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An Overjoyed Haugen Celebrates SVRA Win; Thompson Wins Battle with Winslow; Buttrick Crowned Champion

By Chuck Corder

Rickey Haugen wore a well-deserved ear-to-ear smile.

The 44 year old helped lay the foundation for the Southern Vintage Racing Association to compete Friday night at Five Flags Speedway.

Haugen capped off an historic evening with a wire-to-wire victory in the 20-lap feature.

“It’s a great honor to win here,� said Haugen, who has come to the famed half-mile asphalt oval since he was a child. “The lapped traffic got a little hairy. But my team gives me so much help, that all I have to do is steer it. I’m the one lucky enough to drive it.�

Haugen had his hands full all night. His stiffest competition came from fast-qualifier Jerry Venable, who started second after an invert.

Venable wore out Haugen’s bumper clear across the high banks, but never could get underneath to make the pass.

“I wasn’t gonna let Rickey get away too far,� he said. “I’ve just gotta learn how to pass on asphalt.�

Venable and the rest of the 14-car field of 1932 and ’34 Ford and Chevy sedans and coupes can be excused.

The SVRA, in its first year, traditionally races on dirt tracks. This was the first time the vintage cars raced at Five Flags since 2004.

Haugen, one of the top dirt-track racers along the Gulf Coast, built a huge early lead.

Eight laps in, he avoided a near disaster when he made contact with a lapped car. That little hiccup allowed Venable to catch up.

As Venable chipped away at Haugen’s lead, Josh Goodwin made his way through the field to climb to third under Ben Spears midway through the 20 lapper.

With five laps left, Venable was all over Haugen for the lead, but Haugen shut the door one last time before pulling away.

 

Mods

Donnie Hamrac had a reluctant smile on his face in Victory Lane.

The defending Modifieds track champion got his first win of the year in improbable fashion when then-leader Brandon Howell struggled on a late-race restart.

Because of his win, Hamrac goes into the Night of Champions on Sept. 28, trailing Howell by just five points for a second consecutive track title.

“We were loose,� admitted Hamrac, who gained the lead with three laps remaining. “Brandon had us covered. But we got him on restart and held him off.�

Howell, who started on the pole after being the fast qualifier, led every lap of the night before his nightmarish end.

“The car just bogged down on us; it didn’t wanna go,� Howell said. “Congratulations to Donnie, but to give it away in the last three laps — I don’t know, it stinks.�

It quickly became a two-man show, as Howell maintained a half-car lead on Hamrac through the opening 10 laps.

As Howell began to stretch his lead out, Hamrac was extremely loose — an unfortunate result of trying to leap to the front in the early part of the race.

But on the late restart, Howell hit the gas and immediately surrendered the lead to Hamrac as the with the white flag came flying out.

 

Super Stocks

Randy Thompson could barely catch his breath in Victory Lane.

Who could blame him? Thompson and Bubba Winslow, a budding rivalry that continues to blossom, delivered a tremendous show for a packed Five Flags Speedway house.

Thompson passed Winslow on the final lap to win his first Super Stocks 25-lap feature of the season.

“If that wasn’t a good show, I don’t know what would be,� Thompson said, as the crowd roared with appreciation. “That was the best race in a long time.�

Cradling his three-week-old son in his arms, Thompson celebrated with family and friends.

Feet away, Winslow was left wondering what might have been. He was undefeated in three races this year coming into Friday, but couldn’t quite run his perfect streak to four.

“We’re normally pretty fast,� Winslow said. “I hope the fans enjoyed it. Sometimes folks move others out of the way to win one. We were digging, trying to get all we could get.�

Despite Winslow’s comments, Thompson couldn’t be faulted for driving dirty.

Down the stretch, there was no question the No. 42 of Thompson was a tick faster than Winslow’s No. 86.

He began putting immense pressure on Winslow in the final seven laps, slapping his nose on Winslow’s bumper all around the oval.

Thompson stalk Winslow, getting underneath him several times before Winslow pinched him. They made contact on just about every vacant piece of real estate on the track, as they slid from the apron to the high banks’ peak.

Both drivers had zero tread left as Thompson finally took the lead on Lap 24.

Winslow was smoking coming out of Turn 4 on last lap, but managed to post a runner-up finish to easily maintain his points lead.

The pair’s feature-long battle managed to subdue an impressive performance from Jeff Belt. The Nashville, Tenn., driver was here in Pensacola for the first time this season and brought home his No. 00 in third place.

 

Sportsmen

On a night when the Sportsmen raced for twice the points, the eventual outcome provided a fitting winner.

Not only did Steve Buttrick claim his 10th victory of the season, but in doing so the three-time defending Sportsman Snowball Derby champion locked up his second track championship.

“I’ll start counting wins on my toes if I have to,� joked Buttrick, who finished ahead of Brannon Fowler and Johnny Greene. “It was a good race. I’m glad to see (third-place) Johnny Greene back on the podium and Brannon (Fowler) with another second.�

Greene started on the pole, but quickly gave up the point when Buttrick cleared him on Lap 4, going into Turn 3.

Buttrick built a commanding lead midway through the 20 lapper and never looked back.

 

Bombers

It’d be hard for an eighth-grader to wrap his impressionable mind around a tricky concept like redemption.

But that’s exactly what 13-year-old Ryan Worsham experienced Friday night at Five Flags.

After crashing his car last month during practice, Worsham rebounded to win for the second time this season.

“I’d like to thank my dad, my mom, my sister for getting this car back together,� said Worsham, who took the lead from eventual runner-up Michael Nelson on Lap 10.

Nelson, who extended his points lead, made a valiant run to reclaim the lead. However, the former Marine couldn’t finish his march back to clean air.

“He ran a dang-good race,� Nelson said of Worsham. “He didn’t mess up, I’ll give him that.�

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