Sportsmen Spectacular 35

Mr. Perfect: Barnhill Yet to Lose at 5 Flags in 2019, Eyes 35-Lap Sportsmen Spectacular Paycheck

By Chuck Corder Winning streaks can be funny things.Do you enjoy the highs or are you haunted by the pursuit of perfection? Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, and all that stuff.

Mark Barnhill seems unbothered by all of it. The Theodore, Ala., Sportsmen driver is a perfect three-for-three at Five Flags Speedway this season. He stacks wins like chips at a card table and his even-keeled demeanor 3 Mark Barnhill is a true poker face despite facing a $250 bounty.

07 Jim Pokrant 8 B J Leytham 13 Paul Mathis 28 Dayton Sidner 29 Shanna Ard 29 Garrett Cobb 55 Jimbo Walker 71 Tommy Blocker 76 Tony Boyd 97 Hunter Lambert 99 Billy Hoover

Barnhill freely admits to needing to work on his No. 3 machine “a little more.”“It gets it done, I guess,” he added.

Barnhill hope it gets it done when The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen race for 35 laps.

1 Donald Crocker 2 Scott WIcker 4 Bill Tutchtone 6 Jody Henderson 7 Kody Brusso 8 Jacob Bensock 12 Justin Beck 15 Perry Patino 15 Kevin Chase 21 Jason Furrow 21 Jason Welch 21 Michael Fisher 22 Jeremy Pate 26 Corbitt Moseley 32 Stuart Dutton 33 Joe Bathea, Jr 40 Todd Jones 41 Troy Grisaffi 51 Derrick Griffin 54 Conner Sutton 57 Charlie Skipper 64 Jonathan Langham 81 Chris Cotto

84 Doug Thorpe 92 Bubba Winslow 94 Jason Johnson 95 Phillip Crownover 96 Fisher Smith 96 Rick Pollaro 97 Hunter Lambert

3 Joseph Meyer 9 Logan Boyett 12 Tony Dalton 12 Brandon Burks 18 Jesse Salazar 18 Jessie Reid 39 Memphis Villarreal 40 Brian Weimer 51 Trevor Dalton 54 Grant Thompson 56 Darryl Rudd 56 Josh Hicks 64 Cale Gale 96 John Heil 97 Hunter Lambert

The “Sportsmen Spectacular” will be the longest feature the class will run until the 52nd annual Snowball Derby in December. With the extended race, and that $250 bounty on Barnhill’s head, comes a larger payday — one of the few droughts Barnhill has experienced at Pensacola’s high banks.

“I haven’t won a big-money race over there, other than the Derby,” said Barnhill, who won his Derby in 2017. “I’m just gonna try to save my tires.”

Tire management will be Priority No. 1 for the Sportsmen. Secondyear Sportsmen driver Tommie Blocker.“There’s a method to the madness, but I’m still trying to figure that out,” Blocker, of Irvington, Ala., said.

Blocker, who raced just a handful of Sportsmen features last season, sits third in the points standings behind only Barnhill at the top and fellow Alabama driver B.J. Leytham.

A feature win and a slew of podium finishes highlighted a successful, albeit brief, run in the Pure Stocks. Blocker thought it was only natural to test his mettle at the next class up.

“I spent a big portion of last year just putting it back together,” said Blocker, who bought the car from the father-son duo of Stan and Jason Smith. “I just wanted to get the basic idea of what I was doing out there before I decided to run

Friday May 24th 3:00pm Pits Open 5:00pm Practice #1 O,PT,SP, PS (15 Minutes) 6:00pm Practice #2 O,PT,SP,PS (10 Minutes) 7:00pm Driver’s Meeting (Victory Lane) 7:30pm Sportsman Qualifying (single car) 7:55pm Pre Race Festivities 8:00pm O Heats (6 Laps) PT Heats (6 Laps) PS Heats (6 Laps) The Dock Sportsman Spectacular (35 Laps) Outlaw Feature (35 Laps) Pro Truck Feature (25 Laps) Pure Stock Feature (20 Laps)

2019 Schedule Jun 7 ATPLM, SP, PS; Kids Bike Races Jun 21 Blizzard, O, PT, PS; Fireworks Jul 19 Blizzard, PT, SP, PS Aug 2 Demo Derby , Mods of Mayhem, O SP Aug 16 ATPLM O, PT, PS Aug 31 * Big Rig Trucks Sep 14 * O, PT, SP, PS, Championships Sep 21 * Blizzard, ATPLM Championships Nov 23 * SBD Preview Dec 4-8 Snowball Derby

National Anthem Nick Howard

both tracks, get seat time, and get caught up to the rest of the guys. I believed that helped me tremendously.”

The 53-year-old credits the Smiths, along with close friend and fellow Sportsmen driver Jimbo Walker for assisting him through the growing pains of driving in a new class.

2 2 11 11 12 12 15 16 16 17 19 21 22 22 24 27 29 30 34 42 49 51 52 80 86 91 95 97

Tony Boyd, Pensacola, Chance Imel, Irvington, AL Johnathan Day, Mobile Cameron Leytham, Mobile Michael Moody, 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 Jimmy Hollingsworth, Mobile Matt Thompson, Wilmer, AL Bobby Suarez, Pensacola Cory Pittman, Cantonment Brandin Sidner, Pensacola Jay Whalen, Pensacola Randall Moye, Robertsdale Robert Balkum, Pensacola Zack Jordan, Pensacola Jonathan Smith, Theadore Sarah Dority, Pensacola Robert Riley, Gulfbreeze David Johnson, Irvington

Blocker struggled last year to figure out the setup to fit my driving style. He took their sage advice, sprinkled his own experiences, and came away with a recipe he hopes will put him in Victory Lane on Friday night.

“Mark is tough, tough. BJ’s gonna be there. There are a lotta cars to contend with,” Blocker said. “I’ve had some close finishes with (Barnhill). (Cont on our web site)

Michael

Mark

Geo

Moody

Barnhill

Bromante

Robert

B. J.

Kyle

Balkum

Leytham

Plott

Corey

Jimbo

Lucas

Pittman

Walker

Jones

Brandin

Tommie

Trey

Sidner

Blocker

Bayne

Randall

Jim

Jesse

Moye

Pokrant

Dutilly

Joshua

Bubba Winslow

Jeremy Pate

Chris Cotto

Colby

Hicks Grant Thompson Brandon Burks Logan Boyett Hunter Lambert

Jason Farow Bill Tutchtone

Howard Connor Okrzesik Jake Garcia Chris Davidson William Hale