By Chuck Corder

Jim Hanks has seen sprint cars whizzing past him for nearly 20 years.

Be it as an avid fan, a car owner and now as president of the Must See Racing series, Hanks has been along the wall for some of the sport’s greatest moments.

And Hanks believes Pensacola fans could bear witness to another watershed night when Five Flags Speedway opens its 2013 program when the grandstands open at 5 p.m. Friday.

The pits open at 2 p.m. and admission is as follows: $20, adults; $15, seniors, military and students; $10, children 6-11; and free, under-6.

“We’ve got a horserace coming,� Hanks said in describing the thoroughbreds that will invade the famed, half-mile asphalt oval. “There’s no doubt, as far as winged cars, in my opinion it’s the best ever.�

And that’s not Hanks just paying lip service.

With the sprints circling the oval at more than 120 miles per hour, the cars are more often the stars in this sport than the drivers themselves. But with a slew of heavyweight drivers descending upon Pensacola’s high banks this week that accepted theory will be turned on one of its wings.

A little bit more than 3 months following the thrilling finish to the 45th annual Snowball Derby, the preeminent short-track event for the nation’s late models, the second annual Royal Oak Southern Shootout on Friday will welcome in the sport’s elite winged sprint drivers.

“We’re about to let our game do the talking and our game is performance,� Hanks said. “We’re talking about the fastest 30 laps in anything in anywhere.�

The 30-lap feature is highlighted by marquee names, such as multiple-series champion Dave Steele, Massachusetts kingpin Bobby “New England� Santos, Indy Racing League IndyCar Series veteran Davey Hamilton and California’s Tanner Swanson, who won the Must See feature last season in Pensacola.

But perhaps no sprint driver carries more buzz and cachet currently than JoJo Helberg, another Cali native.

Helberg, who won the Must See series title despite racing just a handful of dates last year, set a new world record for a half-mile track when he wheeled a blistering lap of 12.669 seconds last May at prestigious Winchester (Ind.) Speedway.

“And those aren’t our regulars!� Hanks exclaimed. “It really is shaping up to be the best sprint field ever. We’re delighted to come back and we’re looking forward to it.�

What promises to give the always-packed house at Five Flags much delight will be the sprints’ qualifying runs, which begin at 7 p.m. Friday.

If you’re a fan of sprints, or just open-wheel racing in general, or a fan of watching track records fall, you won’t want to miss these time trials where $500 will be handed out to the eventual pole sitter.

Last year, Jason Cox of Park City, Ill., set Five Flags’ new fast time at 13.783 seconds, topping the previous record by more than a tenth of a second. That time equates to beyond 130 mph.

“We had never been (to Five Flags) and typically when we break a track record a lot more break it than just one like Jason did,� Hanks said. “It wasn’t configuration of the track. It wasn’t even the surface of track. Our guys didn’t understand what the air and the humidity from the ocean was going to do.

“They’ll get it this year. I’ll be awfully surprised if we don’t break the track record by three or fourth tenths.�

The Butler U-Pull-It Bombers (20 laps) and West Florida Coatings Sportsmen (25laps) add a bit more intrigue to Opening Night’s festivities.

Two-time defending Bombers track champion Gary Goodwin is heading up a class in hopes of challenging two-time defending Sportsmen champ Brannon Fowler and three-time defending Sportsmen Snowball king Steve Buttrick.

Not taking anything away from the local divisions, the flood of the spotlight will certainly be on the winged sprints, especially when qualifying comes around.

In 14 Must See events last year, at 11 different tracks, drivers set seven new records.

“When you talk about Davey Hamilton, Bobby Santos, David Steele, JoJo,� Hanks said, “these kids and men have been champions in all different cars. These cars are the top of the mountain.�