Bowman Gray Stadium
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Bowman Gray Stadium is a multi-use sports facility in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...
. The complex consists of a paved oval short track and a
gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...
field. The complex has held various major events since its opening in 1938, including
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
-sanctioned events and college football games for the
Wake Forest Demon Deacons The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...
and the
Winston-Salem State Rams The Winston-Salem State Rams are the athletic teams that represent Winston-Salem State University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Rams compete as members of the Central Intercollegiate Ath ...
. Bowman Gray Stadium is owned by the city of Winston-Salem and operated by both NASCAR and
Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is a historically black public university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. History Winston-Salem State University was founded as "Slater Industrial A ...
for events. Built during the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, Bowman Gray Stadium opened in 1938, hosting football games and festivals in its first year.
Auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
made its first appearance the year after. After a short-lived attempt, racing was revived in 1947 when the dirt track around the football field was paved under promoter Lou Franco. Two years later, businessmen
Bill France Sr. William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992) was an American businessman and racing driver. He was also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill. He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based s ...
and Alvin Hawkins took over the stadium's racing promotions under the sanctioning body of NASCAR, with racing becoming a mainstay after NASCAR's rise in popularity. Over the following decades, the stadium's condition declined steadily. In 1990s and 2000s, a series of renovations were made to the stadium, improving its amenities and condition. In the 2020s, further renovations to the stadium were made, leading to the return of the top-tier
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
after over 50 years of absence.


Description


Amenities

Bowman Gray Stadium (BGS) is located in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...
, and served by
U.S. Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major U.S. Highway in the Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a north ...
and
U.S. Route 421 U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highwa ...
. As of 2024, the stadium has a capacity of 17,000 according to ''
The Athletic ''The Athletic'' is a subscription-based sports journalism department of ''The New York Times''. It provides national and local coverage in 47 North American cities as well as the United Kingdom. ''The Athletic'' also covers national stories ...
''. The stadium's football field, currently named the "Bill Hayes Field" in honor of former Winston-Salem State football coach Bill Hayes, is made out of
grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...
according to the ''
Winston-Salem Journal The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by Lee Enterprises. ''The Journ ...
''.


Racetrack configuration

The racing track in its current form is measured at with completely flat banking throughout the track.


Stadium history


Early years


Planning and construction

In November 1936 and in the midst of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, plans were filed by
Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...
, mayor W. T. Wilson to the
Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
(WPA) for a potential 10,000-seat, $100,000 (adjusted for inflation, $) horseshoe stadium funded by the city and Nathalie Gray Bernard, the widow of Bowman Gray Sr. who was a former president of the
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded by namesake R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the largest tobacco company in the United States. The company is a w ...
. The project was approved by the state WPA branch within the month; however, work on the project was delayed until the following year for the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
to finalize funding for the WPA's 1937 budget. In January 1937, further plans were released for the facility, with the full stadium plans revealed to be a 11,500-seat football stadium on a plot of land. After Gray promised to invest $35,000 (adjusted for inflation, $) into the project, the WPA approved the project in February. Construction began on the now-named "Bowman Gray Stadium" (BGS) on February 23, with an initial scheduled completion date of June 30. However, by July, although "steady progress" was made, only parts of the grandstand were completed. In August, $54,000 in additional funding was approved to expand parking space and add other amenities to the stadium. By January 1938, all major construction work was completed on the stadium. Within the month, the first event for the facility was announced: a
gridiron football Gridiron football ( ),"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' ...
game between the
Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...
and the
Wake Forest Demon Deacons The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...
in October of that year. In March, the stadium itself was completed. At the end of the stadium's construction, the project costed $200,000 (adjusted for inflation, $), twice over the original budget.


First events and short-lived auto racing promotions

BGS officially opened on May 1, 1938, for a Christian music festival. The first
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
game occurred on October 22 of that year, with Duke winning against Wake Forest in a 7-0 score. The first auto racing events, a
midget car Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small, with a very high power-to-weight ratio, and typically use four-cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on most ...
program organized by promoter J. C. Calhoun, occurred a year later on September 1 on a dirt track surrounding the football field, with the first race being won by Johnny Wohlfiel. In 1947, another set of midget programs were scheduled and organized by a group named the National Sports Syndicate (NSS) and its director Lou Franco. Under NSS' control, the dirt track was paved with asphalt and set up with protective guardrail in June with city funding under the agreement that NSS would eventually pay off the paving. Both the races and Franco received heavy scrutiny for lackluster attendance and a lack of safety measures leading to accidents causing severe injuries, including a crash that killed driver Bernie Fox. In August, with Franco facing a combined debt of approximately $1,400 (adjusted for inflation, $) to multiple companies, he left the city, failing to pay any of his debts. Four months later, the city was reported to have lost $1,700 from NSS failing to pay rent.


France Sr.–Hawkins partnership, subsequent financial recovery

After a brief auto racing period under promoter Red Crise that also failed due to low attendance, in 1949, racing promoters
Bill France Sr. William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992) was an American businessman and racing driver. He was also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill. He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based s ...
and Alvin Hawkins took over the stadium's racing lease to host
stock car races Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporation in proportion t ...
under the newly formed sanctioning body of
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
. In a 1956 ''
Twin City Sentinel The ''Twin-City Sentinel'' was the name of the afternoon newspaper published in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The ''Sentinel''s masthead was dropped in 1985 when operations were absorbed into its sister paper, the morning ''Winston-Salem Journal ...
'' interview, Hawkins stated that France Sr. was hesitant to host races at the stadium until he convinced him otherwise. As part of the agreement, they agreed to pay off Franco's debts for paving the track according to former BGS publicist Hank Schoolfield. The duo's programs were successful in their first year, and they agreed to continue their lease for the following year. By the fourth year of their tenure, with auto races becoming increasingly popular, BGS was able to get out of financial debt and "
white elephant A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of without extreme difficulty, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, ...
" status, earning increasing annual profits and making subsequent renovations to the stadium's scoreboard and lighting system. In 1954, expansions were made to the stadium's field house and seating capacity at a cost of approximately $100,000, in the process increasing capacity to 17,970. In 1958, the stadium experienced its second fatality after driver Billy Myers collapsed during a race, most likely dying from a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
.


Slow period of improvements, brief Cup Series period, first failed WSSU sale proposal

BGS hosted its first
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
race on May 24, 1958, with
Bob Welborn Robert "Bob" Joe Welborn (May 5, 1928 – August 10, 1997) of Denton, North Carolina, Denton was a NASCAR Grand National Series driver. He was named to NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998. He won the final three NASCAR Convertible Division ...
winning the event. In 1966, the oval track was repaved with a "slight banking"; the first complete repave since the track's initial paving. Starting in the early 1970s, BGS racing officials briefly hosted motorcycle races on a temporary sand and dirt surface that was placed on top of the paved track surface. Also in 1971, the racing oval hosted its last Cup Series race at the stadium until 2025. The race ended with winner
Bobby Allison Robert Arthur Allison (December 3, 1937 – November 9, 2024) was an American professional stock car racing driver and owner. Allison was the founder of the Alabama Gang, a group of drivers based in Hueytown, Alabama, where there were abundant ...
being disqualified for running a smaller
Grand American Grand American was a NASCAR sanctioned series of pony car stock cars. The series ran from 1968 until 1972. The series was called "Grand Touring" from 1968 to 1969. History The series was formed in 1968 under the name "Grand Touring" as a compet ...
car instead of a larger Grand National car despite the race being a "combination" race where both styles of cars could compete. The decision stood until 2024 when NASCAR awarded the victory back to Allison. Two years later, the track was again completely repaved, this time with widened turn exits and straightaways. By 1978, the stadium's condition was declining. In a ''
Winston-Salem Journal The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by Lee Enterprises. ''The Journ ...
'' interview, Alvin Hawkins' son who took over auto racing promoting duties after Alvin's death, Joe, stated that after former track general manager Ivan Basch's departure in 1967, "it's just kinda hard to get he cityto do anything at the stadium anymore." In 1979,
Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is a historically black public university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. History Winston-Salem State University was founded as "Slater Industrial A ...
(WSSU) chancellor Douglas Covington expressed interest at purchasing the stadium for $125,000, with support coming from the city's Recreation and Parks Commission. The following year, WSSU increased their offer to $450,000 in the wake of the city investing $100,000 in renovations; however, the vote for approval of the purchase from the city's board of aldermen was delayed extensively and eventually died due to a lack of support from the board. In 1997, the city of Winston-Salem proposed to invest $1.15 million in bonds to renovate the stadium by the raising of taxes. However, the plan was killed in a vote amongst the city's residents. Two years later, the city pushed efforts to rebuild the stadium's press box, which was infested with
termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...
s; the plans were approved in October of that year. In 2001, WSSU athletic director Percy Caldwell began negotiating with the city to renovate the stadium's field house. After four years, the renovation was approved. After a year in delays, the old field house was demolished in April 2006, with construction on the new field house starting four months later. The $5.1 million, field house was completed in late 2007, which included a new scoreboard.


Second failed WSSU sale, renovations, return of NASCAR Cup Series

With the city of Winston-Salem facing heavy budget deficits in the early 2010s, plans were first drafted in March 2012 to sell Bowman Gray Stadium to WSSU. WSSU initially attempted to borrow $7.5 million from the North Carolina state government in order to purchase the facility, but it was rejected by state lawmakers in June. WSSU again attempted to place efforts into purchasing the stadium in the following year with additional support from NASCAR team owner
Richard Childress Richard Reed Childress (born September 21, 1945) is an American former race car driver in NASCAR. Childress is the owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR). In 2004, he opened a vineyard in the Yadkin Valley AVA near Lexington, North Carolina, Le ...
. With the purchase price of $7.1 million being set, the sale was proposed to the
North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, state government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
under bill S.B. 480. The General Assembly approved S.B. 480 on July 26. However, by April 2014, "no firm word" was given on when the university would officially purchase the stadium, with city officials waiting for a state estimate. After a state approval on a price of $7.3 million in June, news on the potential sale stayed largely dormant until 2017, when it was revealed that the purchase was awaiting environmental approval from the state's Department of Environmental Quality. In November 2018, Winston-Salem city officials announced a $9 million renovation project focusing on the resurfacing of the auto racing track and other improvements to stadium amenities, in the process keeping the site under the city's control; by this point, WSSU officials pulled out of purchasing the facility. The plan was approved by the Winston-Salem City Council in April 2019, with construction starting on the project in November 2020, with the project now expanding to include the regrading of the stadium's football field. Both the repave and the regrading were completed in 2021, and the overall project was completed in April 2022. Within the month of April, an additional $530,020 grant was given from the North Carolina state government was awarded for additional renovations. Five months later, another repave of the track surface was made due after it experienced unusual levels of deterioration during the 2022 racing season. In March 2024, the sanctioning body of NASCAR took over the auto racing operations lease from the Hawkins family-owned Winston-Salem Speedway, Inc., ending a 75-year lease. Five months after NASCAR's takeover, NASCAR executive vice president Ben Kennedy announced the Cup Series' return for 2025 to the facility, moving the exhibition and non-points paying race known as
the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
from the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the Los Angeles Coliseum or L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hal ...
to Bowman Gray Stadium. In preparation for the event, numerous renovations were made. By January 2025, a new lighting system was installed and the surrounding guardrails were removed and replaced by SAFER barriers and protective catchfence. The first Clash at the facility was ran on February 2; the first Cup Series race at the stadium since 1971.


Events and uses


Sports


Auto racing

Bowman Gray Stadium's auto racing track hosts the annual Clash, a
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
exhibition and non-points paying event. From 1958 until 1971, the track held points-paying Cup Series races. The stadium also hosts local NASCAR Weekly Series races across four divisions, including modified, sportsman, street stock, and stadium stock. The weekly races are known for a wild and rowdy reputation, with fights amongst drivers being commonplace.


Gridiron football

BGS currently serves as the tenant for the Winston-Salem State Rams football team, with the university's lease running until 2037. The stadium previously hosted multiple tenants for gridiron football, including the collegiate Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team from 1956 to 1967 alongside several North Carolina high schools "from the early 1950s until 1994" according to the ''
Winston-Salem Journal The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by Lee Enterprises. ''The Journ ...
''. From 1955 to 1960, the stadium hosted an annual
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) exhibition game between the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
and the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
.


Other sports events

* In July 2023, BGS hosted its first baseball game, with the minor league team Carolina Disco Turkeys hosting as tenants.


Filming production

BGS has been featured in multiple television series. BGS and its NASCAR Weekly Series races were the focus of a 2010
History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...
mini-series titled ''MadHouse'', airing for one 13-episode season. Another mini-series titled ''Race Night at Bowman Gray'' produced by the
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
was produced and released in 2018 for a eight-episode season; however, after three episodes were aired, the series was pulled from television broadcasts and moved to Discovery Channel's streaming app.


References


External links

* {{Triad sports venues NASCAR tracks Motorsport venues in North Carolina College football venues in North Carolina Wake Forest Demon Deacons football Winston-Salem State Rams football Sports venues in Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1937 establishments in North Carolina Bowman Gray family Sports venues completed in 1937