What seems to be the fastest passing racing season in recent memory is coming to an end this Saturday night. It seems to me like it all started just a couple of months ago, but I guess the old saying “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” is true. After crowning Randy Thompson a Champi- on in the Faith Chapel Super Stocks and Ryan Luza in the Allen Turner Hyundai Pro Late Models, it’s time to turn our attention to the remaining four divisions. Tonight will be the deciding factor as to who can call themselves champions in the Deep South Cranes Super Late Models, the Better Built Pro Trucks, Butler U Pull It Bombers and the Beef O’Brady Sportsmen. After the final checkered flag we will know who can put add their names along with Thompson and Luza and be called the elite group of 2015 at America’s Favorite Home Track. In the Super Late Models two champions will be crowned, one will be in the Five Flags Speed- way Blizzard Series and it being the final race for the Southern Super Series, a champion will also be crowned. You can also look for a large field of Supers to be on hand who are not thinking about any kind of points. They will be on hand to get extra laps and use this race for a tune up for the Snowball Derby. We send very special Congratulations to Randy Thompson and Ryan Luza on their champion- ship season and at the same to whoever comes out on top tonight in the remaining four classes. This will be the last newsletter for 2015 but make sure you tune in to “IN THE GROOVE” with Tim and Steve every other Monday night at 6:00 pm on BLAB TV or visit our website. We will keep you in the groove on the upcoming 48th Snowball Derby. Thank You to all our fans for your continued support throughout the years. The loyal fans and the great drivers we continue to draw is the reason we work so hard to bring the best of the best here to Five Flags Speedway. After Years of Near Misses at Five Flags, Casey Smith Can Close Out Southern Super Title Saturday Heartbreak Hill is hands down the toughest portion of the Boston Marathon. It’s a treacherous 0.4-mile ascent near the end of the 26.2-mile torture chamber that leaves its victims plead- ing for mercy. Begrudgingly, Five Flags Speedway has become Casey Smith’s version of Heartbreak Hill. The Austin, Texas, Super Late Model driver has had more than his fair share of close calls and disappoint- ments at the famed half-mile asphalt oval in the 15 years he has raced in Pensacola. But at the Deep South Cranes Rental 150 come Saturday, with the Southern Super Series championship hanging in the balance, Smith has a chance to turn his boulevard of broken dreams into a yel- low brick road. By Chuck Corder
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Whatseemstobethefastestpassingracingseason in recentmemory is coming to an end thisSaturdaynight.Itseemstomelikeitallstartedjustacoupleofmonthsago,but Iguess theoldsaying“TimeFliesWhenYou’reHavingFun”istrue.
AftercrowningRandy ThompsonaChampi-onintheFaith Chapel Super StocksandRyan Luza intheAllen Turner Hyundai Pro Late Models,it’stimeto turnourattention to the remaining fourdivisions.Tonightwillbethedecidingfactorastowhocancallthemselves champions in the Deep South Cranes Super Late Models,theBetter Built Pro Trucks, Butler U Pull It BombersandtheBeef O’Brady Sportsmen.After thefinalcheckeredflagwewillknowwhocanputaddtheirnamesalongwithThompsonandLuzaand be called the elite group of 2015 atAmerica’sFavoriteHomeTrack.
In the Super Late Models two championswillbecrowned,onewillbeintheFiveFlagsSpeed-wayBlizzardSeriesanditbeingthefinalraceforthe Southern Super Series, a champion will also becrowned.YoucanalsolookforalargefieldofSuperstobeonhandwhoarenotthinkingaboutanykindofpoints.TheywillbeonhandtogetextralapsandusethisraceforatuneupfortheSnowballDerby.
We send very special Congratulations toRandyThompsonandRyanLuzaontheirchampion-shipseasonandatthesametowhoevercomesoutontoptonightintheremainingfourclasses.
Thiswillbe the lastnewsletter for2015butmakesureyoutuneinto“INTHEGROOVE”withTimandSteveeveryotherMondaynightat6:00pmonBLABTVorvisitourwebsite.Wewillkeepyouinthegrooveontheupcoming48thSnowballDerby.
ThankYoutoallourfansforyourcontinuedsupportthroughouttheyears.Theloyalfansandthegreatdriverswecontinue todraw is the reasonweworksohardtobringthebestofthebestheretoFiveFlagsSpeedway.
After Years of Near Misses at Five Flags, Casey Smith Can Close Out Southern Super Title Saturday
Heartbreak Hill is hands down the toughest portion of the Boston Marathon.
It’s a treacherous 0.4-mile ascent near the end of the 26.2-mile torture chamber that leaves its victims plead-ing for mercy.
Begrudgingly, Five Flags Speedway has become Casey Smith’s version of Heartbreak Hill. The Austin, Texas, Super Late Model driver has had more than his fair share of close calls and disappoint-ments at the famed half-mile asphalt oval in the 15 years he has raced in Pensacola.
But at the Deep South Cranes Rental 150 come Saturday, with the Southern Super Series championship hanging in the balance, Smith has a chance to turn his boulevard of broken dreams into a yel-low brick road.
By Chuck Corder
Casey Smith Continued-
Car Photos Tom Wilsey
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“Man, closing it out in Pensacola makes my stomach turn,” the 30-year-old Smith said. “Pensacola is to us the way Daytona was to Dale Earnhardt for so many years. Different things have happened there that have taken us out of a lotta wins.
“But it’s something to keep fighting for, and it actually makes us stron-ger than at other tracks because I wanna succeed there so badly.”
Every driver in the pits will be look-ing to succeed desperately Saturday. This weekend marks Five Flags’ annual Night of Champions, the final chance to see live racing in Pensacola until the 48th annual Snowball Derby festivities kick off the first week of December.
Smith brings a 62-point lead over Donnie Wilson in the Southern Super Series stand-ings into Saturday night. “No matter what Donnie does, we have to finish 15th or better,” he said. “It’s comforting, but it won’t be easy to run 15th with the caliber of late models that will be there Saturday night.”
Smith has a chance to sweep the night. He trails current leader Casey Roderick by nine points in the race for the Blizzard Series crown.Smith knows for fortune to shine on him Saturday, he’ll have to erase a string of bad luck at Pensacola’s high banks.
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“For me, even in Blizzard races, something happens and I don’t finish great,” Smith said. “I can think of three Derbys where we were one of the fastest cars on the race-track, but didn’t win it because of a bad pit stop or a caution or a wreck taking us out.
“Every year we’re competitive at the Derby. We just haven’t got the finishes. But a lotta that comes on me, too.” He plans on leaving the past right where it belongs in his rearview mirror this Saturday.
Smith has been trending upward in 2015. He has scored top-10 finishes in all 12 Southern Super Series races this season with nine of those being top-five results.
Smith has captured checkered flags at Mobile International Speedway (April) and Montgomery Motor Speedway (June) and has come home no worse than fifth in the three Pensacola races.
“We’ve had a lotta luck on our side and, hopefully, it won’t change there at Pensacola,” Smith said of his Smith Excavating and Paving No. 99 team. “But this’ll be a tune up for the Derby, so anything can happen. There will be a lotta really good cars there, and I wanna make sure we’re one of the ones to run up front.”
Smith has long eschewed the late model norm of utilizing a crew chief. Instead, he chooses to call the shots and make the important decisions.
“Racing is a hobby for us,” Smith said. “We’re not set up to hire a big-time crew chief and spend a half-million dollars. We have good equipment and every-thing it takes to make the car go fast.
“Plus, I enjoy that part. I enjoy know-ing if we win a race, we beat somebody that has a crew chief. The flip side of that, though, is if we get beat, I’m down in the dumps and trying to figure out how to get better. But that’s part of it.”
Read the rest of Chuck’s story on our web site: www.5flagsspeedway,com
National Anthem: Krewe du Yayas
By Chuck CorderBy Chuck Corder
Under Garvey’s Guidance, Teenage Sensation Garrett Jones Comes of Age Heading into Blizzard/SSS Finale
It takes Garrett Jones a couple of ringsbeforeheanswershis iPhone.Whenhedoes, the16-year-old latemodeldriver’svoice, which has noticeably droppedseveraloctaves,echoeslikehe’strappeddownawell.
“Ijustgotmylicense!”Jonesshoutsfrominsidehis2015ChevySilverado,thecher-ished birthday gift bestowed upon himfromhisgrandfather,Larry.And,so,eightdaysaftercelebratinghisSweet16,Joneshas officially become a distracted driver.Thankyou,Bluetooth.
But when Jones gets behind the TracyGoodson No. 1 Super Late Model onSaturdayfortheDeepSouthCraneRent-als150,restassuredhisattentionwillbefocusedfullyonthetaskathand.“Pensac-ola is unlike any track we go to,” Jonessaid.“It’sastechnicalaracetrackasyou’llfind.”
Jones,apastProLateModelchampionatFiveFlags,isboundanddeterminedtogooutwithaflurry in theDeepSouthCraneRentalsBlizzardSeriesandSouthernSuperSeriesfinale.
WithSaturday’sracebeingthefinalstopbeforethe 48th annual Snowball derby in December,Jonesknowsa lotoffirst-timedriverswill try tomasterthefamedhalf-mileasphaltoval.HesitsfourthintheoverallSouthernSuperSeriespointschaseandistheodds-onfavoritetowinRookieoftheYearhonors.
“Thegoal isalways tobeup front,”saidJones,seventh in the Blizzard standings. “Usually, ifyou’rerunninginthetop-five,youshouldbeOKand be able to run a clean race and notworryabout cautions and wrecks. But as far as thecompetitiongoes,Iconsiderustobeoneoftheteamstobeat.”
ApairofCaseyseyeupSLMcrownswithCaseySmithmaintaininga62-pointleadfortheSouth-ern Super Series championship and CaseyRoderick holding a slim nine-point lead for theBlizzardSeriestitle.
Jones’ debut season in the Southern SuperSeries has been quite the roller coaster ride.BehindthesteeringwheelofhisfamiliarNo.88,Jonesscoredapairoftop-fivefinishesinthefirsttworaces,underthetutelageandclosewatchofcrewchiefKellyBires.WhileJonescontinued toregularly score top-10sall theway into June,astretchofsevenraces,theoutcomeswerestuckinreverse.
“At the beginning of the season, we had greatchemistry,”JonessaidofBires,whohascompet-edinmorethan90SprintCupandXfinitySeriesraces. “But, it fell awayduring thesummer.Wewererunningdecent.Nothingtocomplainabout,but we weren’t qualifying well at all. We werehandicappingourselves.”(Continued on our web site: www.5flagspeedway.com).
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