Pro Late Double Feature, Super Stock, Bombers & Sportsmen We sure hope all our fans had a great and safe 4th of July last weekend and we also hope you saw some great fireworks shows wherever you might have spent your holiday. Well, it’s not over yet as you will see more fireworks tonight, but it will be on the track instead of in the air. The Allen Turner Pro Late Models return tonight with another double feature shootout. These 20/30 lap sprint races for the Pro Late’s has become very popular with the fans and if June 26th was any indication of what’s in store for tonight, then I suggest you find a good seat and get ready for some wild racing. The last race saw a first time winner at Five Flags as Texas native, Derek Scott, won the 20 lapper to kick off the night. With the next race inverted from the way they finished in the first 20 lapper none of us expected to see the best 30 lap feature at Five Flags Speedway in a long time. Pensacola’s own Wayne Niedecken, Jr took the youngster’s to school by coming from the rear of the 19 car field to score his first win at the speedway in a very long time. Can he do it again tonight or will we see another new face in victory lane? Also on the schedule are the Bombers, Sportsman and Super Stocks. If you feel you didn’t get enough racing action tonight, then come on over to Mobile International Speedway tomorrow night and be prepared for some more great racing. We will return on July 24th with the Deep South Cranes Super Late Models for race number three in the Blizzard Series. Also on the 24th will be the Pro Trucks, Sportsman and Bombers. LET’S GO RACING!!!
By Chuck Corder
By Chuck Corder
Allen Turner PLMs: Wild Derby Ride Belies Talent in California’s Derek Thorn Derek Thorn boasts a unique perspective of Five Flags Speedway. Literally. Like most drivers, Thorn has seen the track up close and personal — three times to be precise. He’s felt its abrasive surface. He’s walked up and down its steep embankments. And he’s surveyed the high and low grooves while strapped into a late model seat. But, Thorn knows a vantage point, uncommon among his fellow drivers. The 29-year-old California driver viewed the famed half-mile asphalt oval upside down, sideways and spiraling like a football after his Super Late Model went airborne and barrel-rolled during the 2011 Snowball Derby. (Con’t page 2)
Thorn Continued
“You don’t want that to happen but once in your lifetime, if ever at all,” Thorn said. “I’m 6-foot-3, and I didn’t wanna be stuck upside down trying to quickly get outta the car before a fire started.
July 24 Super Late Blizzard #3, Plus Pro Truck, Sportsmen and Bomber Aug 7 Modifieds of Mayhem #7 Super Stock, Sportmen, Bomber PLUS Faster Pastor and Demolition Derby Aug 28 Pro Late Double 20/30 Plus Pro Truck, Sportsmen and Bomber Saturday, Sept 19 Pro Late Model 100 Allen Turner Tune-Up , Super Stock, Sportsmen and Bomber Saturday, Sept 26 Blizzard Pro Truck, Sportsmen and Bomber DSC Night of Champions Friday-Sun Oct. 23 NOPI Nationals Saturday, Nov. 21 Snowball Preview Thursday, December 3 - Sunday Dec 6th 48th Annual Snowball Derby
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“But, luckily, I landed right side up and I could see everything. The safety equipment worked like it was supposed to. Still, it was a helluva weekend.” Thorn hopes this Friday night is just as memorable, but for an entirely different reason. He will be a part of a talented field for the Allen Turner Hyundai Pro Late Model doubleheader. “I like it,” Thorn said of the format. “It’s one of the things in racing I haven’t been around much of, which is nice. It gives guys in the back a chance to get up front again. It makes for good racing.” A native of Lakeport, Calif., Thorn moved to Wisconsin at 20 and competed in the ASA Late Model Series before moving back to California prior to 2011.Today, he drives for Byron Campbell Motorsports. Naturally, his schedule keeps him out west, taking him up and down the Pacific Coast from Washington’s Evergreen Speedway and into southern California favorites, such as Irwindale Speedway and Kern County in Bakersfield, Plus, with trips to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Friday’s crosscountry adventure to Pensacola is a rarity. Thorn will climb behind the wheel of Kurt Jett’s PLM, part of a still-blossoming agreement. -Read the rest of Chuck’s story on our web site: www.fiveflagsspeedway.com.
“It’s all about having fun,” said Merritt, whose best showing has been several runner-up finishes, including one earlier this year. “When I quit having fun, that’s when I’ll stop. I’m not out there, trying to make a career outta this or move up a ladder. It’s a release and enjoyment at the same time.” Currently second in the Bombers standings, Merritt has had plenty to celebrate this season. He hopes the party continues Friday night when the Bombers return to Pensacola’s high banks alongside the Allen Turner Pro Late Models, Super Stocks and Sportsman.
By Chuck Corder
Merritt Maintains Fun Philosophy While Chasing Elusive First Career Bomber Win By Chuck Corder John Kevin Merritt has one mission he wants accomplished during race nights at Five Flags Speedway. Despite his wiry and unkempt beard, the goal is certainly not to be mistaken as the missing link to the Robertson clan, the follicle-friendly family famous for reality-television’s “Duck Dynasty.” And, believe it or not, Merritt’s focus isn’t always coming home with a checkered flag. In fact, firmly entrenched in his fourth full season of a quasicomeback tour, Merritt is still seeking an elusive win. Instead of stressing about victories, the 51-year-old Butler U-Pull-It Bombers driver affixes his eyes on enjoying the moments every time he unloads his black-and-blue No. 22 at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.
Merritt’s year got off to a roaring start. He basked in the afterglow of a second-place finish at March’s season opener. And the next time out, Merritt backed up his best-career finish with a third, and thus another trip to the podium. But just when his fun-first approach appeared to be paying dividends, the racing gods interrupted Merritt’s merriment sometime in May. First, it was burnt plug wires. Then, the car just wouldn’t handle. “You never know when the bugs’ll show up,” Merritt cautioned. “They don’t care how well you might be running.”And they have no timetable for leaving. Merritt thought he had shooed away the bad vibes June 26, the last time Five Flags hosted races. He was up front with the leaders, contending for another spot on the podium when a lapped car spoiled those chances, causing Merritt to wreck late in the 20-lap feature. Disappointed, Merritt took the frustration in stride. “That’s racing; things happen,” -Read all of Chuck’s story
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