00 Brannon Fowler 1 Howard Langham 1 Donald Crocker 4 Bill Cooley 2 Jensen Jorgensen 04 Dawson Keener M7 Raymond Dormer 7 Kody Brusso 9 Logan Boyett 9 Kody Jett 11 Raymond Dormer 12 Bubba Winslow Burkett Taking Over 12 Brandon Burks 14w Wesley King Family Business, Sits 14 Lee Carter 15 Colt James Third in Pure Stocks 15 Kevin Chase 15 Mark Lindley 17 Chris Cotto Caleb Burkett has been coming 18 Jessie Reid 17 Chance Adkins to Five Flags Speedway since 21 Jason Welch 26 Corbitt Moseley the roars of engines and packed 29 Shanna Ard 28 Rick Ortell crowds “busted my eardrums. 30 Ricky Vice 38 Chopper Stagner “I wasn’t old enough to walk, I 31 Jr. Niedecken know that,” Burkett added. 38 Curt Britt 33 Joe Bathea, Jr 40 Brian Weimer 40 Todd Jones Now 17, the junior at West 46 Jarrett Parker 41 Troy Grisaffi Florida High School of Advanced 48 Tovia Grynowicz 54 Conner Sutton Technology is starting to reap 57 Charlie Skipper 55 Ralph Wheeler the rewards of all his time spent 84 Joe Mahuron watching races, helping his father 56 Darryl Rudd 88 Brandon Spreen get cars set up and getting his 58 Jake Moore 92 Bubba WInslow own feet wet driving at the famed 66 Steven Davis 94 Jason Johnson half-mile asphalt oval. 67 Daniel Bradford 95 Phillip Crownover 96 John Heil 68 Lori Lindley Burkett has started his Lloyd’s 96 Rick Pollaro Glass Pure Stocks season with 95 Chris Comalander 97 Hunter Lambert two top-10 finishes, including a 96 Rick Pollaro 98 Scotty Anderson career-best runner-up last month. 98 Jay Jay Day 151 Gary Sutton
(Continued inside)
National Anthem Angela Adair
“It was the first time I made it on the podium — we just skipped third,” he said proudly. “There were a lotta emotions up there. To have family and friends celebrating with me, it was a really good time.” Burkett hopes the good times keep rolling on Friday when the Pure Stocks return with the Faith Chapel Outlaw Stocks, WCI.com Pro Trucks and The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen. With a grandfather and a father that preceded him racing at Pensacola’s high banks and dirt tracks in the area, the young Burkett almost seemed predestined to join the ranks when his time came. Burkett didn’t stray from the family business. “Growing up, I was working in the shop with my dad (Wayne),” Caleb said. “He told me as soon as I could hop in a big car, I could race with them.” He started in go-karts at 6, and — true to his father’s word — by 12, Caleb Burkett was in a Pure Stocks competing at Southern Raceway in Milton and other dirt tracks along the Gulf Coast. This is Burkett’s third year on asphalt and the sport has consumed his every thought, even when he’s at school. “All my buddies understand my love for it,” he said, “but we’ll be talking something, and I’ll turn the conversation toward racing and they say it sounds like I’m speaking another language. So I’ll have to break it down to them.”
Apr 27 Bliz 100, PT, PS May 11 Mods, OS, SP, PS May 25 OS, PT, SP, PS Jun 8 Kids Bikes, OS, SP, PS Jun 22 Bliz 2, PT, PS Jul 6 PLM 100,OS, OS, PS Jul 20 Bliz 3, OS, PS Aug 3 Demo Derby, Mods, SP, PS Aug 17 PLM 100, PT, PS Sep 15 * OS, PT, SP, PS Championships Sep 22 Nite of Championships, Blizzard & PLM 100
Schedule
4:00pm Pits Open 5:30pm OS, PT, SP, PS, Practice Round 1 6:30pm Driver’s Meeting (tech station) 7:00pm OS, PT, SP, PS Group Qualifying 8:00pm Pre-Race Festivities Sportsmen Heats Pure Stock Heats Outlaw Stock Feature (35 Laps) Pro Truck Feature (30 Laps) Sportsmen Feature (25 Laps) Pure Stock Feature (20 Laps)
Video Ted Baber Eddie Richie 251-232-8836 850-458-2501 Car Photos
2 03 11 11 16 17 19 25 21 22 24 27 29 30 34 42 44 49 52 71
80 86 91 95 97
1 2 3 07 07 8 09 13 28 31 32 33 54 55 60 97
Tony Boyd, Pensascola, Michael Nelson, Pensacola Johnathan Day, Mobile Cameron Leytham, Mobile Brad Mosley; 8 Mile Lee Williams, Theadore, Daryl McDonald III, Theadore, Robert Loper, Theadore, AL Butch Harvell, Pensacola John K Merritt, Pensacola Caleb Burkett, Pensacola Jimmy Hollingsworth, Mobile Matt Thompson, Wilmer, AL Bobby Suarez, Pensacola Cory Pittman, Cantonment Brandin Sidner, Pensacola Bobby Jones, Mobile Jay Whalen, Pensacola Robert Balkum, Pensacola Tommie Blocker, Mobile Zack Jordan, Pensacola Jonathan Smith, Theadore Sarah Dority, Pensacola Robert Riley, Gulfbreeze Charles Barber, Irvington, AL
Johnathan Langham, Mobile Paul Schloss; Palm Coast, FL Mark Barnhill, Mobile, AL Jim Pokrant, Pensacola Johnny McNair, Pensacola B J Leytham Hunter McNair, Cantonment Paul Mathis, Pensacola Dayton Sidner, Cantonment Johnny Greene, Daphne, AL Red Dog Reynolds, Mobile Steve Buttrick, Cantonment Donald Hardy, Cantonment Jimbo Walker, Mobile, AL Jimmy Goodwin, Pensacola Hunter Lambert, Pensacola .
Because of West Florida High’s close proximity to Five Flags — the school is less than 3 miles from the track’s front gate — Burkett gets a little antsy when race day arrives. “On Fridays when the Late Models are here, and I can hear them practicing, I’m just thinking, ‘Man I wanna get outta school and go now,’ ” he said.On the other days of the week when school lets out, Burkett heads to his family’s home in Beulah and begins to get the car ready before his dad arrives. Once Wayne Burkett joins his son, the two hammer out a game plan for what adjustments to make to the car and where else they can find an extra second of speed for the next race. Early in the week, the father-son tandem will shut things down for the night around midnight. But when race nights approach on Wednesday and Thursday, their work can take them deep into the evening depending on how much work the pair need to put into the No. 24. Burkett loves the chance to share in something both he and his father are passionate about. Text all day, whadya think about this. No I tried that when I was your age. “It’s amazing just knowing what I don’t know and what he does know,” the younger Burkett said. “It’s always a learning experience when I’m with him, you know? I go to bed every night and wake up in morning talking about what I can do better. “We go back and forth sometimes. But there’s nothing better than climbing outta the car and seeing him standing there smiling after a good run.”(The story continues on our web site.)
52
Robert Balkum
07
Jim Pokrant
26
Bubba Pollard
22
John K Merritt
3
Mark Barnhill
7
Casey Roderick
24
Caleb Burkett
97
Hunter Lambert
2
Donnie Wilson
97
Charles Barber
65
Steven Allday
51
Stephen Nasse
91
Sarah Dority
28
Dayton Sidner
26
Chandler Smith
3t
Logan Boyett
92
Bubba Winslow
18
Casey Roderick
95 Chris Comalander
7
Kody Brusso
33
Dustin Smith
00 Brannon Fowler
4
Todd Jones
14
Chris Davidson
66 Steven Davis
17
Chris Cotto
66
Korey Ruble
15 Colt James
26
Corbitt Moseley
81
Giovanni Bromante
9
It’s A Long Way To Go...and A Short Time To Get There