12/8/2022
Five Flags Speedway
OUTLAWS GO 50 LAPS SATURDAY
Outlaws Ready for Their Snowball Derby 50 Lapper After Weather Forced Postponement
By Chuck Corder
5flagsspeedway.com reporter
The clock read 1:53 a.m. Sunday when the Outlaws rolled onto Pensacola’s high banks.
A field of 33 Faith Chapel Outlaws prepared to race toward history at their 50-lap running of the 55th annual Snowball Derby presented by Hooters at Five Flags Speedway. Their eagerness, however, was overmatched by Mother Nature. First, she delivered intermittent showers throughout Saturday night. Now, smack dab in the middle of Sunday’s witching hour, she dropped a dense fog that covered the famed half-mile asphalt oval.
Throw in the fact that, less than 12 hours later, the sport’s top 36 Super Late Model drivers would take their place for the nation’s most prestigious race. The elements, time and—perhaps, most importantly—logistics were too much to overcome for race and Derby officials.
Instead, the Faith Chapel Outlaws Snowball Derby 50 will be 1 p.m. this Saturday and fans will get in free of charge. Pit gates will open at 9 a.m., grandstand gates at noon. The lineup is already set after young Carter Taylor of Lucedale, Miss., won the pole earlier in the day last Saturday. He will lead what remains a stacked field of nearly 30 cars.
Race officials, initially, hoped to run the Outlaws Derby after the big show Sunday. However, they were met with constant challenges. They had nowhere to put the Outlaws overnight. The infield was not an option Sunday because it remains completely clear so fans can see every inch of the Derby. Spectator parking was already at a premium and the SLM haulers occupied any remaining spots outside the gates. It was not conceivable and would have been virtually impossible to run the 300-lap Derby, move the haulers back in to collect their respective SLMs and have the Outlaws drive back to race.
Taylor, a Young Lions Legends state champion in Mississippi, put down the fast time (17.899 seconds) during qualifying Saturday afternoon. Of the 33 Outlaws that took time, Taylor was the only driver to break 18 seconds and he did it on both laps after a first lap of 17.922 seconds.
He hopes to stay out front, ahead of some stiff competition, including Lynn Haven’s Jake Finch, Cameron Henderson, Bubba Winslow and Jay Jay Day.
Article Credit: Chuck Corder
