Brandon Ward’s identity as a competitor is defined by versatility.
On Saturday, a grueling 2025 season at Bowman Gray Stadium culminated with his second track championship against Modified veterans in Burt Myers and Tim Brown, padding a resume that includes victories in Late Model Stocks, Super Late Models, the USAR Pro Cup Series and the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series.
Now the 44-year-old has his eyes on a few more accomplishments to close the year: NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series state, regional and national titles.
For any other full-time Modified driver at Bowman Gray, the season ending a month before the final day to collect Weekly Series points (Sept. 21) would put him or her at a disadvantage. Fortunately for Ward, his team possesses a Late Model Stock Car.
And given how 2025 unfolded against competitive Bowman Gray fields, Ward believes those championships are feasible goals.
“It kind of worked out,” Ward said. “The car counts [at Bowman Gray] have been phenomenal this year, and the way things have fallen, we’ve been in contention for [the national title].
“I know it’s something that’s going to be tough to win racing against all these guys all over the country, but all we can really do is try to run the races and put up some more wins.”
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Inspired by the success of the Modified program, Kevin Powell Speed Motorsports branched into Late Model Stock competition for 2025. The team brought in six-time USAR Pro Cup Series winner Jason Sarvis to serve as crew chief on the car, which has been piloted by Hudson Bulger and NASCAR Cup Series veteran Corey LaJoie.
Ward drove KP Speed’s No. 12 to a 10th-place finish in a CARS Tour race at Caraway Speedway on July 2. The guidance of Sarvis and 2023 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner Trevor Ward has helped improve the overall speed of the car since then, which bolsters Ward’s confidence as he chases a national title.
“I feel like we’ve learned a lot with the Late Model [Stock] program in the last few weeks,” Ward said. “Having Trevor Ward here in the shop racing with us, too, that’s been a big help to our learning curve on the Late Model Stock side.
“It’s all coming together at the right time to be in contention and go chase a few races for this national title.”
Kevin Powell wants Ward to capitalize on the opportunity; he believes his driver is one of the best short-track competitors in the United States. Beyond the titles and numerous victories, Powell has seen Ward complete every lap in Bowman Gray’s Modified division over the past three years.
Once the team finalizes its Late Model Stock schedule over the next month, Powell believes Ward will have no issues showcasing the same composure and skill that has followed him long before Bowman Gray.
“Brandon has been part of our organization for quite some time,” Powell said. “The veteran driver that he is, he knows how to take care of his equipment. When it comes time to turn up the wick and hit the go button, he’s probably one of the best there is. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 25-lap race or 150-lap race, he’s really good at getting everything his race car can get.
“A lot of race-car drivers can be fast, but sometimes they can’t take care of their equipment. Brandon can do both.”
KP Speed’s schedule tentatively includes two races, Hickory Motor Speedway’s prestigious Bobby Isaac Memorial on Aug. 30 and South Boston Speedway’s season finale set for Sept. 6. Both are expected to draw a full field of more than 16 cars, which will aid Ward in his championship pursuit.
The next part of the equation for Ward is finding more events with solid fields to earn maximum points. Only a driver’s best 14 events are scored at the end of the Weekly Series season, which presents a conundrum that will force Ward to drop at least a couple top fives from his stellar Bowman Gray campaign.
Ward’s competition for the Weekly Series title includes Dominion Raceway’s Chase Johnson, David Hebert and 2019 national champion Jacob Goede. To stay within reach of those three, Ward knows he needs to be smart with the races he chooses while also translating his efficiency from Bowman Gray into a Late Model Stock.
“It has to be wins,” Ward said. “You have to focus on winning races with a max car count. That’s how anybody is going to do it. That’s what’s cool about it, because you’re racing against the best of the best across the whole entire country at all the NASCAR short tracks. When you’re going up against that type of competition, nothing short of winning more races is going to do it.
“We know it’s a big challenge, but it’s one we’re ready to try and tackle.”
All the intricacies that go into Weekly Series points make the national championship a rigorous endeavor for any driver. Ward and Powell understand there will be circumstances outside of their control over the next month, yet they believe in the burgeoning speed of their Late Model Stock program.
South Boston and Hickory require different mindsets, the former involving constant aggression and the latter featuring tire conservation. Ward has found success at both facilities; he earned a Modified victory at Hickory in 2021, and he’s reached South Boston’s Victory Lane in both a Modified and the USAR Pro Cup Series.
Powell believes Trevor Ward’s assistance will be beneficial to Brandon Ward should they choose to race at South Boston regularly. Trevor is second in South Boston’s Late Model Stock championship standings with six victories this season.
Powell is confident everything is falling into place for the KP Speed Late Model Stock to consistently contend for wins as the national championship battle intensifies. Now responsibility falls upon Brandon Ward.
“I think our Late Model program is at the top of the heap,” Powell said. “We compete on the CARS Tour program, and we compete in the Weekly Series. Every time we go, we are one of the top cars in practice and one of the top cars at the end of the night. We have continued to improve our program every time we go.
“If we keep putting these runs together, I think a win is really, really close for the Late Model program.”
Plenty of drivers have earned Weekly Series national championships competing at multiple tracks. Ward is looking to become one of the select few who have done so while driving two different cars, a Modified and a Late Model Stock.
Ward does not envision a difficult transition to Late Model Stocks over the next month, but he faces plenty of stiff competition for the national, Southeast regional and North Carolina state titles. Every piece of knowledge he’s acquired over the past several decades will be essential.
“It would mean a lot for me,” Ward said. “Any type of win or championship, especially in today’s time, [is] so hard to come by. Being a national champion is the ultimate goal; that’s the top of the class for all the NASCAR short-track ranks. Kevin Powell giving me the opportunity to race for it means a lot to me.”
“To win it would be one of the biggest things on my resume if I could somehow pull it off.”