Track crew chief Jimmy Brown pins Kyler Staley to the ground following the Street Stock Series race on June 28 at Bowman Gray Stadium. Staley was suspended for three weeks.
When the Street Stock race at Bowman Gray Stadium ended on , the real action began.
Brad Lewis slipped past Kyler Staley at the finish line to win the race. Staley鈥檚 car went sliding into the grass infield and then back onto the track.
Brad鈥檚 daughter, Emilee Lewis, was in the race. Kyler Staley鈥檚 dad, Zack Staley, was also a driver in the race. The race cars piloted by Emilee and Zack collided following the finish.
That鈥檚 when the Winston-Salem version of 鈥淔amily Feud鈥 began.
Zack Staley executed a cannonball dive onto the windshield of the race car of Emilee Lewis. He was suspended for the rest of the season.
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Emilee drew a one-week suspension for driving her car into the car of Zack after the race was over.
Kyler Staley took exception to his father getting wrestled to the ground after Zack dove onto the hood of Emilee鈥檚 car. Kyler, who was then tackled to the ground, drew a three-week suspension.
Here鈥檚 what the had to say about the race and the rowdy aftermath after a few days after the race. The responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Zack Staley was suspended for the rest of the season after the June 28 brawl.
Zack Staley
鈥淚 was already having issues with my car when I got into the 28 car, who is my teammate. But I got into him, and we went into the corner. So, I didn鈥檛 have a front brake, and I locked the rear brakes up and got him turning around. I was like, 鈥楳an I feel horrible about tearing up my buddy鈥檚 car.鈥 So, I was just riding around, and I was watching what was going on from across the field. And honestly, I thought I was further away from them. I was just trying to stay out of the way. I thought what I was doing was waiting for Brad to take Kyler out because I was going to handle it if that happened. I watched that deal with Brad and Kyler, and they were racing hard, and you know I still don鈥檛 have a problem with Brad for the way he raced him. It was the week before when he took him out for no reason.
鈥淵ou know that they raced hard, and they raced clean. So, congratulations to Brad. But what happened after the race is what pissed me off. My car keeps getting torn up. That鈥檚 the second time this year that my car was damaged after the race was over. So, I鈥檓 going to tear (Emilee鈥檚) car up. So, I was hoping like hell I would have gone through her windshield. That鈥檚 what I was trying to do.鈥
Brad Lewis
鈥淚 jumped outside because I wanted to be respectful. (Kyler) was running inside, and he was going to not give up no matter what. So, I jumped to the outside, and we ran there. I knew he was upset with me from the week before. I saw Zack out there, and he was slow (near the finish line), but I didn鈥檛 know how slow he was until I came out (of the final turn), and he looked like he just parked it once he got past the start/finish line. So, we got closer, and I saw Kyler was closing the gap. I鈥檓 out there to win races so if (Zack) is going to pull that move, then I鈥檓 going to make a hole there. I made a move to win the race, and it just happened to come out that way.
鈥淭here鈥檚 history over there. I鈥檓 not just talking about Zack or the Staley family because cars get torn up under caution a lot, especially when people are upset. I will say my daughter seeing what (Zack) did, she was mad. And she owned up to it and said she gassed it up to hit him. So, she鈥檚 not running from that. I try to teach my kids to own your mistakes. Was it the right thing to do? No, but she was in protect mode.鈥
Emilee Lewis
鈥淚 looked up and saw my dad in between two Staley cars, and I saw Kyler shoot across the infield. I think I did exactly what everyone else in that position would鈥檝e done. Was it right? Probably not. But like I鈥檝e said before, I鈥檓 not ashamed of it. I wasn鈥檛 going to apologize for it, and I don鈥檛 regret it. I mean I was protecting my dad. And I know they can say what they want with no brakes or whatever, but they would鈥檝e trashed my dad鈥檚 car because all week we heard they had a plan to trash our race cars. It was in that moment. I did what I felt was best for my dad and my team. I鈥檓 not saying it鈥檚 right. I don鈥檛 regret it and I鈥檓 not going to take it back. I鈥檝e had multiple drivers from every division tell me they would鈥檝e done the same thing.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the thing, they want the attention, and they seek it. We try to go over there and have fun and try to win races. I鈥檓 not going to wreck somebody or try and intentionally hurt someone to win $195 and a $20 trophy.鈥
Kyler Staley
鈥淔rom my spot my dad didn鈥檛 have any brakes, and I knew he got into it with about every wreck during the race. So, we were coming off turn four, and Brad and I had put on a great race for everybody in the stands. I felt like I had won, but I saw later that he did. He ran me clean. I could鈥檝e tried to run them up the track and run them into the wall, but that鈥檚 not how I was raised. I wasn鈥檛 ready to win a race like that, and I didn鈥檛 want to win a race like that.
鈥淵ou know tensions are high, and you get angry at the racetrack and stuff happens. I was mad after the race when they gave him the flag because I felt like I won the race. But you know after going back and watching the video, he clearly beat me by inches. We had problems the week before, and he got me when I was running fourth or fifth or something like that. I figured I was going to make him either wreck me or pass me on the outside to get by me. I wasn鈥檛 going to give him the bottom.
鈥淚 put a post out on Facebook, and I apologized for my actions from Saturday. I got a three-week suspension. I can鈥檛 go back until Aug. 2. I鈥檓 just going to take this next month and sit back and reflect because I also have some stuff going on in my life that鈥檚 way more important than racing.鈥
