Lowe Master of the Beach: A Hat-Trick of Wins as Title Lead Shifts

Myrtle Beach, SC — On Saturday night, the Bootleg Racing League Late Model Series descended upon the virtual Myrtle Beach Speedway for Round 4 of Season 34. In a race defined by the choppy and unforgiving surface of the South Carolina short track, drivers had to be tire whisperers to survive a 100-lap distance that prohibited tire changes.

With the series utilizing an invert of the top finishers from the previous race, Jeff Sharp started on the pole alongside Steve Hilbert. As the green flag waved, Sharp jumped to an early lead, but he was quickly under fire from Ruben Altice, who moved into the top spot by lap five. The primary challenge was the rubber; drivers knew that once the tire performance fell off a cliff, the cars would become nearly impossible to handle.

The first yellow flag flew around lap 13 when Kenny Allen suffered a hardware failure, leading to a collision with Ed Foster. Todd Liston was caught in the pileup, once again finding no luck at the Myrtle Beach oval. A second caution occurred near the halfway mark for a synchronized spinning incident involving Benny Ellison, John Wilson, and Chris Haizlip. Despite the contact, Altice continued to lead, while the powerhouse teammates James Lowe and Chris Worrell began carving through the field. Meanwhile, Adam Schoen moved from 20th to the top ten by lap 13 and continued to loom as a threat.

A third caution around lap 70, triggered by contact between Mike Holloway, Steve Hilbert, and Tre Blohm, set the stage for a frantic finish. The defining moment of the race occurred in the final 15 laps when James Lowe caught leader Ruben Altice. The two began a physical battle, rubbing through the corners as Altice attempted to pin Lowe to the inside line. The contact eventually sent Altice into the outside wall; as his car slid back down the track, it collected a hard-charging Adam Schoen, ending Schoen’s bid for a podium finish.

James Lowe took the lead on lap 86 and never looked back, securing his third win of the season. Lowe credited the victory to his conservation strategy, noting he had plenty of tire left at the finish. Chris Worrell finished second and took over the championship points lead, as the previous leaders struggled to find the front. Ruben Altice recovered to finish third, with Brennan Myers and Kurt Smith rounding out the top five. The series now looks ahead to Nashville for the next round of competition.