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Quite the Keepsake: Rookie Jorgensen Wins Pro Trucks Debut, First Five Flags Appearance

By Chuck Corder

History doesn’t happen just in December at Five Flags Speedway.

While the Snowball Derby is short-track racing’s crown jewel each December, the famed half-mile asphalt oval earns its moniker six other months out of the year, too.

Friday night proved the season opener can be just as memorable as the season finale.

Taylor Jorgensen, a 19-year-old driver from Stockbridge, Ga., etched her name into Five Flags’ lore Friday night with one heck of a debut at Pensacola’s high banks.

Jorgensen, a national Bandolero champion in 2012, won a 50-lap feature in her first career Beef "O" Brady's Pro Trucks race, as the 2016 racing season officially got underway in Pensacola. She prevailed against a deep, 20-car field in which seven states were represented.

“Oh my gosh!� said Jorgensen, who is the first female driver to win a Pro Trucks race at Five Flags and the first since Tina Davidson’s historic The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen victory in 2011.

“I didn’t know much of what I was doing out there. Oh my gosh! This is a dream come true. I’m speechless.�

Jorgensen took the lead from polesitter Okie Mason on Lap 10 when she slammed into the back of the veteran hotshoe.

But, like with any checkered flag, she earned a trip to Victory Lane in the final laps.

Jorgensen deftly maneuvered around lapped traffic and held off eventual runner-up Steven Davis. Mason, who won a five-lap $250 Dash for the Cash earlier in the night, finished third.

The crucial move came on Lap 44 when two cars in the back of the pack stood between Jorgensen and clean air.

She stayed low, slid underneath the two impediments and prevented Davis from passing all in a quick sequence.

“It happened so fast,� Jorgensen said. “I saw the two cars battling back and forth. A hole opened, and it was able to work out because I gave a block on (Davis).�

It was a quick-twitch decision that belied her age. One might expect such a seasoned move from a savvy veteran, not a rookie.

But Jorgensen proved Friday to be a quick study at a track that has fooled many an experienced driver for years.

“When we came off the trailer, we had tires that had 60 laps on them,� she said. “We laid down some fast times in practice on old tires. But when we put on new ones during qualifying, we didn’t pick up too much.

“But that was OK in the end because when the truck got loose, I knew how it was going to handle.�

Jorgensen might’ve carried a steely demeanor behind the wheel Friday. Once she ripped the helmet off and flashed her million-watt smile, though, maintaining that composure proved more difficult.

Her hands shook like she was battling Snowball Derby temperatures instead of a breezy, crisp night. Her eyes welled up with celebratory tears, as she was surrounded by her giddy family — father Jason, mother Amy and brother Jensen — and friends.

“She wasn’t supposed to do that,� a stunned, but proud Amy Jorgensen said.

Amy’s baby girl promises to make more history throughout 2016.

“We got a good start,� Taylor Jorgensen said. “I hope we can keep up this momentum.�

The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen

Brannon Fowler picked up right where he left off — namely, Victory Lane at Five Flags Speedway.

Fowler won the Sportsmen Snowball Derby title to close the 2015 season and wasted little time in getting 2016 off on the right foot Friday night at the season opener in Pensacola.

The Molino driver defeated friendly rival Steve Buttrick in what was mostly a two-car race over the last half of the 25-lap The Dok on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen feature.

“New year, same results,� Fowler said. “Steve’ll get his share of wins, trust me. He’s a tough competitor. We race hard, but we race clean. Hopefully, we put on a show for the fans.�

Two-time defending track champion Shanna Ard rounded out the podium in third.

Johnny Greene Jr. took the lead on Lap 1 with Fowler a close second and Buttrick third. Buttrick quickly rose to second by Lap 5, but yielded it when Fowler got the better of him on a restart around Lap 8.

Three laps later, Greene’s slight bobble on the back stretch opened a lane for Fowler to dart to clean air.

Buttrick gave chase, but never made Fowler sweat in the second half of the feature.

“Earlier in the race, I got into the inside wall and I may have knocked the toe out little bit,� Buttrick said. “But no excuses. Brannon did great job and earned it.�

Butler U-Pull-It Bombers

B.J. Leytham is back and still dominant.

There had been talk before Friday that Leytham and teammate Geno Denmark — two Mobile-area drivers whose run of dominance include a Bombers Snowball Derby title (Leytham, 2014) and a Bombers track championship (Denmark, 2015) — would scale back their Pensacola schedule in 2016 and, thus, spread the wealth of checkered flags.

And, while those rumors appear to be somewhat true, Leytham showed Friday at Five Flags Speedway why he is such a feared driver.

He first won a heat race, and then dominated the 20-lap Butler U-Pull-It Bombers feature in smooth fashion. Pensacola’s Robert Balkum, who led the first half of the race, finished second.

“It was (a great race),� Leytham said. “Robert’s gotten a little faster there. But, I finally got around him in the end. Again, we had a very fast car.�

Jonathan Smith, a Mobile driver most known for his exploits in Demolition Derbies, took home third.

“The tires went out or something,� a frustrated Balkum said. “B.J.’s fast.�

The race flipped on Lap 13 when the leaders approached lapped traffic. With Balkum slightly ahead of Leytham, the pair bore down on a tandem of slow cars.

The group made it four wide coming out of Turn No. 2 and Leytham chose correctly, dipping inside while Balkum got hung up on the outside.

“I was thinking it was time to go,� Leytham explained. “I didn’t know if I had enough time without a caution. So I had to get him and not depend on a yellow.�

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