Bowman Gray trades racing for home runs, disco for July 4 holiday

The Carolina Disco Turkeys are hosting the first organized baseball series at Winston-Salem’s historic Bowman Gray Stadium.

The stadium may be best known as a NASCAR venue, with its storied past giving rise to its nickname, “The Madhouse.” Decades ago it was also the home field for Wake Forest University football. It is currently where the Winston-Salem State University Rams play, accompanied by their Red Sea of Sound marching band. 

But baseball has not been part of the stadium’s story in its 85-year history of competition until now, says Shaun Smith, who emceed Sunday’s game.

“This is hallowed ground for not just race fans, but sports fans in general," he says. "This is the very first baseball game and the very first baseball series that is going to be played here. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

The logistics of squeezing a baseball field onto a racetrack wasn’t easy, says Greg Sullivan, the president of the collegiate-level Disco Turkeys. 

Home plate is on the track infield near turn one. There’s a view of the city skyline toward left field beyond the field house. Sullivan says the right field wall is less than 220 feet from home.

"This is a good 60-70 feet shorter than even the shortest places they've seen generally," he says. "So yeah, we expected a home run derby and we’re happy to have it.”

Game one ended Sunday night on a grand slam homer that invoked the mercy rule, with the Disco Turkeys defeating the Uwharrie Wampus Cats 23-10.

The three-game series culminates with a July 4 evening matchup against the Winston-Salem Moravians.