WELCOME BACK ; 50 LAP PRO TRUCKS The 2016 racing season is upon us and again we kick it off in style. Let’s get started with some fan appreciation like a $5 admission price for the grandstands. Yes, for a mere $5 bill you can witness some great racing in the Sportsman and Bombers classes AND we’ll even top it off with a 50 lapper for the Pro Trucks. Dash for cash returns too! As usual Tim Byrant wants all our great fans to get their racing fix taken care of as soon as possible, so we will return next week with “Open Wheel Mania”. We all look forward to this every year as the Winged Sprint Cars make their one time stop at America’s Favorite Home Track on Friday, April 1st – and no this is not a April Fool’s joke! Being a 3 day show, here on the 1st, Mobile on the 2nd and Montgomery on the 3rd, should bring a very healthy car count since all three track will also be a points race for their drivers.
It doesn’t stop there as some special races are on the schedule for the 15th and 29th of April as well but we will talk about those two events later on, or you can go to our website, 5flagsspeedway.com, for more info. If you haven’t heard by now, the speedway is offering a season pass this year. For only $175.00 you can attend all of our races from March through September with a special parking spot included. However, the season pass does not include the 49th Annual Snowball Derby. Call the speedway office Monday–Friday from 9 am–5 pm for more information on this. FYI - due to the bad weather we had, the March, Rusty Wallace Driving Experience has been rescheduled for April 23rd. Let me also remind you Monday night, March 28th, the new season for “In The Grove” with Tim and Steve air. It is live so and you can call to talk to us during the show.
Tune into BLAB/TV at 6:00 pm. In closing I want to shout out a big congratulations to Tim Bryant on being inducted into the Pensacola Sports “Hall of Fame” on March 16th. As far as I’m concerned it is about time they showed some welldeserved recognition to Tim, the track and the Snowball Derby
Pro Truck Drivers
1 Howard Langham 5 Donald Crocker 6 Okie Mason 12 Eric Wallace 12 Kristen Wallace 18 Jessie Reid 36 Rodney Benefield 40 Jamie Weimer 47 Brian Weimer 47 Andy Wojtaszczyk 56 Darryl Rudd 64 David Jones 95 Steven Davis 99 John Thompson
National Anthem Presented By: Pensacola Sound Chorus
Steven Davis is out to prove that parting doesn’t always have to be such sweet sorrow. A short-track racing veteran of 15 years, Davis is accustomed to the business side of the sport. But even he had to experience a tinge of regret when the No. 84 Pro Truck he drove to unparalleled success in 2015 was sold by its owner during the offseason. Instead of wallowing, though, Davis got back to work. The reigning Snowball Derby Pro Trucks champion, Davis built a brand new truck with the help of good friend Randy Armstrong and is ready to continue his Pensacola two-race winning streak. “We had a pretty good bit of success in the old truck,” said Davis, who owns and operates Davis Suspension Technology in the Mobile area. “I think the worst we finished was second. (Losing the old car) was a bad deal. But either way, it didn’t matter to me. I’m glad we built a new truck and have a chance to start over.” (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)
4/1 King of the Wing Sprints, Modifieds of Mayhem. 4/15 Pro Late Twin 50s, Super Stocks, Sportsmen, Bombers. 4/29 Blizzard 100; Pro Trucks, Sportsmen, Bombers. 5/13 Mods of Mayhem, Super Stocks, Sportsmen, Bombers. 5/27 Blizzard 100, Fireworks, Pro Trucks, Sportsmen, Bombers. 6/10 Kids Bike Races, Motorcycle Thrill Show, Super Stocks, Sportsmen, Bombers 6/24 Pro Late Model Twin 50s, Pro Trucks, Sportsmen, Bombers. 7/8 Mods of Mayhem, Super Stocks, Sportsmen, Bombers. 7/22 Blizzard 100, Pro Trucks, Sportsmen, Bombers. 8/5 Demolition Derby, Modifieds of Mayhem, Sportsmen, Bombers. 9/2 Pro Late Twin 50’s Super Stocks, Sportsmen, Bombers. 9/17 Allen Turner Tune Up 100 for PLM, Pro Trucks, Sportsmen, Bombers. 9/24 Season Championships, Blizzard 100, Super Stock, Sportsmen, Bombers.
A chance to begin anew. It’s a sentiment that will be shared by drivers across three divisions Friday at the famed half-mile asphalt oval. The Beef “O” Brady’s Pro Trucks class will have a very Derby feel to it, as the series competes for 50 laps just as they did during Davis’ dominant night last December. Davis will be driving the No. 95 Pro Truck, making it a sister car of sorts to the No. 96 late model he competes in. Pensacola’s high banks have been good to Davis both in past and recent history. He won the 2006 Pro Late Model track championship and is a feature winner many times over. “It’s a finesse track,” the Mobile driver said. “You can’t be too aggressive on the throttle. You have to keep the car under you at all times. You can’t race the competition. You have to race yourself — race your truck at your pace.” At the Night of Champions last September, the 31 year old outdueled short-track king Bubba Pollard to win a 35-lap feature.
Long gone, but not forgotten, the Dash for Cash was once considered by many the highlight of race nite. Featuring the fastest 4 qualifiers in a 5 lap shootout, returns tonight in the Beef O’ Brady’s Pro Trucks. With an inverted line-up and $250 on the line for the winner, the DFC will insure a wide open pace and nearly guaranteed passing. The Dash For Cash is sponsored by Fast Cash ATM Service, the premier cash provider with ATM locations throughout the Gulf Coast, including here.
Who is at the Wheel? 5 Derek Long; Bay Minette 8 BJ Leytham; Mobile 15 Robert Loper; Irvington 15 Preston Prevatte; Lillian 16 Brad Mosley; 8 Mile 22 John K Merritt; Pensacola 24 Kerner Kafka; Pensacola 24 Wayne Burkett; Pensacola 27 Tommy Lowery; Pensacola 34 Cory Pittman; Cantonment 42 Brandon Sidner; Pensacola 44 Bobby Jones; Mobile 49 Jay Whalen; Pensacola 52 Robert Balkum; Pensacola 65 Rusty Powell; Satsuma, 83 David Johnson; Mobile 88 Geno Denmark; Dauphin Isl 91 Sarah Dority; Pensacola
00 Brannon Fowler, Molino 1 Jonathan Langham, Mobile 7 Jim Pokrant, Pensacola 13 Paul Mathis, Pensacola 24 Thumper Grice, Pensacola 28 Dayton Sidner, Cantonment 29 Shanna Ard, Milton 31 Johnny Greene, Daphne, AL 33 Steve Buttrick, Cantonment 42 Randy Thompson, Cantonment 60 Jimmy Goodwin, Milton 77 Shawn Laws, Gulf Breeze 81 Tina Davidson, Pensacola 97 Hunter Lambert, Pensacola 99 Billy Hoover, Pensacola
Video Ted Baber Tom Wilsey 850-458-2501 251-597-4747 Car Photos
For points won during the current year for all competitors, check our web site.
88
Geno Denmark
29
Shanna Ard
7
Casey Roderick
22
John K Merritt
00
Brannon Fowler
99
Casey Smith
52
Robert Balkum
7
Jim Pokrant
31
Kyle Grissom
29
Carl Dodson
33
Steve Buttrick
26
Bubba Pollard
5
Robert Loper
28
Dayton Sidner
2
Donnie Wilson
40 Brian Weimer
42
Randy Thompson
14
Ryan Luza
47 A.Wojtaszcyk
33
Gary Sutton
33
Dustin Smith
47 Jami Weimer
9
Todd Jones
99
Jr Niedecken
7
Ryan Worsham
12
Bubba Winslow
00
Anthony Cataldi
6
Okie Mason
9
Dave Nolen
5
Ronnie Osmer