Zack Ore’s first Bowman Gray title comes with the 2024 NASCAR Weekly Series Division II national championship

Zack Ore has raced at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. for 10 years. Along the way, he's coped with several second- and third-place finishes in the track's Law Offices of John Barrow Sportsman Series division. Having made a name for himself as one of Bowman Gray's most aggressive drivers, Ore entered 2024 with a different mindset. He wanted to be more calm and collected; he vowed to take whatever the track was giving him each night. "In the past I have been a really aggressive racer, which has probably helped me in some situations, but hurt me," Ore said. "So, I think that's what kind of helped me figure out how to win the championship this year was a different mindset of not being as aggressive as I was in the past and mainly focusing on the bigger picture." The big picture displayed a great season. Ore finished with five wins and and 16 top fives at Bowman Gray, the legendary NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series bullring. He won the track's Sportsman division championship by eight points, and he scored 430 national points to secure the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division II national championship. Ore bested Canada's Donovan Lussier by 14 points in the national standings. [caption id="attachment_448800" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Zack Ore celebrates with his family and crew after capturing the 2024 Sportsman division championship at Bowman Gray Stadium. (Photo: Erick Messer/Bowman Gray Stadium)[/caption] "It was awesome to finally accomplish that feat, and then it was also awesome to see we won the national division, too," he said. "So, all around a great year." Ore wasn't aware of his NASCAR national points standing until late in the season when a friend informed him. At that point, he began following the points each week, even after Bowman Gray's season ended in August. "I had not really ever paid attention to it," he said. "And when it was finalized, that was awesome to accomplish another goal that I've never had before." Ore said success at Bowman Gray requires a lot of luck. The track draws for starting position each race, and passing is difficult on such a tight quarter-mile oval. He knew he had the equipment and skills to win: "It was just that the luck was going to be on our side," he said. Ore went into the season knowing he likely would battle defending champion Chase Robertson for the 2024 title, and that was exactly the case. After a race on the weekend of July 4, through the end of the season, there were never more than seven points separating the two drivers. Ore entering the season finale had already tied his win total from the year prior, but he remained neck-and-neck with Robertson in the standings. After not drawing for a top-10 starting spot all season, he drew the pole position on championship night. "We started on the pole, and I think Chase drew six or seven, somewhere around there," Ore said. "He got up to us quickly, so it basically became a battle between me and him. I was leading, and he was running second, and we got together, went to the infield. We thought our night was over; thought our championship hopes were done. "It was a cone race, so we had an opportunity to jump to the outside, if need be, to gain some position, so we jumped to the outside, got right back behind him… and was able to get back by him." [caption id="attachment_448802" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Zack Ore (55) leads Chase Robertson during the 2024 season finale at Bowman Gray Stadium. (Photo: Erick Messer/Bowman Gray Stadium)[/caption] Ore finished the final race fifth, and Robertson finished sixth. "Just enough to win the championship," Ore added. "The relief as you cross the checkered flag or the finish line was like none other because of the stress leading up to it." The win delivered relief for Ore, and it did the same for the crew members who have been working with him for about seven years. Getting to share a title with them made the celebration even more special for Ore. "It means a lot," he said. "These guys being with me when I wasn't running as good, and then with me for the last few years that we competed for a championship, and now that we've actually got it done and we accomplished that goal, it feels so much better. I'm so happy for them, because they come in, put in a ton of work on the cars. "Obviously they're not paid crew members; they volunteer their time, time away from their family, which means a lot to me that they dedicate themselves throughout the summer from essentially March to the end of August, and then we raced some after that. "So it's awesome… I'm glad I can accomplish that and allow them to enjoy this with me." The team had a small celebration the night of the championship and will also hold a Christmas party, which has become an annual event, where they will continue to celebrate the hard work from this year. A big season with two big championship wins calls for big celebrations. "It's definitely been an awesome season, and hopefully we can enjoy some more accomplishments in the future," he added.