Bowman Gray’s “Chain Race” is the Chaotic Danger We All Need in Out Lives

Without ever having been a racing promoter, I think that I could safely say that the life of a racing promoter can be pretty interesting from time to time. Figuring out how to put butts in seats has to be a challenging role, especially with a schedule that might be a little bit open.

There can’t be a headlining serious competition every single weekend and when there isn’t, space needs to be filled with something that is going to make the fans want to come to the track and make people want to compete.

In this particular situation, that format of racing is one that I can personally say that I’ve never heard of before but was absolutely intrigued when I learned about it. That form of racing is called a “chain race.”

The idea behind a chain race is that two cars will be chained together as they try to make their way around the track just like a normal circle track race. The catch is that the car attached to the front of the chain is the only one that has an engine. The one behind is the car that has the brakes which the front car lacks. I don’t think that I necessarily need to sit here and spell out how this is an interesting dynamic that requires a lot of trust. It certainly has to be a thrilling experience to race into a corner, not knowing exactly when the brakes are going to engage or if they will at all.

Below, we get a ride to Bowman Gray racetrack to follow along with one of these races for ourselves thanks to YouTube uploader, Chris Weaver. After watching a couple of these outings, it seems as if the one thing that is guaranteed to happen is a little bit of wreckage and cars sliding sideways.