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Gulf Coast Sprints Driver Fayard Guarantees Five Flags New Track Record Friday

By Chuck Corder

Todd Fayard is sure of one thing.

Channeling his inner Joe Namath, the 39-year-old Saucier, Miss., resident guaranteed the Five Flags Speedway track record will fall Friday night.

Fayard will be one of nearly 25 Xtreme Sprint Series drivers that will take their crack at the seemingly unattainable time of 13.885 seconds.

That mark was set two years ago when Brian Gingras of the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association blistered Pensacola’s high banks.

“Oh, it won’t be a problem. It’s gonna fall,� Fayard said. “I think there will be five to eight cars that will smash that thing real quick. These cars put it down way lower.

“I don’t know how far and how many will do it, but if I had to guess I’d say maybe there will be 10 cars. It ain’t gonna be hard to break. (Must See President and CEO) Jim Hanks thinks there will be some cars in the 12s, no problem.�

Promises like that means it will be hard to find a good seat to see these winged pavement cars in action. You’ll want to flock to Five Flags as soon as the gates open at 5 p.m. Friday.

And not just because of the sprints, which will engage in time trails around 7:30. It will be a night of open wheels as motorcycles make a rare appearance at the famed, half-mile asphalt oval with two heats and a feature while Modifieds begin their year with a 50-lap feature that pays $1,200 to win.

Grandstand admission is as follows: $15 adults, $14 seniors, $12 military/students (ages 12 thru 17), $5 children ages 6 to 11 and free for kids under 6. Pit passes are $25.

“We’re looking forward to it,� Fayard said. “Hopefully, we’ve made the right preparations and done everything we’re supposed to.�

Fayard will once again be racing his black No. 13 sprint car that he brought last season to Five Flags with the TBARA.

An avid fan of the World of Outlaws growing up, the 39-year-old Fayard is confident Must See Racing and the Xtreme Sprint Series is the closest thing to the best of the best.

With a TV contract with Fox Sports, Must See certainly has the exposure and that will be evident come Friday as their production trucks invade the parking lot area. Friday’s race will be tape-delayed and shown later this year.

“It’s the top of the food chain in the winged sprint car world,� he said. “I don’t know anything faster on pavement. If we can pick up help and pick up some sponsorships, we’d love to take the next step and stay competitive in this series. We’ve got a good enough car to run up front.�

Fayard’s first trip on a pavement speedway came three years ago at Five Flags. Despite a broken motor in qualifying, Fayard caught the bug instantly.

“We’ve always been a racing family,� said Fayard, who owns Seamless One LLC, a gutters repair business in Saucier. “We finally made enough money to buy a sprint car. That sparked the fire. We like sprint cars. They’re the fastest things on wheels.�

Another guarantee Fayard plans on proving come Friday night.

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