Earlier this year after sweeping the season-opening doubleheader at South Boston Speedway, Matt Bowling said it was his most exciting night at a race track.
He may have to rethink that.
Bowling won just one race at South Boston last Saturday night, but he revealed to the world that he had popped the big question two days earlier and she said “yes.”
“It’s been a pretty exciting week,” the always understated Bowling said.
The bride-to-be is Lauren Whapham and Bowling said she understands the racing life.
“We’ve been dating for about two years. She’s there every weekend cheering me on. She’s definitely a part of our racing,” said Bowling.
And it was a pretty exciting night on track for Bowling, too, as he picked up his fourth South Boston NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model win of the season.
He raced in the top two or three all evening, and with about 25 laps to go was the big winner on a four-wide traffic jam for the lead.
Bobby McCarty was leading at the time and Bowling was second. Defending NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion Lee Pulliam made it three-wide out of two and then Peyton Sellers drove to the bottom off four to make it four-wide.
“I was second after that restart and it got four-wide. Luckily we made it through; Lee and Bobby didn’t,” said Bowling, who coasted to more than a half-second win over Sellers after the debris was cleaned up.
“It was just hard racing for the lead,” Bowling said of the wreck. “I thought I was in the worst spot possible. It wound up the middle was. I was way up high, just me and the wall. I was just trying to keep my speed up and get through it.”
The 22-year-old Bowling won his second South Boston track championship a year ago behind four wins and 18 top-five finishes. He already has four wins, is leading the track points, and when the first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national points are released for 2016, he should be near the top.
“We’ve had a really good year at South Boston. I really wasn’t planning on running for points, but the track has kept the car count up so good, I think for national points, South Boston is the place to be,” said Bowling. “I hope to travel some (on off weekends) and pick up some wins at other tracks.”
Bowling will be hoping to add to his win total when racing returns to South Boston Speedway Saturday night, May 14, with the Bojangles NASCAR Late Model 100 racing program.
There will be a 100-lap race for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock Cars, twin 25-lap Limited Sportsman races, a 30-lap Budweiser Pure Stock race, a 15-lap Budweiser Hornets race and a 25-lap race for the touring Southern Ground Pounders series which features vintage Modified and Sportsman racers.
Registration opens at 2:30 p.m., pit gates open at 3 p.m. and practice will start at 4 p.m. Grandstand gates open at 5:30 p.m., qualifying starts at 6 p.m. and the first race takes the green at 7 p.m.
Adult general admission tickets are $10 each, with youth ages 7-12 admitted for $5. Children ages six and under are free with a paid adult.
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