inspected. Both items cleared the process at the track but officials kept the cam for further evaluation. Monday, it was revealed by Tommy Neal that an independent inspection of his camshaft was complete and that his engine was deemed legal. Tuesday, Stadium officials cleared Tommy Neal from the protest with his official result being fifth and second on Saturday night.

What Happens Next?  

Both Zack Ore & Amber Lynn have won two races in-a-row on track, and lost both of them due to post-race technical inspection. Ore has been disqualified three-times in the last handful of weeks. Both drivers have expressed their opinions on social media. Ore hinted that he may retire from racing at the Stadium to concentrate on his daughter’s racing at Millbridge Speedway.  Lynn said that her sponsors have given her the ability to come back for the season finale. 

Bowman Gray Stadium officials have confirmed with FloRacing that both drivers will have to undergo inspection this Saturday before being allowed to compete in the season-ending race. 

Bowman Gray Stadium’s 76th season of NASCAR Racing concludes on Saturday, August 24th with a double-point season-finale to decide the 2025 Champions. The NASCAR Brad’s Golf Cars Modifieds headline the car with the AG FarmSouth 150 while the Sportsman close their season with a 40-lap feature event. The QRC HVAC and Refrigeration Street Stocks will race 20-laps and the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series will conclude their season with a single championship race. 

Stadium Gates will open at 6 p.m. ET with the first feature race slated for an 8 p.m. green-flag. Tickets are only $12 with child’s tickets (6-11 years old) only costing $2, and children under 5-years of age are free. Tickets can be purchased at the Stadium gates or in-advance using the TicketHoss app. 

All NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series races from historic Bowman Gray Stadium are broadcast live on Saturday nights at 7:45 p.m. ET on FloRacing.