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Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem State
Bowman Gray Stadium is the home of Winston-Salem State and NASCAR racing. (Photo by HBCU Gameday)
Built in 1937 and named after the former CEO of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem State’s football team plays in one of the most unique venues in any level of college football. While most football stadiums in D2 have a six- or eight-lane running track around the field, the home of the perennial CIAA powerhouse also has a track surrounding the field … a quarter-mile auto racing track.
Built in 1937 and the home of NASCAR’s “minor leagues” since 1949, Bowman-Gray hosts four divisions of NASCAR racing from April through August before transitioning into the home of Rams football from September through November, and sometimes later in the case of a deep NCAA playoff run. While it’s known as the “Madhouse” more for its auto racing, the facility can often drive WSSU’s opponents mad. And it wouldn’t be a WSSU home game without a halftime performance by one of the premiere HBCU marching bands in the country, the “Red Sea of Sound” marching band.
Despite the team struggling this season, the Rams’ home venue is worth visiting, whether it’s for a NASCAR slate in the summer or a WSSU football game in the fall.
