By Chuck Corder

Ben Spears refers to Five Flags Speedway as “my Daytona.�

For a man who has a special connection to the famed half-mile asphalt oval, racing Pensacola’s high banks always sends an adrenaline rush through Spears.

In the same fashion Sprint Cup Series teams ramp up their preparation anytime NASCAR returns home to Daytona International Speedway, Five Flags seemingly brings out the best in Spears.

He hopes to continue his winning ways Friday night at his beloved track when the Southern Vintage Racing Association descends upon Five Flags.

“It’s the fastest we go all season,� said the 36-year-old Spears, who has won the last two Vintage features held at Five Flags. “It’s the biggest track we’ll see, too. There’s a thrill of going there. The fact that we get to go to an asphalt track is just a cherry on top of what we get to do on a normal basis.�

Now in its third year, the Southern Vintage Racing Association is comprised of 1934 Ford and Chevy coupes and sedans that typically compete on nearby dirt tracks, such as Flomaton (Ala.) Speedway and Southern Raceway in Milton.

The Vintages highlight a busy Friday night that will also include Pro Trucks, Sportsman, Bombers and a doubleheader (20-/30-lap features) for the Allen Turner Hyundai Pro Late Models.

The gates open at 4 p.m. Friday and action is slated to start at 8 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, military and students; $5 for children ages 6 to 11; free for kids under 6.

“We’re trying to make it three in a row,� Spears said of his quest for a rare hat trick at Five Flags. “I don’t know what makes us so good. I’m still wondering myself why we’re faster than everybody else — some (drivers) that have been doing this a lot longer than I have.

“I just drive it. We try to bring a very well-prepared car there. We want to be there at the end to win it.�

Founded by Bill Daniels and Jerry Venable in 2013, the Southern Vintage Racing Association started small and made it its mission to bring attention to a fun, affordable class.

It quickly expanded from its original home track of Flomaton to include dirt tracks deeper in the Florida Panhandle.

Once Five Flags opened its gates to the Vintages that inaugural season, more pavement tracks began expressing interest in the open-wheeled throwbacks that are powered by V8 engines.

Sunny South in Grand Bay, Ala., and Mobile International Speedway — both asphalt surfaces — have come onboard this year. The Southern Vintage Racing Association’s season culminates in August at MIS for the Lee Fields Memorial.

Spears, who was the series champion in 2013 and was five points shy of a repeat crown last year, is scaling back his racing schedule this season. But he’ll be at all of the asphalt races, including Friday night.

“It’s all about getting the whole of the sum, making the whole organization bigger and stronger,� Spears said. “Winning that first championship and then finishing second, it was enough for us for a while. We never truly got to fix the car completely each time something happened to it during those two years.�

Born and raised in Pensacola, Ben Spears grew up watching his father David Spears make Five Flags’ Victory Lane his home throughout the 1980s and into the ’90s.

The track, literally, became a home-away-from-home when David and his brother Watsell Spears, Ben’s uncle, leased the track for a few years in the mid-90s.

“Dad won his first race at Five Flags when he was 35,� Ben Spears said. “And, I won my first race there when I was 35. It took him three races to win. I won in my second race. I still jab him about it today.�

These days, father and son still are closely connected. Ben is a jack-of-all-trades at Sunset Marine, David’s business that specializes in “anything short of building the boat,� Ben Spears joked.

David Spears will occasionally race with the Vintages when they compete on dirt, but has demurred when talks turn to pavement.

Ben Spears continues to goad his father to try and make a triumphant return to Five Flags.

“He won’t do it,� Ben Spears said. “That way, we can both keep talking trash. He’s always saying, ‘Don’t make me come out there and show you how it’s done.’ �

It’s probably for the best. No driver wants to see a winning streak snapped. Especially at their favorite track.

And, especially, when one of your main rivals just so happens to be your dad.