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Bowman Gray Stadium
Bowman Gray Stadium is a multi-use sports facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The complex consists of a 0.250 mi (0.402 km) paved oval short track and a gridiron football field. The complex has held various events since its opening in 1938, including NASCAR-sanctioned events and college football games for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Winston-Salem State Rams. Bowman Gray Stadium is owned by the city of Winston-Salem and operated by both NASCAR and Winston-Salem State University for events.
Built during the Great Depression, Bowman Gray Stadium opened in 1938, hosting football games and festivals in its first year. Auto racing 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. 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 NASCAR Cup Series after over 50 years of absence.
Bowman Gray Stadium (BGS) is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and served by U.S. Route 52 and U.S. Route 421. As of 2024, the stadium has a capacity of 17,000 according to The Athletic. 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 according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
The racing track in its current form is measured at 0.25 mi (0.40 km) with completely flat banking throughout the track.
In November 1936 and in the midst of the Great Depression, plans were filed by Winston-Salem, North Carolina, mayor W. T. Wilson to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for a potential 10,000-seat, $100,000 (adjusted for inflation, $2,000,000) 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 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 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 42-acre (17 ha) plot of land.
After Gray promised to invest $35,000 (adjusted for inflation, $784,000) 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 game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 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, $4,600,000), twice over the original budget.
BGS officially opened on May 1, 1938, for a Christian music festival. The first college football 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 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, an agreement between the city and Franco was made to pave the dirt track and set up with protective guardrail by June. 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, $20,200) 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.
After a brief auto racing period under promoter Red Crise that also failed due to low attendance, in 1949, racing promoters Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins took over the stadium's racing lease to host stock car races under the newly formed sanctioning body of NASCAR. In a 1956 Twin City Sentinel 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. In 1950, driver William Justice was burned to death in a crash, becoming the stadium's second fatality. Due to Justice's death, BGS mandated fuel cells in order to prevent fires. By the fourth year of the duo's tenure, with auto races becoming increasingly popular, BGS was able to get out of financial debt and "white elephant" 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 third fatality after driver Billy Myers collapsed during a race, most likely dying from a heart attack.
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Bowman Gray Stadium
Bowman Gray Stadium is a multi-use sports facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The complex consists of a 0.250 mi (0.402 km) paved oval short track and a gridiron football field. The complex has held various events since its opening in 1938, including NASCAR-sanctioned events and college football games for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Winston-Salem State Rams. Bowman Gray Stadium is owned by the city of Winston-Salem and operated by both NASCAR and Winston-Salem State University for events.
Built during the Great Depression, Bowman Gray Stadium opened in 1938, hosting football games and festivals in its first year. Auto racing 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. 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 NASCAR Cup Series after over 50 years of absence.
Bowman Gray Stadium (BGS) is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and served by U.S. Route 52 and U.S. Route 421. As of 2024, the stadium has a capacity of 17,000 according to The Athletic. 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 according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
The racing track in its current form is measured at 0.25 mi (0.40 km) with completely flat banking throughout the track.
In November 1936 and in the midst of the Great Depression, plans were filed by Winston-Salem, North Carolina, mayor W. T. Wilson to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for a potential 10,000-seat, $100,000 (adjusted for inflation, $2,000,000) 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 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 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 42-acre (17 ha) plot of land.
After Gray promised to invest $35,000 (adjusted for inflation, $784,000) 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 game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 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, $4,600,000), twice over the original budget.
BGS officially opened on May 1, 1938, for a Christian music festival. The first college football 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 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, an agreement between the city and Franco was made to pave the dirt track and set up with protective guardrail by June. 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, $20,200) 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.
After a brief auto racing period under promoter Red Crise that also failed due to low attendance, in 1949, racing promoters Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins took over the stadium's racing lease to host stock car races under the newly formed sanctioning body of NASCAR. In a 1956 Twin City Sentinel 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. In 1950, driver William Justice was burned to death in a crash, becoming the stadium's second fatality. Due to Justice's death, BGS mandated fuel cells in order to prevent fires. By the fourth year of the duo's tenure, with auto races becoming increasingly popular, BGS was able to get out of financial debt and "white elephant" 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 third fatality after driver Billy Myers collapsed during a race, most likely dying from a heart attack.