ARCA 200 Opens 2019 Season

By Car Number 1 Chuck Hires 1 Dick Doheny 2 Andy Seuss 2 Eric Caudell 3 Willie Mullins 4 Todd Gillliland 5 Bobby Gerhart 06 Tim Richmond 6 Con Nicolopoulos 7 Codie Rohrbaugh 10 Tommy Vigh Jr 11 Jason White 14 Connor Okrzesik 15 Christian Eckes 18 Riley Herbst 18 Ty Gibbs 19 Raphael Lessard 20 Chandler Smith 20 Harrison Burton 21 Sam Meyer 22 Connor Hall 22 Corey Heim 23 Bret Holmes 25 Michael Self 27 Travis Braden 28 Carson Hocevar 29 Derrick Lancaster 30 Grant Quinlan 32 Gus Dean 35 Brenden Queen 36 Paul Williamson 38 Kaden Honeycutt 43 Sean Corr 44John Ferrier 46 Thad Moffitt 48 Brad Smith 52 Tyler Dippel 54 Natalie Decker 54 Tanner Gray 55 Leilani Munter 61 J J Pack 63 Dave Mader III 69 Scott Melton 69 Mike Basham 73 Dale Shearer 77 Joe Graf Jr 89 C J McLaughlin

ARCA Facinating Facts at Five Flags • It’s been 23 years since the ARCA Menards Series has raced at Five Flags, and most of the drivers entered weren’t even born then. But several drivers do have been here, including 2016 Snowball Derby winner Christian Eckes (No. 15), Carson Hocevar (No. 28), 2016 Five Flags Pro Late champ Bret Holmes (No.23) & Connor Okzresik (No.14) the 2019 ARCA/CRA Super Series SpeedFest 200 winner in Cordele, Georgia.

• A handful of drivers will be making their ARCA Menards debuts.

Ty Gibbs (No. 18), Corey Heim (No. 22), and former 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champ Tanner Gray (No. 54) , and Tim Richmond (No. 06). Con’t next page...

1 Donald Crocker 4 Bill Cooley 4 Bill Touchtone 7 Kody Brusso 9 Kody Jett 14w Wesley King 14 Lee Carter 15 Kevin Chase 17 Chris Cotto 17 Chance Adkins 22 Jeremy Pate 26 Corbitt Moseley 28 Rick Ortell 30 Ricky Vice 31 Jr. Niedecken 32 Stuart Dutton 33 Joe Bathea, Jr 40 Todd Jones 41 Troy Grisaffi 54 Conner Sutton 57 Charlie Skipper 84 Joe Mahuron 84 Doug Thorpe 88 Brandon Spreen 92 Bubba Winslow 92 Ron McDonald 94 Jason Johnson 95 Phillip Crownover 96 John Heil 96 Rick Pollaro 97 Hunter Lambert 98 Scotty Anderson 151 Gary Sutton 311 Michael Johnson

• The ARCA Menards Series competed at Five Flags Speedway for five consecutive seasons in the early 1990’s. Five drivers have won those previous races: Roy Payne (1992), Harold Fair (1993), Gary Bradberry (1994), Bob Schacht (1995) and Frank Kimmel (1996).

• Several drivers in the previous five races here are serving in a different capacity. Frank Kimmel, winner in 1996 will be back working as a crew chief for Venturini Motorsports. Team owner Bill Venturini is here. He finished sixth in the inaugural race at Five Flags in 1992. His son, Billy Venturini, will serve as crew chief for Chandler Smith (No. 20 ); Billy finished fifth in the 1995 race. Andy Hillenburg, the 1995 ARCA champ and sixth-place finisher at Five Flags that season, will be at the track as car owner for Tommy Vigh, Jr. (No. 10).

• One driver entered was in the field in the 1996 race here. Brad Smith (No. 48) was in the field in 1996, but Lady Luck was not on his side; Smith was sidelined after just one lap due to engine failure.

• Frank Kimmel’s win at Five Flags in 1996 was the second of his record 80 career ARCA Menards Series wins. The only previous win on Kimmel’s impressive resume was at Toledo Speedway in May 1994.

• Five drivers have started from the General Tire Pole at Five Flags: Rich Bickle (1992), Tim Steele (1993), Gary Bradberry (1994), Doug Reid III (1995) and Bobby Bowsher (1996).

National Anthem Eglin AFB Command Directorate Quartet

Friday Mar 8 Arrival & Inspection.

No on track activity. 6-10pm Bonfire Party in parking lot.

Saturday Mar 9 10am Chapel Service 10:15am Drivers, Crew Chiefs, Spotter Meeting.

Drawing for Qualifying order.

11:45am Local Drivers Meeting 12:00pm ARCA Practice (ends 1:30) 1:35pm Local Practice (ends 2:05) 2:15PM Qualifying Local Cars 3:30pm ARCA General Tire Qualifying (2 laps) 4:15pm Outlaws 35 lap Feature Pure Stock 20 lap Feature 5:45pm ARCA Autograph Session 6:40pm Pre Race Ceremony 6:45pm ARCA Driver Introductions 7:00pm Invocation National Anthem 7:09pm Start Engines

Car Photos Eddie Richie 251-232-8836

Video Ted Baber 850-287-3150

2019 Schedule

Local Drivers Gear Up for Opening Day, Hope to Make More History Nothing beats the first show of the season. Beginning today, Five Flags Speedway will host around 15 edge-of-your-seat nights of racing. With track championships and history up for grabs, each race holds a shared importance as drivers get their machines dialed in for the 52nd annual Snowball Derby come December.

Mar 29 SERF Blizzard, SLM, SP, PT, PS Apr 7 Sweat Hogg

& Motorcycles Apr 12 Winged Sprints

O, SP, PS Apr 26 ATPLM, Mods, PT, PS May 10 O, PT, SP, PS May 24 O, PT, SP, PS Jun 7 ATPLM,

SP, PS; Bike Races Jun 21 Blizzard,

O, PT, PS; Fireworks Jul 19 Blizzard, PT, SP, PS Aug 2 Demo Derby

Mods, O SP Aug 16 ATPLM O, PT, PS Aug 31 * Bandit Trucks Sep 14 * O, PT, SP, PS, Championships Sep 21 * Blizzard,

ATPLM Championships Nov 23 * SBD Preview Dec 4-8 Snowball Derby

Still, walking through the front gates on opening day and soaking up all the glory and magic the famed half-mile asphalt oval holds in each groove is like inhaling fresh air and catching a whiff of sweet olive.

He got an extra boost five weeks ago when he inked a deal to drive the Larry Blount Motorsports Super Late Model in the Southern Super Series this year. Pate tested the SLM for the first time on Tuesday under the watchful eye of Hunter Robbins.

Sharing the stage with the ARCA Series will be the Faith Chapel Outlaw Stocks and Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks.

After years of heartbreakers, Robert Balkum finally found his moment to thrive last year. The 40-year-old Pure Stocks driver accomplished a lifelong goal when he captured the division’s track championship for the first time in 2018.

Jeremy Pate couldn’t have scripted a better finish to his 2018 season or a more satisfying start to 2019. The hometown “kid,” now 41, Pate has been riding on cloud nine for the past three months since winning the Outlaw Stocks running during Snowball Derby week.

While his quest to add a Pure Stocks Derby title fell short, Balkum is determined to hoist that elusive trophy when December rolls back around.“That’s our next goal,” he said. “We want the Snowball Derby” (Continued on our web site).

52

Robert Balkum

3

Mark Barnhill

18

Casey Roderick

24

Caleb Burkett

55

Jimbo Walker

26

Bubba Pollard

91

Sarah Dority

28

Dayton Sidner

30

Jesse Dutilly

42

Brandin Sidner

29

Shanna Ard

88

Garrett Jones

22

John K Merritt

07

Jim Pokrant

26

Chandler Smith

7

Kody Brusso

18

Casey Roderick

95 Chris Comalander

4

Todd Jones

14

Chris Davidson

00 Brannon Fowler

1

Donald Crocker

14

Connor Okrzesik

56 Darryl Rudd

92

Bubba WInslow

18

Ryan Paul

21 Jason Welch

54

Conner Sutton

95

Derrick Griffin

9

2 2 11 11 12 15 16 16 17 19 21 22 22 24

3t

Logan Boyett

Tony Boyd, Pensascola, Chance Imel, Irvington, AL Johnathan Day, Mobile Cameron Leytham, Mobile T J Thompson, Mobile Robert Loper, Theadore, Brad Mosley; 8 Mile Rocky Boyd; Pensacola Lee Williams, Theadore, Daryl McDonald, Theadore, Butch Harvell, Pensacola John K Merritt, Pensacola Dylan Courtney, Citronelle, Caleb Burkett, Pensacola

27 29 30 34 42 49 52 80 86 91 95 97 97

Jimmy Hollingsworth, Mobile Matt Thompson, Wilmer, AL Bobby Suarez, Pensacola Cory Pittman, Cantonment Brandin Sidner, Pensacola Jay Whalen, Pensacola Robert Balkum, Pensacola Zack Jordan, Pensacola Jonathan Smith, Theadore Sarah Dority, Pensacola Robert Riley, Gulfbreeze David Johnson, Irvington, Charles Barber, Mobile