Hicks Sweeps Pensacola and Mobile in Pro Trucks for Curt Britt Motorsports

Senoia, Georgia driver Josh Hicks is making a name for himself on the Gulf Coast after sweeping Pro Truck features at Pensacola and Mobile over the weekend. From March 29, 2019 (Daniel Vining/PixelatedSPEED)

By: Daniel Vining, Twitter: @danielvining

PENSACOLA, Florida (April 3, 2019) -- Josh Hicks has started his 2019 racing campaign in the same manner he ended 2018… parking a Pro Truck in victory lane. After winning the Pro Truck portion of the Snowball Derby in December, Hicks once again grabbed the checkered flag in the regular season openers at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida and at Mobile International Speedway in Irvington, Alabama.

In Pensacola, the driver from Senoia, Georgia racked up his second win, and afterward, remarked about how enjoyable it is racing at Five Flags Speedway.

“It’s feels pretty good,” he said. “I’ve got a little streak going… I’m two for two at Pensacola. I really enjoy the track. Turns one and two are completely different the three and four so it kind of spices it up a little bit, makes it interesting. I really like the whole track in general.”

Hicks needed only seven laps to find the lead, passing polesitter Brandon Burks before checking out to a convincing win.

“It was fun riding behind him, seeing what he was doing and all,” he said. “I knew we had a really good truck at the beginning of the race. I just basically just waited patiently until he screwed up a little bit and then I got underneath him and then I just ran my race. We got a little tight at the end, but I think next time we race there we’ll have it figured out.”

Hicks first performance at Five Flags Speedway came in the Pro Truck feature during the 51st Annual Snowball Derby. That race came a week later than initially scheduled due to persistent inclement weather on the original date. When the time came, Hicks dove low on leader Steven Davis in turn one and came away with the lead coming out of turn two with three laps remaining in the 50 lap event en-route to a breakout win.

After winning on March 29th, Hicks compared the two experiences.

“I wasn’t freezing my butt off this time I can tell you that,” laughed Hicks. “I drove about the same line… it was a different truck but I drove it about the same way. I did learn some things riding behind the 95 truck (of Davis). He probably doesn’t know but he taught me some things when I was running second behind him and I applied some of those things to this race.”

At Mobile, Hicks had to contend with defending Mobile Speedway Pro Truck Champ Andrew Johnson. Hicks chased down Johnson after the pair got passed Brian Wiemer. On lap 18, Hicks rubbed his way passed Johnson on the frontstretch, completing the pass going into turn one. From there, Hicks set sail and cruised to his first win at Mobile, second on the weekend, and third in a row in a Pro Truck.
“I went really good,” said Hicks. “I don’t know how many races I’ve had here but I've really wanted to win. I don’t want to come to a track and struggle… I'd like to win at every track that I go to eventually. Andrew had some short run speed for sure because I was struggling to keep up with him for about the first five laps after a restart. After that five laps I’d start to reel him in and he seemed to wash up coming into the corners and once I got by him I was able to run my own line in some clean air and just focus on getting to the finish.”

With the wins, Hicks is the early points leader in both Pro Truck divisions.

“It’s a very good start,” he said. “I can’t thank Curt Britt and his guys enough because they give me an excellent truck to race with every single race. I wouldn’t want to be racing with anybody else right now.”

Team owner Curt Britt was quick to share his thoughts about Hick’s talent and performance thus far.

“Josh is a natural talent and possess many qualities that can not be taught,” said Britt. “He has a natural seat of the pants feel for a race car.”

Hicks got his first laps in a Pro Truck at Mobile thanks to an opportunity this time last year from long time Mobile area racer John Thompson. In his efforts with Thompson, Hicks enjoyed modest, yet promising success.

“He was driving for Grant Thompson Racing, racing for John Thompson,” Britt told PixelatedSPEED. “With Grant (John’s 13 year old son) coming up John didn’t feel he could give both trucks 100% so him and I talked and he asked about my thoughts about giving Josh a try. This was back last summer in August so, Josh came to Pensacola to test the trucks and we made a deal for the derby and beyond.”

Thompson added his thoughts about Hicks in a post celebrating the weekend’s accomplishments.

“I am very proud of Josh's success and the young man he is,” said Thompson. “The door of opportunity opened for Josh because he made good choices on the race track. I am sure Josh has a bright future on and off the race track.”

That future includes returning to Mobile International Speedway this upcoming Saturday, April 6th, as the Pro Truck Division points leader. The Pro Trucks will race in a program alongside Outlaw Stocks, Sportsman, and Pure Stocks. Of note for this weekend, the Pro Truck Division will race their feature using the “Black Flag Racing” format, wherein the last truck in the field each lap will be blag flagged and eliminated from the race until only two trucks are left standing, setting up a sprint to the finish among the final duo.

With lowered ticket prices for 2019, and increased focus on the local divisions, Mobile Speedway is set to give fans a very entertaining show all year long. Grandstands open up at 5:00 PM and racing starts at 7:00 PM. For more information, check out the Mobile Speedway Facebook Page, or head over the track’s website at http://mobilespeedway.net.

PixelatedSPEED is a motorsports news and views website covering all things racing and has been “Bringing Pixels 2 Pavement Since 2018”. If you've made it this far into the post, thank you. Please consider sharing this content on the interwebs and following PixelatedSPEED on Facebook and Twitter and joining in on the conversation. http://facebook.com/PixelatedSPEED & http://twitter.com/PixelatedSPEED 

Gio Bromante Survives Late Race Crash to Win 2nd Southern Super Series Race in a Row

Anthony Campi Racing team owner, Anthony Campi, stands proudly in victory lane with 15 year old Gio Bromante after Bromante wins his second Super Late Model race in a row, and first at Five Flags Speedway on March 29, 2019. (Daniel Vining/PixelatedSPEED)

By: Daniel Vining, Twitter: @danielvining

PENSACOLA, Florida (March 30, 2019) -- Two weekends ago, Giovanni Bromante burst onto the Super Late Model scene with a breakout win in the 43rd Annual Rattler 250 in Opp, Alabama. Fast forward to Friday night, and the 15 year old finds himself once again in victory lane, this time at Five Flags Speedway in the Blizzard Series opening SERF 100, round two of the 2019 Southern Super Series season.

Reaching victory lane meant overcoming a late race crash that wiped out the top four, then passing another eight cars to get to the lead.

“I just went into turn one, I knew there was something wrong up the track,” he said. “I just went in on my line then I started to turn around. I kept on the throttle so I wouldn’t flat spot the tires and that really paid off. I didn't have a lot of tire to begin with, but we came in and made a change to the rear of the car and it really helped. It wasn’t a loose and I was actually better than before we came in. We picked off eight cars and wound up in victory lane.”

Casey Roderick took 37 laps to find his way to the front and looked to be the car to beat on the night, with Connor Okrzesik a close second.

That all changed on lap 84 when Steven Davis began dropping fluid from the rear end of his machine.

Jett Noland, following behind Davis, hit the fluid sending him spinning in turns one and two just as the leaders came speeding through. Roderick went high, making heavy contact with Nolland. Okrzesik followed suit, also making contact. The crash also claimed third place Chris Davidson and fourth place Gio Bromante.

This left a brand new top five, with fast qualifier Logan Boyett on the point for the restart. Boyett just didn’t have the car he needed to maintain the top spot, and quickly began to drift backwards, surrendering the lead to Lucas Jones, who had started the race from the pole thanks to the dice roll invert.

It wasn’t long, however, before Bromante was on the tail of the leader, having darted through the field on the restart.

A final caution flew after several cars in toward the back of the field tangled in turn one. This set up a dash the finish.

RELATED >> Dream Comes True as Giovanni Bromante Wins 43rd Ratter 250

On the final restart, Jones heavily spun his tires, fish tailing down the front stretch, but somehow how saved his machine and held on to the second spot as Bromante rocked away for the win.
Team owner Anthony Campi was all smiles in victory lane after a job well done by his driver.

“He did a great job,” siad Campi. “We unloaded with a really good car, but just struggled in qualifying. We were really optimistic going into the race. Just kept him calm and saved the tires. We probably had a third place car there at the end, but we spun in that oil, so we came in a pitted and made the most of it.”

“He’s really good, really aggressive,” he added. He does what we tell him to and he learns every race and its just showing… he’s going to be a super star. He’s going to make it in the sport and I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

For his effort, Bromante is now a two-time winner in the Southern Super Series in only his second Super Late Model start. He is also the Southern Super Series points leader.

“It’s another dream come true,” said Bromante. “I never thought I’d be in victory lane again so soon. These guys just gave such a great car for the whole race and we just work so great together as a team that and just can’t thank them enough for giving me such a great car.”

The next opportunity for Bromante and the stars of the Southern Super Series comes on May 4th at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in a combo event with the CRA Super Series and CARS Super Late Model Tour.

RESULTS:

1. Gio Bromante
2. Lucas Jones
3. Kyle Plott
4. Trey Bayne
5. Dennis Prunty
6. Jesse Dutilly
7.Jeremy Pate
8. Logan Boyett
9.Anthony Sergi
10. Joe Aramendia
11. Ryan Herbert
12. Chris Davidson
13. Kyle Bryant
14. Casey Roderick
15. Connor Okrzesik
16. Steven Davis
17. Jeff Batten
18. Roger Reuse

PixelatedSPEED is a motorsports news and views website covering all things racing and has been “Bringing Pixels 2 Pavement Since 2018”. If you've made it this far into the post, thank you. Please consider sharing this content on the interwebs and following PixelatedSPEED on Facebook and Twitter and joining in on the conversation. http://facebook.com/PixelatedSPEED & http://twitter.com/PixelatedSPEED 

Ty Gibbs Scores Runner Up in ARCA Debut, but is Not Satisfied with Second Place

Ty Gibbs dives into turn one early during practice for the Pensacola 200 on March 9, 2019. He would go on to finish second in the race, his debut effort in the ARCA Menards Series. (Daniel Vining/PixelatedSPEED)

By: Daniel Vining, Twitter: @danielvining

PENSACOLA, Florida (March 13, 2019) -- Ty Gibbs, grandson of NASCAR car owner Joe Gibbs, had never seen Five Flags Speedway prior to the Pensacola 200, yet he brought his number 18 Monster Energy Toyota to a second place finish nonetheless. Oh, and he did so in his ARCA Menards Series debut.

Gibbs passed third place finisher Christian Eckes on the final turn of the final lap, but wasn’t satisfied with just a second place finish.

A runner up finish in a debut event would have most rookies screaming with excitement, but for Gibbs, it was frustrating. The youngster spoke like a seasoned veteran after the race, with remarks that only a competitor with years of experience would have.

“I had a great car, but I think I lost it on pit road,” recalled Gibbs. “It was my first time doing a live pit stop so when I pushed the clutch in it just slipped forward and I think that’s what lost us the race…. I just wish we were in victory lane because I’m tired of finishing second.”

Gibbs also finished second at New Smyrna Speedway in the 175 lap affair for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series during the World Series of Asphalt Racing.

In that race, Gibbs was battling for the lead until contact with Colin Garrett allowed eventual winner Derek Kraus to slip through with 40 laps to go.

Back in Pensacola, a determined Gibbs found it hard to see the positive aspect of his achievements, having only the thoughts of the checkered flag in his mind.

He added, “Second place sucks, but I’m taking away some nice nostalgia to have. We’ll move on to the next knowing knowing that our Monster Energy Toyota was bad fast tonight.”

In Phoenix following Kyle Busch’s win, Joe Gibbs was asked about his grandson’s night in Pensacola.

It was his first ARCA race.  We were proud of him.  He qualified 10th, fought his way up to second, had kind of a mix-up in the last pit stop, came out sixth, and was able to work back up to second.

While Ty Gibbs was flippant about finishing second in his first two attempts at the heavier NASCAR and ARCA stockcars, he actually scored the first win for Joe Gibbs Racing of the 2019 season with a victory at Myrtle Beach Speedway in early February in a Late Model.

That win, in an effort in association with Nelson Motorsports, was his third Late Model win, and came only a week after the memorial services held for his uncle, the late J.D. Gibbs.

PixelatedSPEED is a motorsports news and views website covering all things racing and has been “Bringing Pixels 2 Pavement Since 2018”. If you've made it this far into the post, thank you. Please consider sharing this content on the interwebs and following PixelatedSPEED on Facebook and Twitter and joining in on the conversation. http://facebook.com/PixelatedSPEED & http://twitter.com/PixelatedSPEED 

Self Grabs the Checkers in First ARCA Short Track Win Pensacola 200

Michael Self celebrates winning the ARCA Pensacola 200 on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida (Daniel Vining/PixelatedSPEED)

By: Daniel Vining, Twitter: @danielvining

PENSACOLA, Florida (March 9, 2019) -- The ARCA Menards Series made its return to Pensacola’s Five Flags Speedway on Saturday night in front of a packed crowd of fans eager to see ARCA racing back at the famed half-mile for the first time in 23 years.

Michael Self, driver of the number 25 Sinclair Toyota for Venturini Motorsports, cruised to the win after leading the final 29 laps of the 200 lap event, marking his fourth career win and first on a short track in the ARCA Series.

"This is a big deal for me," Self said. "A short track in ARCA has eluded me. Even though I don't think I am a great short track racer, I have had some success in the K&N Series on short tracks. For some reason is just hasn't translated over here. Maybe this will kick start it.

"I had a lot of confidence in our car. The Venturini Motorsports team as a whole is really good. Whenever we go to one of these short tracks the rest of the year we should be in good shape. I wouldn't want to be racing against them right now because I am not sure I would be able to beat them."

Ty Gibbs finished second in his ARCA debut, driving the number 18 Monster Energy Toyota. Gibbs passed third place finisher Christian Eckes on the final turn of the final lap, but wasn’t satisfied with just a second place finish.

“I had a great car, but I think I lost it on pit road,” recalled Gibbs. “It was my first time doing a live pit stop so when I pushed the clutch in it just slipped forward and I think that’s what lost us the race…. I just wish we were in victory lane because I’m tired of finishing second.”

He added, “Second place sucks, but I’m taking away some nice nostalgia to have. We’ll move on to the next knowing knowing that our Monster Energy Toyota was bad fast tonight.”

It was an up and down race all night, mostly down,” said Christian Eckes after finishing third. “We started if good, we were forth or fifth early in the race. It’s just, and I don’t know why, our car just fell off really hard at about the lap 15 mark, and it was like that after the beginning of every run. I wasn’t able to really push as I hard as I wanted to after lap 15. My JBL Audio guys did a great job all day, we just need to be better when we come back for Salem. I have full faith in Kevin and the boys to get it tuned up for me.

Eckes feels that the lack of cautions, there were only two in the race, compounded his issues by not providing the opportunity to make further adjustments.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “In the back of my head I was like are we gonna make a green flag pit stop because we were that bad and we needed to make adjustments. There was only two cautions tonight, and it kinda set up the race perfectly strategy wise. We had a caution on lap 80 something then 140 something, so when you’re leading that’s a nice setup, but we wanted to work on it and try to get it as good as we can, we just didn’t have the opportunity or the time.”

Chandler Smith started on the pole then led early and often throughout the first half of the Pensacola 200. Smith fell back in the latter stages, however, and bounced back to a fourth place finish.

“We struggled overall to find a good balance,” said Smith. “I was trying to adjust to how we run in a Super Late Model here in practice and it kinda backfired on me. Everyone was able to roll off the center better than I was off of the brake pedal. We never could really find that good balance.”

The race was only slowed twice by caution flags, each for debris. The race took just one hour, 12 minutes, and 23 seconds and was completed at an average speed of 82.802 miles per hour, a record pace for a 200-lap race at Five Flags. The previous record, 75.205 miles per hour, was set by Gary Bradberry in 1994.

Self's official margin of victory was 1.506 seconds over Gibbs.

The next race for the ARCA Menards Series is the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 at Salem Speedway on April 14. The race will be televised live on MAVTV starting at 2 pm Eastern. ARCARacing.com will have free live timing & scoring, track updates, and user chat for ARCA for Me members; new members can register at ARCARacing.com/login.

Some content courtesy of ARCA Communications

PixelatedSPEED is a motorsports news and views website covering all things racing and has been “Bringing Pixels 2 Pavement Since 2018”. If you've made it this far into the post, thank you. Please consider sharing this content on the interwebs and following PixelatedSPEED on Facebook and Twitter and joining in on the conversation. http://facebook.com/PixelatedSPEED & http://twitter.com/PixelatedSPEED 

THOUGHTS: Live Pit Stops Gone for 52nd Snowball Derby in a Needed but Bittersweet Change

With blazing fast stops, the crews from Kyle Busch Motorsports played a huge roll in the success of the team at the 51st Snowball Derby on December 2, 2018. (Daniel Vining/PixelatedSPEED.com)

PENSACOLA, Florida (January 27, 2019) -- Five Flags Speedway announced on Saturday that the 52nd Annual Snowball Derby will see the end of live pit stops, instead favoring the controlled pit stop format used at other marquee events around the country. The hope is to help with the added costs of teams bringing in hired, professional pit crews for the 300 lap Super Late Model race.

Event promoter Tim Bryant made the announcement during the driver’s meeting at Saturday’s SpeedFest at Crisp Motorsports Park in Cordele, Georgia. During that meeting, Bryant emphasized that this decision was made with drivers and teams in mind.

“We know that the Snowball Derby is a costly event for the teams to participate in,” said Bryant.  “We are in constant search of ways to make it less expensive for competitors. On-track competition has gotten increasingly more competitive over the years.  The importance of length of time on pit road has gone to the extreme. The cost of a high-paid pit crew was never intended for this level of racing. Given the competitiveness of this event and the importance of the event, guys will take any measure necessary to get an edge on the others.  For that reason, we’ve decided to go to the controlled caution format for the 52nd Snowball Derby.  It’s simply in an effort to save teams the money of high-team pit crews.”

And save money it can. At last year’s Snowball Derby, Wayne Okrzesik, father and team owner of 2019 SpeedFest 200 winner Connor Okrzesik, told PixelatedSPEED that the cost of pit crews was a limiting factor at the Snowball Derby. He admitted that he had what was basically a crew comprised of pit crew “students”, and that the crew paled in comparison to the crews from the likes of Kyle Busch Motorsports.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Stephen Nasse, who became a highlight in the 51st Snowball Derby for all the wrong reasons after an altercation with his own crew member after a botched tire change resulted in Nasse losing a wheel while on the speedway and crashing hard into the wall, destroying his car.

Nasse told Short Track Scene, “There are so many elite pit teams, and only so many of them come to the Derby, so a lot of teams have to settle for mediocre options. So people like me get stuck with those.”

In practice, this format will see the field basically frozen during a caution period. During this time, teams may change tires and do all of the things that are done during a normal pit stop. The difference is, however, that instead of racing to be first off of pit road, teams will retain their position after the completion of their stops. Without the added urgency, teams will not need faster crews, and thus will save the $5,000 plus bills from the professional caliber crews.

There are a few more rules and procedures associated with this format. For instance, teams cannot change tires unless it’s under the controlled caution period (or replacing a flat after official approval). Bubba Pollard found this out the hard way during the SpeedFest 200, coming in to change tires -- then having to return to pit road after being told he could not change the tires because it wasn’t a controlled caution period. The old right sides were put back on his car, resulting in a mountain of lost track position.

While the importance of cost savings is of paramount concern, implementing this format will also result in the loss of one of the layers of competition that has made the Snowball Derby so exciting over the years. For many, watching a full field of race cars swoop down pit lane with teams of crews slinging lug nuts and throwing tires is exhilarating. The race off of pit road could be the race for the win, or at least a vital part of the overall drama of the race.

I for one, will miss live pit stops. I realize I may be in the minority here with my experiences, but let me share why.

As a photojournalist at the Snowball Derby, I’ve had the privilege to find myself mere fee from the heart of the action on pit road. The thrill of cars flying by on pit road, watching them dive into their stalls, and capturing the action of the pit crews has always been one of the most intense experiences I’ve encountered at the race track.

During last year’s Derby, I was hit by a flying lug nut coming off of the car of Derek Kraus during a round of stops. I saved that lug nut as a memento, and know that anyone that has spent enough time on pit road over the years can probably relate. This may sound odd to most, but dodging flying lug nuts is just another aspect of live pit stops, albeit a sometimes painful experience.

In closing, yes, saving teams money whenever possible is a no-brainier. This measure will at the very least free up cash for teams to use in another area, but saying farewell to live pit stops at the Snowball Derby is going to be bittersweet.

PixelatedSPEED is a motorsports news and views website covering all things racing and has been “Bringing Pixels 2 Pavement Since 2018”. If you've made it this far into the post, thank you. Please consider sharing this content on the interwebs and following PixelatedSPEED on Facebook and Twitter and joining in on the conversation. http://facebook.com/PixelatedSPEED & http://twitter.com/PixelatedSPEED 

PixelatedSPEED is a part of the Gravel Network. Copyright - 2018, 2019

Thank You, 2018 - It’s Time to Roll the Credits on a Great Year

Noah Gragson Winning the 51st Annual Snowball Derby in Pensacola, FL (PixelatedSPEED Photo)

PENSACOLA, Florida -- Wow. What a wild ride these past few months have been. In August, I relaunched PixelatedSPEED to give myself a place to share my perspective on the motorsports world. It was only meant to be a simple blog, but already, has grown into something far beyond what I had imagined. I am so very thankful, and truly humbled to share that in the time spanning from August thru December, PixealatedSPEED has amassed over 250,000 views.

In order to get to this point, I have been very fortunate to have help from a huge network of supporters, family and friends. I have a lot of people to thank.

First and foremost I thank you, the reader and viewer. It’s your eyeballs on this content that really keep things going. It’s the interaction in the comments that keep the conversation alive, and spark ideas and thought about the sport that we all love so much.

Thank you to Tim and Pat Bryant. They have always backed my endeavors, and without them would have never been afforded any of the opportunities that has led me to today. Also, a huge shout-out to the crew at Speed51.com. It was a blast working around and among them during this year’s Snowball Derby.

While at the Derby, there were a few key people that were vital to me being able find my way among the chaos.

Thank you Eddie Richie of Turn 1 Photos. He and I worked side-by-side throughout both weeks at Five Flags Speedway. We braved the elements during the “Derby Monsoon of 2018” and captured a ton of great moments and memories. I look forward to working with Eddie more in 2019 at tracks across the Deep South.

Thank you Jacob Seelman of Speed Sport News, Bruce Nuttleman of Ultimate Lap Photo, Brad Newman of Short Track Central, and Tyler Sontag of Speedracer Photos. They all provided me with tips and hints along the way that made PixelatedSPEED’s content shine even as the rain continued to pour.

Thank you to my good friend and colleague, Matt Weaver of Short Track Scene. For years, he’s been an inspiration to me, proving that a guy from the Deep South can get it done and make it. He provided me with insights, advice, and severed as a check and balance for myself and my content. He let me tag along with him like a puppy dog as I found my footing during the week, and continues to do so today. Thank you, buddy. Without you I am sure that this project would not be as far along today.

It’s no secret that PixelatedSPEED is a social media driven platform. Once the content is created, its spread across social media through a network of administrators in order to find the viewers and readers. Without this distribution, PixelatedSPEED would be be mired in the noise of meme’s, food posts and political nonsense that has saturated the Internet. Thank you to everyone that has afforded me distribution channels.

Most Notably:

Ryan Holman, The Motorsports Aficionados
Robert Mesich, Unforgettable NASCAR
Matthew Correll, Everything Racing
Johnny Dickson, Racers of 5 Flags & Racers of Mobile International Speedway
Bobby Foster, Southeastern Racing Memories
Mike Perricone, NASCAR and Other Racing

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t thank my family. Mom, Dad, thank you for always supporting my projects and helping me in whatever ways you can.

I’m sure I’ve missed some names, but please know that I really am thankful to everyone that has helped me along the way.

2018 was a great start for PixelatedSPEED. It provided a trial run for next year, which is set to be rather epic. I intend to continue to write about the sport as I see it, with honesty and integrity. I hope to provide a balanced perspective that highlights all the things that I love about the motorsports world, and I hope that you all continue to follow along with me in this journey. Thank you again, everyone. Goodbye 2018, it’s been a great one... on to 2019!

Five Flags Speedway Releases 2019 Racing Schedule

Five Flags Speedway will be very busy in 2019. (PixelatedSPEED Photo)

PENSACOLA, Florida -- Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida is the crown jewel of short track racing in the Deep South. It’s the home of the Southern Super Series, the South’s largest touring late model series, and the granddaddy of all Super Late Model races, the Snowball Derby. Five Flags has released a jam-packed schedule of racing for 2019, with events ranging from a 4-cylinder based enduro at the start of the year, to the national touring ARCA Racing Series, to drifting events, sprint cars and of course… tons of Pro and Super Late Model racing. The season starts early, January 19th, 2019, and stretches all the way through to December, including over 15 weekends of racing.

Five Flags Speedway sits on the pole of the racing season, holding the first event in the area on January 19th, 2019… The Sweat Hogg Grand Prix. This event features several classes of motorcycles racing in the morning with four cylinder Mini-Stocks running in the evening. For this event, Five Flags transforms from a half-mile oval to a slightly longer, slightly more twisted, road course! This is one of the only events of this type in the area, and always draws a nice crowd. It’s intended for the budget-minded racer, and the day is set to be a fun-filled family event.

On March 9th, ARCA pays a visit to Pensacola for round number two of the 2019 ARCA Racing Series. It’s the first time since 1996 that the series will race at Five Flags Speedway; a race won by champion Frank Kimmel. This race will also serve as the start of the Speedway’s points season, with Pure Stock and Outlaw Stock divisions also on the schedule, making this the biggest opening weekend in Five Flags history.

The road to the Snowball Derby is paved through Five Flags Speedway’s flagship division, the Super Late Model Blizzard Series. The Blizzard Series will have four dates on the schedule, with the first on March 29th. Casey Roderick is the reigning Blizzard Series Champion after besting another hotshoe in Bubba Pollard. Look for complete coverage of the Blizzard Series here on PixelatedSPEED.com.

The fastest cars on the schedule come in the form of the winged sprint cars of the Davey Hamilton King of the Wing National Sprint Car Series, returning to the Speedway on April 12th. Brian Gerster, with a time of 13.046 seconds, holds the overall track record. He recorded that time in April of 2014. For reference, Ty Majeski holds the Super Late Model track record with his 2015 Snowball Derby Pole Time of 16.120 seconds.

The Allen Turner Pro Late Models once again return for another season with four dates on the schedule, beginning on April 26th. These 100 lap events pave the way to the 21st Annual Snowflake 100 in December. Casey Roderick doubled down his Blizzard Series Championship with the Pro Late Model Division title in 2018.

The ground pounders of the South, the Modifieds of Mayhem will race on three weekends at Five Flags during their 2019 tour. The first stop is on April 26th, 2019. Once again, Five Flags Speedway will play host to the modifieds season finale as a part of Snowball Derby Weekend in December, the only division to have a points paying event during the Derby.

The backbone of any short track is the local racing divisions. Five Flags Speedway will once again present a myriad of classes throughout the racing season. Pure Stocks and Sportsman are coming closer together as a new rules package has tightened the gap between the two entry level divisions. Outlaw Stocks and Pro Trucks will headline several weekends on the schedule, providing a healthy dose of affordable, yet very competitive racing in two of the most popular classes in the region.

Additionally, various special events will be sprinkled across the year. The “average Joe” will have an opportunity to climb behind the wheel of a racecar when the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience visits on March 16th. An Electronathon will feature electric power racers around the high-banked half-mile on April 27th. More events, such as drifting competitions, cars shows, and swap meets will be announced later in the year.

The culmination of every racing season at Five Flags Speedway is the Snowball Derby. The 52nd Annual Snowball Derby is set for December 4th thru 8th, and of course, PixealatedSPEED will be there with complete Pixels 2 Pavement coverage of the event.

2019 Five Flags Speedway Racing Schedule

January 19	Sweat Hogg Grand Prix Motorcycles, Four Cylinder Cars
March 9*	ARCA Racing Series 200 Outlaw Stock, Pure Stock
March 29	Blizzard Series Super Late Models Pro Trucks, Sportsman, Pure Stocks
April 12	Davey Hamliton’s King of the Wing Sprint Cars Outlaw Stocks, Sportsman, Pure Stocks
April 26	Allen Turner Pro Late Models Modifieds of Mayhem, Pro Trucks, Pure Stocks
April 27*	Electronathon Electric Powered Racers
May 10	Outlaw Stocks, Pro Trucks Sportsman, Pure Stocks
May 24	Outlaw Stocks, Pro Trucks Sportsman, Pure Stocks
June 7	Allen Turner Pro Late Models Sportsman, Pure Stocks
June 21	Blizzard Series Super Late Models Outlaw Stocks, Pro Trucks, Pure Stocks
July 19	Blizzard Series Super Late Models Pro Trucks, Sportsman, Pure Stocks
August 2	Demolition Derby Night Modifieds of Mayhem, Outlaw Stocks, Sportsman
August 16	Allen Turner Pro Late Models Outlaw Stocks, Pro Trucks, Pure Stocks
August 31*	TBA To Be Announced
September 14*	Local Division Championship Night Outlaw Stocks, Pro Trucks, Pure Stocks
September 21*	Blizzard Series Super Late Models Allen Turner Pro Late Models
November 23	Snowball Derby Preview Official Open Test - All Classes
December 4-8	52nd Annual Snowball Derby Modifieds of Mayhem Season Finale
*Saturday Event.