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Barnhill Celebrates Sportsmen Victory; Leytham Makes it Six Wins in a Row, Nine Total for Bombers

By Chuck Corder

Mark Barnhill certainly made up for lost time — burnouts and all.

It had been some time since the veteran short-track from Irvington, Ala., had raced in The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen division at Five Flags Speedway.

While Barnhill raced in last December’s Snowball Derby for the Beef “O� Brady Pro Trucks, his last Sportsmen race at Pensacola’s high banks came at the Sportsmen Snowball Derby in 2014.

That night Barnhill crossed the start-finish line first for an apparent victory. But his celebration was premature as the win was eventually tossed out in technical inspection, handing Brannon Fowler an historic win.

At Sunday’s 25-lap feature, delayed from Saturday because of storms, Barnhill got a chance to celebrate in style at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.

He Barnhill won after taking the lead on Lap 11 and lit up the tires in Victory Lane with a couple of 360-degree turns down the front straightaway.

“It feels good,� Barnhill said. “It has been a while since I’ve been back over here for a run. It feels good to finish it off with a win.�

With only next Saturday’s season finale remaining before the 49th annual Snowball Derby in December, 12 cars were in Sunday’s field with one car conspicuously absent.

Points lead Steve Buttrick was nowhere to be found. Jim Pokrant, second in points, took advantage of that fact by finishing fifth and carving into Buttrick’s lead, which was more than 60 entering Sunday.

Someone who did race was Fowler, the past Sportsman Snowball king who has won multiple The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen track championships.

Fowler, who won a feature earlier this season, had been missing in action since April 29 when an awful wreck sidelined his run at another points title.

He finished runner-up to Barnhill on Sunday after starting near the back on the pack.

“My dad put in some long hours to get this thing right,� Fowler said. “We showed up late, didn’t get a chance to qualify, started at the tail end, but it was all right. This was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.�

Barnhill took lead from Lee “Red Dog� Reynolds just past the halfway point, and Fowler charge to third by a lap later. The latter began stalking Jonathan Langham for second and got the spot with four laps left.

 

Butler U-Pull-It Bombers

Judging by the finish in the Butler U-Pull-It Bombers’ 20-lap feature Sunday, next Saturday’s Night of Champions at Five Flags Speedway should be awfully juicy.

B.J. Leytham had to work for every inch of his ninth feature win of the season at Five Flags, his ninth overall.

Robert Balkum, who finished runner-up for the eighth time in 2016, made sure Leytham wouldn’t have an easy time of it.

Leytham’s win means he’ll carry a 19-point lead into Saturday night.

“I guess since that last race, the car has been a little off,� Leytham said. “I’ve got all the confidence in my crew chief that he’ll get all of that worked out. I did everything I could do to win (Sunday).�

That’s quite the understatement.

Leytham took the lead with three laps completed following a caution and never surrendered the P1 position despite Balkum’s best efforts.

For the last three laps, the two did everything but wreck.

They first made contact on Lap 17, as Leytham pinched Balkum down on the apron coming out of  Turn No. 2. Leytham spun, but somehow managed to hangs onto the steering wheel and the lead exiting the turn.

As they came to the flagstand with the white flag out, signaling the final lap, Balkum avoided the inside wall by hopping onto Leytham’s back left side wheels.

Leytham survived it all, much to Balkum’s chagrin.

“Blocking’s racing,� Balkum said, tongue firmly planted in cheek.

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