John Holleman IV considers himself ready for long-awaited Bowman Gray Modified championship

When discussing the most efficient drivers in the history of Bowman Gray Stadium, John Holleman IV is a name many would initially overlook.

Yet success has followed the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, native everywhere at Bowman Gray, as Holleman has enjoyed several seasons that saw him lead the most laps and tally the most victories.

A championship has been the one thing eluding Holleman on the quarter-mile asphalt oval in his home city, but he believes everything is falling into place to finally reach that milestone as he looks to build upon a three-win debut season in Modifieds division.

“Obviously the championship is the goal, and if we get that, then I won’t care about the other stats,” Holleman told NASCAR.com. “If you’re going to win a title, you need to consistently be at the top of your game week in and week out, because the Modified guys aren’t going to let you do less than that. You have to take the title from them.”

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Holleman had been anticipating the opportunity to race full-time alongside Bowman Gray champions Tim Brown and Burt Myers, but he also knew 2021 would be a difficult year to find a consistent rhythm in Modifieds.

Only a handful of weeks featured on-track action at Bowman Gray last year as the track resumed operations following the canceled 2020 season. This only gave Holleman and his team a limited amount of time to figure out how to keep their car competitive with every passing race.

Holleman was not phased by these circumstances and knew he could seamlessly transition into Modifieds after previous success driving Street Stocks and Sportsman cars at Bowman Gray, which included one year that saw him win eight races in the latter division.

Carrying over that efficiency into the Modifieds for Holleman required an adjustment to the lighter weight and higher horsepower of the cars while also intuitively studying his equipment so he could keep up with Brown, Myers and the rest of his seasoned competitors.

Although he ended up ninth in the final standings, Holleman’s three victories last year were more than any other driver in the division. He also led the most laps on the year and was recognized as the most popular Modified driver.

Holleman said the accomplishments he obtained in 2021 only served to strengthen the already sturdy foundation on which his program was built.

“I expected that out of myself and my team,” Holleman said. “We ran two races at the end of the Modified season in 2019, and although the outcomes weren’t the greatest, those races gave us great confidence going into the next year, even though we didn‘t expect to win three races in nine weeks.”

Every part of Holleman’s journey to date has contributed to the copious amount of wins he has accumulated in the Street Stock, Sportsman and Modified divisions.

This includes a brief stint in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (now ARCA Menards Series East) during the mid-2010s, when Holleman tallied four top 10s and even obtained a pole at Stafford Motor Speedway before he and his family left the series in 2017.

RACING REFERENCE: Holleman’s career NASCAR stats

Holleman‘s father, John Holleman III, has witnessed his son take all the lessons learned from NASCAR and the support divisions at Bowman Gray to craft a unique driving style around the historic track.

“The most impressive thing (John) did was pass those guys on the outside,” the elder Holleman said. “He was doing that all year long, and that’s very hard to do in a Modified. Only a few even try that.”

Despite Bowman Gray primarily being a one-groove track, the younger Holleman has never been afraid to test the top side, adding that the hard work put in by his crew chief Brian Loftin and the rest of the team to give him fast equipment is why he feels comfortable making those bold moves.

Holleman’s father said that his son’s intrepid-but-calm approach to driving is only going to keep paying dividends for him, and he knows everyone’s determination will pay off with a Bowman Gray championship soon.

“We have finished second multiple times in both Street Stocks and Sportsman,” John III said. “(John) can win a championship, and everyone on the team has worked hard over the offseason. I think we’re all ready to go for it.”

Holleman seconded his father’s belief that he is about to break through for that first championship at Bowman Gray.

The final four weeks of the 2021 season at Bowman Gray saw Holleman qualify inside the front row for every race. After spending the offseason building a new car, Holleman expects to continue that trend starting with the season-opener.

Holleman wants to win the Modified championship for his family, crew and long-time sponsors like Black Sand Company and A Lawn Crue, but he admitted he has not yet fully processed the idea of being in the same category as the legends he idolized like Myers, Brown, Junior Miller, Ralph Brinkley and more.

“It would mean the world to win (a Modified championship),” Holleman said. “I grew up watching all these legends win championships, and it would be so surreal to join them.”

There are many years remaining for Holleman to fully chart out his legacy at Bowman Gray, which he hopes will be regarded as one of the best in the history of the track.