It’s going to be Meyhem tonight with the
return of the “Modifieds of Mayhem” for race #7 on
their 2015 schedule. The last time they were here, Mobile’s Donnie Hamrac took home the victory. A past champion at Five Flags and a driver who knows this track as well, if not better, than any other driver that will be in the lineup kind of had the race fall in his lap. Sitting in third position with the laps winding down, leader Billy Melvin and Ryan Paul got together with Melvin spinning out. Both Melvin and Paul were sent to the rear of the field which left Hamrac as the new leader. After the restart there was no catching him as he checked out and took the victory. Look for the #8 of Donnie “The Hurricane” Hamrac along with a host of the south’s best Modified drivers such as Melvin, Paul, Adam Crawford, Ryan Redman and several others looking for a victory on America’s Favorite Home Track. Speaking of Mayhem, let’s add a little spice to the show with the annual Demolition Derby. This usually draws one of the best crowds of the year. I guarantee the fans won’t be disappointed because I promise a lot of metal crunching, smoke and flying parts. See story on page 3 on on demo driver attorney Marcus Michles. But the schedule doesn’t end there. Also on the card for the evening will be Super Stocks, Sportsman and Bombers. Can you believe all this for only a $5 ticket! After tonight only three more weeks of racing remain before we close the door on the 2015 season. We will return on August 28th with the Pro Late Models, and then we will switch to Saturday nights on September 19th with the Allen Turner Tune Up for the Pro Late Models which will be 100 laps, along with the Super Stocks, Sportsman and Bombers.
Listen to Them Roar: Mods Gaining Steam, Cars Thanks By Chuck Corder to First-Year Mayhem Series Stan Narrison couldn’t wrap his head around this revelation. A few years ago, shortly after Narrison had assumed promoter duties for Montgomery (Ala.) Motor Speedway, he was inundated with requests from drivers and fans to host more shows featuring open-wheel modifieds. This, despite the car turnout for modifieds events being paltry at best. Some races would only see three or four compete. A perplexed Narrison began investigating reasons why the supply didn’t meet the demand. He quickly discovered that modified drivers felt disrespected.
We will close the regular season on Saturday, September 26th with the Deep South Crane Rentals Super Late Models for the last Blizzard Series race of the year. Pro Trucks, Sportsman and Bombers will also run for their 2015 Championships on the 26th.
“They never felt like the track was committed to them,” said the 55-year-old Narrison, who entered the promotion ranks in 2000. “When I took over, I told them if they came One last note – GET YOUR SNOWBALL out for that first race, I’d DERBY TICKETS ! See Ya! guarantee them we’d run five the next year. .--Continued on page 2--
In their inaugural season, the Modifieds of Mayhem will make their second trip to Pensacola on a blockbuster night for Five Flags Speedway.
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
Car Photos
Video Ted Baber Tom Wilsey 251-597-4747 850-458-2501 Modifieds Continued-
Our first time, we had 22 open wheel modifieds come in. I told them right then, they were on the schedule for next year.” And so the foundation was laid for the Modifieds of Mayhem, a touring series that features 50 lappers and hits some of the southeast’s legendary tracks from Pensacola to South Alabama Speedway in Opp. It is somewhat modeled after the Southern Super Series for Super Late Models.“We wanted to do something that didn’t burden the racer and didn’t make it so costly to travel to these other tracks,” Narrison said. “That’s why we don’t have a lot of back-to-back races. “In some ways, I think we’re exceeding my expectations. In other ways, I think we’re just beating them. These guys aren’t used to traveling yet. But I think that’ll change as people understand the tour and get more comfortable with traveling.”
Donnie Hamrac, (whose car is pictured on page one) the reigning Modifieds Snowball Derby champion and two-time track champion at Five Flags, won here in June. The 43 year old from Semmes, Ala., currently leads the Modifieds of Mayhem points standings by just 24 points over 31-year-old Ryan Paul. “We’ve got a little bit of a target on us over there,” Hamrac said. “Every race, we’re just trying to stay ahead of Ryan Paul. It’s no surprise. Ryan Paul can wheel a racecar.” In six races for the fledgling series this season, there have been four different winners. Only Hamrac and Donald Crocker have been repeat victors. “I love this format — running 50 laps every week,” Hamrac said. “After watching Bubba Pollard and Chase Elliott over the years, I’ve learned a lot about tire management. Pensacola is rough on tires. The reason we do so well there is we save our stuff for the end.” Paul hopes to rip a page out of Hamrac’s playbook this weekend and hoist his first checkered flag of the year. Paul drives the Jimmy Hammond No. 07, which fans are used to seeing in Victory Lane in recent years with Bubba Pollard in the seat. “I’ve raced a lotta stuff, and drove a lotta stuff,” Paul said, “and I’ve never driven anything like these modifieds. I absolutely love them and this series. They are under-tired and overpowered beasts and I friggin’ love them.”A ship superintendent at the Mobile docks in Mobile, Paul has been racing since he was 6 and driving earlier than that. The west Mobile native, who now lives just over the state line in Hurley, Miss., was a national champion go-kart driver — dueling against the likes of future NASCAR stars Brian Vickers and Aric Almirola — before going on to win a state championship in a Legends car. Read the rest of Chuck’s story on our web site: www.5flagsspeedway,com
“ The kids were reduced to tears,” said Marcus Michles, whose practice has been open for 12 years in Pensacola and also has offices in Fort Walton Beach and Crestview. “They’re not used to seeing dad get crushed by cars.” That’s why when Michles — a former U.S. Army captain who served with the 82nd Airborne Division and has jumped out of planes — takes another crack at the annual Demolition Derby winner-take-all title on Friday, his family will be miles from the famed half-mile asphalt oval.
By Chuck Corder
Insanity Pleas: Lawyer Marcus Michles Ready for Second Demo Derby Leave it to a lawyer to concoct a way for his own family to sue him for emotional distress. Marcus Michles — one partnership half of the Pensacola personal injury law firm of Michles & Booth — nearly brought a lawsuit upon himself following his Demolition Derby debut last year at Five Flags Speedway. Michles’ 16-year-old daughter Madison and her younger brother Cameron, 14, knew the chances dear ol’ dad would get tossed around by the competition were high. Watching their father engage in what they pictured as harmless fun would be perfect payback for all the times he banished them to their rooms or swiped their smart phones as forms of punishment. The reality, though, was much harsher than they imagined and left them scarred.
Michles nearly won the Demo Derby last year. But, the novice settled for third when his 1970 Chevy Impala failed to get unhooked from a rival car. He admits the shock of engulfing flames and crumpling steel was a bit too much for his family to absorb, as they pensively watched from the grandstands and the Turn No. 1 party deck. Looking back, obviously, I didn’t prepare them sufficiently enough,” Michles recalled. “The car was on fire and we were all just bashing each other up. It’s not natural for the kids to see that. “More importantly, it was the look on my wife’s face, as if to say, ‘You idiot! What are you thinking?!’ ” Leave it to a lawyer’s wife to be the voice of reason. Cindy Michles, Marcus’ wife of 17 years, and their children won’t make the same mistake again. They will heed Marcus Michles’ wishes and find something else to do this Friday night. Part of that do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do parenting philosophy. “When they’re old enough to understand it’s all OK, I hope they’ll come back to the track,” Marcus Michles said of his children. For the rest of the fans that will flood the bleachers the Demo Derby has become one of the hottest tickets on the Five Flags’ schedule. Read the rest of Chuck’s story on the Demo Derby on our web site: www.5flagsspeedway.com
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