The IceMan Cometh

The IceMan Cometh

Throughout history, there have been many "icemen." Up until about 10,000 years ago, Cro-Magnon man was categorized by many as an iceman, given the climate many dealt with during their reign on Earth. In Hollywood, there have been icemen, including most famously the fighter jet pilot Tom "IceMan" Kazansky, played by Val Kilmer in the 1986 movie Top Gun. There have also been famous race car drivers that have donned the nickname "IceMan," including 2007 Formula One World Champion, Kimi Raikkonen, and 2-time NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, Terry Labonte. On Tuesday night at the Martinsville Speedway, another IceMan emerged from the 150-lap event in the form of James Lowe.

Round 13 was Lowe's third race in the YesterYear Racing™ League's Tour Modified Series, having joined late in the 2025 season. Pit issues plagued his debut at Oxford Plains, while a last lap wreck foiled his victory aspirations at the Race of Champions, held for the second season at Pocono Raceway. But this past Tuesday at the second running of the YesterYear Classic, Lowe put all that behind him and drove his Tour Modified to Victory Lane.

"It was a good race and I was just glad to get the win," Lowe, a driver of few words, said after the race. Lowe started second on the grid behind pole sitter Jerry Isaacs and also led 71 of the 150 laps around the Martinsville track known as "Paperclip" for its paperclip-like shape. The race saw five cautions with the last one coming with about 40 laps remaining. Lowe restarted the race after the last caution flew ahead of season points leader Tom Ogle and was able to maintain his advantage throughout the remainder of the race. "I was pressuring him throughout those final laps, but he drove a great race, hit his marks, and was completely mistake free," Ogle, who finished in second, said of Lowe after the race. Allen Wannamaker, Founder and co-owner of the YesterYear Racing™ League added, "James is a great driver. I have raced against him a few times in the Bootleg Racing League and tonight was characteristic of how he drives. Quick, but not flashy. Consistent, smart, and he takes care of his car. He kind of gets out front and puts you to sleep because he doesn't make mistakes, hence the reason why he is the IceMan."

Scott Negus rounded out the podium by finishing third, which was quite a drive since Negus had to overcome an end-of-line penalty to start the race. "I began catching them once I worked my way through the field, but I couldn't quite get up there with them and burnt my tires up a bit trying to catch them," the Canadian said in his post race interview.

The race saw five cautions for twenty laps and was run in fifty eight minutes time. A far cry from the two hours and thirteen minutes it took to finish the Race of Champions the prior week. The Series takes a week off next week before heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 4 for the Fall Final. Ogle (674 points) has a healthy points lead heading into the event with Brian Johnson (644 points) trailing in second. Atlanta will be another double-points race for the YesterYear drivers, so anything can happen.