BRL OUTLAWS S39 R6 Recap

03 May 2025
Bootleg Racing League | Season 39 | Round 6
Outlaw Modified Series | Myrtle Beach Speedway

On Saturday, May 3rd, the Bootleg Racing League’s Outlaw SK Modified Invitational Series rolled into Myrtle Beach Speedway for Round 6 of Season 39, marking the halfway point of the season. James Lowe entered the night with a commanding 10-point lead in the standings over Todd Liston, thanks to an impressive string of victories. But with Myrtle Beach’s abrasive surface and multiple viable lines, the night promised to be anything but easy.

Tom Hilbert and Bruce Pearson led the field to green, while Lowe faced a tall task from 12th on the grid, buried in mid-pack. Hilbert tried to settle into the lead early, but only six laps into the race, Pearson worked his way underneath to take over the top spot. From there, the opening laps were intense — the wide track and viable high and low lanes created fierce side-by-side racing, but passing remained incredibly difficult, forcing drivers to be aggressive and strategic.

The first caution flew on lap 17 after contact between John Wilson and Steve Hilbert ignited a chain reaction that collected several front runners, including Chris Davis, Jason Menda, and Tre Blohm — all potential threats for the win taken out early in the melee.

The restart brought new opportunity. Lowe was able to capitalize, picking off a few positions as the field got back up to speed with Pearson still controlling the race. Lowe’s forward momentum was temporarily stalled when he found himself stuck behind Wilson and Kurt Smith, who were locked in a fierce, drawn-out battle for 2nd. Their side-by-side fight gave Pearson a comfortable cushion up front — and more importantly, time to conserve tires on the notoriously abrasive surface.

Eventually, Smith relented, falling back behind Wilson. Lowe pounced immediately, diving low on Smith to grab 3rd, then wasting no time chasing down Wilson to take 2nd on lap 50.

With Lowe now in clean air, Pearson tried to turn up the pace to stay ahead, but it was too late. Lowe was already closing in. Then came the turning point of the race — as Lowe reached Pearson’s rear bumper, contact was made, sending Pearson spinning and dropping him to the tail of the field. The caution flew, and with Pearson out of contention, Lowe inherited the lead.

From that moment on, Lowe was unstoppable. Through the second half of the race, he pulled away steadily, putting on a clinic as he cruised to his fifth consecutive victory, extending his already dominant points lead.

Lowe now holds a 17-point advantage over Tre Blohm, with the rest of the field scrambling to find an answer to his current streak of form. The series heads next to The Bullring at Las Vegas on Saturday, May 10th, where the intensity is sure to ratchet up even further. Catch all the short track action live at 7:40PM ET, exclusively on the Virtual Grip Network!