Stock car racing is a tight-knit community. From the local dirt tracks to the NASCAR Cup Series, the garage operates like an extended family. Nowhere is that more evident than at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Winston-Salem quarter-mile is famous for bitter rivalries and short tempers, which is why it earned the nickname “The Madhouse.” But when tragedy hits, the entire stadium grieves together.
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That was true when fans turned up at Bowman Gray Stadium to pay their respects to veteran driver Casey Kepley Jr. The 49-year-old died of cancer after an eight-year battle with metastatic brain cancer and melanoma. Fans gathered at the racetrack to share their grief and honor Kepley Jr. Bowman Gray Stadium’s official handle on X shared visuals from the gathering with the caption: “Missing one of our own. ❤️🩹”
Like his father, Kepley loved grassroots racing. He drove his own No. 8 car in Bowman Gray’s Sportsman Division, raced at Ace and Caraway, and competed in the 2022 North Wilkesboro Revival event alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In 2025, Kepley underwent brain surgery, but he was right back at the racetrack working on his son’s Sportsman Division car. He was a true racing fan, and for many, his recovery from surgery was seen as a walking miracle.
“The world tells me I am (walking miracle). The only person in history to make it through left-side brain surgery and walk in and be normal twelve hours later. Well, as soon as I realized I was gonna make it, I’ll be honest, the first thing I thought was fixing my race car while I was in the hospital. And, I’ll see y’all on Saturday. That’s how my brain wins,” Kepley Jr. said in an interview with the Winston-Salem Journal.
Because of his fighting spirit, the local racing community rallied around his family. Bitter rivals Zack Staley and Emilee Lewis, whose families got into a massive brawl at the track last year, got together to support the family. They joined Kyler Kepley to auction off the hood of Lewis’s car to raise funds for the family.
Kepley passed away on the same Saturday that his brother-in-law, Billy Gregg, won the Bowman Gray Sportsman Division title. “Absolutely, he fought until the end,” Gregg said of Kepley.
The loss is even more devastating because it comes just weeks after Kepley’s 81-year-old father, James “Casey” Kepley Sr., passed away on June 28. The elder Kepley owned Kepley Construction Co. and formerly drove the No. 8 Blunderbust at the stadium, passing his love for short-track racing to his son.
Kepley’s death came after Bowman Gray fans were just recovering from another major loss. Melvin “Puddin” Swisher, a 33-time winner at Bowman Gray, passed away at 90 after battling health issues. Last week, before the 50-lap Modified event on Saturday, fans, drivers, family, and friends pushed Swisher’s No. 53 Modified race car around the track in his honor.
A chaotic championship finale
The emotional news set the stage for the 2026 season finale. The 77th season of racing at Bowman Gray wrapped up Saturday night with the AgSouth Farm Credit 150, a double-points championship race for the Modified division.
Burt Myers came in with all the momentum. Earlier in August, Myers secured his 108th career victory. He broke the tie he held with Tim Brown for the most all-time wins at the track. It also gave Myers a 28-point lead heading into Saturday’s 150-lap race.
It was a chaotic race to say the least. Contenders dropped out early, and just as the race crossed the lap 116 mark, a massive pileup erupted on the frontstretch. At that exact moment, the weather turned bad at Winston-Salem. NASCAR officials threw the red flag for lightning, and heavy rain quickly washed out the rest of the night.
Because they had passed halfway, the race was called official. Brandon Ward, who had just taken the lead before the storm, was declared the winner. Burt Myers finished right behind him in second place, and that helped him secure his 12th career Bowman Gray Modified Championship.
Racing at the Madhouse will return, but the track has lost some of its local heroes, including Casey Kepley Jr. and Melwin Swisher, this year.