Kulwicki Spotlight: Bumgarner Carrying Jack Ingram Memorial Momentum into Throwback Classic

Michael Bumgarner, fresh off a win in the Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway, hopes to defend home turf as the zMAX CARS Tour comes to town for the Throwback Classic.

It has already been an exciting and successful 2026 season for Bumgarner. A two-time track champion at "The Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars," Bumgarner leads the way in the Late Model standings this year as well.

After partnering with Rick Ware Racing for the 2026 season, Bumgarner scored an elusive and dramatic victory in the Jack Ingram Memorial last Saturday. His success this season placed him second in the Kulwicki Driver Development Program standings after Segment One, which ended in July.

"This season has just been absolutely tremendous, with partnering up with Rick Ware Racing and being involved with the Kulwicki Program, being a finalist," Bumgarner told Racing America. "Being able to perform under that pressure and still be able to deliver wins, and especially the win in the Jack Ingram Memorial.

"[The Ingram Memorial]'s definitely eluded me the past couple of years, once I moved over to Late Model Stock Cars, and to finalize that one off the list and hold the Triple Crown of Hickory, if you will. All the crown jewel races that as at Hickory, to have all of them on the trophy shelf is definitely something that I'm very proud of, along with our team where everybody's very excited, very proud."

Bumgarner has already enjoyed plenty of success in his career, but partnering with Rick Ware Racing has allowed him and his family team to elevate their game.

"Partnering up with Rick Ware Racing has just helped us tremendously, financially and just meeting a lot of great people that have helped me get pointed in the right direction," Bumgarner explained. "It has opened our horizon up to be able to go run these bigger races and be a contender and have the funding and the resources that we need to go contend.

"It's still me and my dad and all of our guys helping, working on it, but it has definitely made a difference to go out there and give us the best opportunity to perform under the circumstances of these bigger races."

Now, the local star will take on all comers this Saturday, August 8, as the zMAX CARS Tour rolls into Hickory Motor Speedway for one of its biggest races each year. The Throwback Classic has become one part time machine to celebrate racing's history, one part showcase for the best in Late Model Stock racing at one of the series' most exciting venues.

"It definitely means the world to kind of carry that banner as the local guy, especially when all the big dogs come into town," said Bumgarner. "To try to hold my own. Really, the goal is to win at the end of the day, I really want to have a good run. I don't want to be cocky, but I mean, definitely winning the Jack Ingram gave me a lot of confidence. Being back in our primary car for this race and all the success we had with it last year.

"We had some bad luck in the Tour race last year and didn't really get to show what we had. This year, I feel like we've got all of our ducks in a row to go there and be on our game, capitalize on maybe somebody else else's misfortune, and come away with the win. That would just be tremendous for us, and it would be my biggest win today."

Bumgarner's status in the racing world has certainly been elevated by being one of five finalists in the Kulwicki Driver Development Program in 2026. In his eyes, however, the program has made him a better driver and person.

"It's very special to be associated with such a legendary program and a legendary race car driver like Alan was. It's really just an inspiration to me, the way he went about stuff. I feel like I can compare a lot of what we're doing right now to what he did. He did it on his own, did it his way. I feel like that's kind of what our team's doing, along with Rick Ware Racing, just kind of paving my own path. They're allowing me to do that through that program.

"Being a part of it has definitely pushed me to be a better race car driver and just a better person all around off the racetrack as well. It's pushed me to be more outgoing, more into public speaking, talking to people. putting on fundraisers. It's pushed me a lot further, kind of out of my comfort zone, which I think has been great. It's helped me definitely grow as a person."

Bumgarner has partnered with Carolina Caring through their Cardinal Kids Foundation, assisting children facing serious illness throughout Western North Carolina.

"I've actually partnered up with Carolina Caring, and they have a Cardinal Kids Foundation that helps with kids with severe illness or terminal illness, helps them and their families get through that tough time, helping them financially get through it as well," explained Bumgarner. "I got partnered up with them through a family friend. They were just very excited and very intrigued to get into the racing side of things. They were already involved a little bit with the racing side of things with Speedway Charities.

"When I got in touch with them, they were just thrilled to kind of get involved with it at a local level, and on a personal level with myself. To build that relationship with them and help get them as much exposure with our upcoming golf tournament coming up August 14, try to get them some funding and kind of raise as much money as we can to help that help that grow."

While this weekend's Throwback Classic is certainly a huge race on Bumgarner's calendar, he also has one big date circled this fall. That is the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway on September 26, the crown jewel of Late Model Stock Racing.

"Martinsville will be the big one," said Bumgarner. "The ValleyStar Credit Union 300. I've had that one circled since last year. Last year was our first year there. To qualify in the top 10 and be a contender and run up there until we ultimately had a failure just past halfway. The speed we showed last year, I'm really excited to take that and build on it and hopefully bring home a grandfather clock."

The Spears Manufacturing Throwback Classic at Hickory is scheduled for Saturday, August 8. Grandstand gates open at 4 p.m. ET, with qualifying at 4:40 p.m. ET and racing at 7 p.m. ET.

-Photo credit: Michael Bumgarner Racing