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Pollard WIns Blizzard, Listing of all 4 Races

Pollard Claims Busch Light 100 Win, 25th Career Blizzard Victory; Elliott, Harvick Post Top-20 Finishes

By Chuck Corder
5flagsspeedway.com reporter
The parking lot Friday evening at Five Flags Speedway was tighter than two coats of paint. Less than 20 minutes before the starting command was delivered, the line to get in stretched longer than the track’s straightaways.
A pair of NASCAR stars drew a Snowball Derby-sized crowd. But it was short-track racing’s biggest name that stole the limelight during the Busch Light 100.
It looked like vintage Bubba Pollard on Friday. The Senoia, Ga., driver appeared to bide his time before taking the lead on Lap 81 in the third of this season’s four Deep South Cranes Blizzard Series features for Super Late Models. He assured everyone, though, that he was hammer down from the drop of the green flag.
“I was pulling the trigger the whole time,” Pollard said. “You can’t save nowadays. There are too many good racecars, too many good racecar drivers. Everybody’s so equal.”
While parity in Late Model racing has never been higher, Pollard is in a class of his own. Especially at Five Flags.
Pollard’s victory was his 25th career Blizzard Series win in 90 overall races. He received just as big of a pop from the crowd when he was introduced in pre-race ceremonies as former Cup champions Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick.
The two NASCAR invaders qualified well but had little for the 22-car field once the green flag dropped. Elliott, the former two-time Snowball Derby champion and five-time Blizzard Series winner, started second and tried to make an early push for the lead on the outside. However, the 2020 Cup champion’s efforts were thwarted each time by Dylan Fetcho and Casey Roderick. Elliott finished 16th.
Harvick, in his first career appearance at the famed half-mile asphalt oval, ran in the top-10 for most of the night before eventually settling for 13th.
Kevin Taras and daughter Hayley made the nine-hour drive from Naples to get a chance to see Harvick in the pits Friday before watching the 2014 Cup champ compete later in the evening.
“He has been my driver since 2001,” Taras said. “I took my daughter to Homestead last year, and we got pit passes. I was able to get a picture of her with (Harvick) on the grid.
“I got him to sign the picture (Friday).”
Fans were still pouring in minutes before the green flag dropped on the Busch Light 100.
“I hope y’all come back,” Pollard pleaded with the packed house. “When I turned around for that victory lap, it made me feel so good to see everyone cheering.”
Stephen Nasse finished runner-up and Roderick rounded out the podium in third.
Nasse, who won the second Blizzard Series feature in April, was once again terrific on the long runs. He started 10th and made his push toward the front following the competition caution at the halfway point.
“We had a bad qualifying spot and that put us behind,” Nasse explained. “There were a lotta good cars that were able to hold the bottom. That made it tough to get around. I thought I was making ground, but I guess I didn’t have more than Bubba did. Bubba had a good car tonight.”

The Dock on Pensacola Beach SportsmenChad Robinson wasn’t in any rush getting to Five Flags Speedway on Friday.
However, once the Mobile driver was off Interstate-10 and inside Pensacola’s high banks, he was an unstoppable force.
Robinson came from the tail end of a seven-car field to win his second straight The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen 25-lap feature. Friendly rival James Patrick finished runner-up and Molino’s Brannon Fowler rounded out the podium in his first since the passing of his father, Glenn, in April.
“I knew I was going to have to start in the back anyway,” Robinson said, referencing a Five Flags rule that says the previous feature winner must start sixth or worse. “I got lucky.”
He was third seven laps in while Patrick stalked Fowler for the lead early on before reaching clean air on Lap 11. Robinson pulled by Fowler for second two laps later and swiped the lead from Patrick on Lap 20.
“This was a good way to pay tribute to ol’ dad,” Fowler said. “I felt him looking down and smiling on us. I would’ve liked to win, but being up here feels like a win after leading a few laps and a podium finish after a few months off.”

Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks
Maddox Langham scored a Sportsmen track championship a year ago.
He’s eyeing up some Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks hardware in 2024. The 17-year-old Mobile driver took another step toward that goal Friday at Five Flags Speedway.
Langham recorded his fourth win in five Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks 20-lap features this season, outdueling runner-up Cameron Leytham and increasing his margin in the season points standings between himself third-place finisher Mason Johnston.
“I have a blast every time I drive this thing and I wanna keep doing it,” Langham said. “This thing is a hotrod no matter where you put it. It is dialed in.”
Leytham took the lead on the opening lap and tangled with Langham to maintain it in the first half of the race. Langham carded his first lead on Lap 7, passing Leytham between Turn Nos. 1 and 2. But Leytham fought back and reclaimed the advantage a lap later.
“I’m glad it was a great race,” Leytham said. “Maddox drove me clean.”
Langham let his tires cool off for a few laps before taking control of the feature on Lap 15.

Story and Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks
What was once thought as impossible is getting closer and closer to reality.
Doug Thorpe Jr., who had a mediocre start to the season, is in the hunt for a Story & Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks title with three races remaining in the year. The Pensacola driver won his third 20-lap feature of the season Friday night at Five Flags Speedway and continued to close the gap on Braeden Kitchen, the division’s points leader.
“It took every ounce of the experience I got,” said the 60-year-old Thorpe, who has been racing for more than 40 years. “My crew is the best in the business.”

Ryan Maxwell and Ryan Bleich Sr. finished second and third, respectively.
Thorpe took over the lead with 11 laps completed and withstood several cautions thanks to picture-perfect restarts that caught most of the 21-car field by surprise.
“Boy, that was fun!” an excited Maxwell said. “Three guys up here (on the podium) are real close. I can’t say enough about this racetrack and all these people.”

June 28th Winners

Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks 20
1 97 Maddox Langham, Mobile, AL
2 8 Cameron Leytham, Mobile, AL
3 6 Mason Johnston, Eight Mile, AL
4 21 Thomas Norman, Semmes, AL
5 98 Payton Guy, Pace, FL
6 14 Sean Barnes, Pensacola, FL
7 2 Connor Odom, Pensacola, FL
8 28 Dayton Sidner, Pensacola, FL
9 24 Chris Pike, Mandevlle, LA

Deep South Cranes Blizzard 100
1 26 Bubba Pollard, Senoia, GA
2 51 Stephen Nasse, Pinellas Park, FL
3 26 Casey Roderick Pulaski, MS
4 54 Matt Craig , Concord, NC
5 28 Cole Butcher, Hansport, NS Canada
6 16 Jacob Gomes, Manteca, CA
7 69 Michael Hinde, Hernando, FL
8 14 Connor Okrzesik, Grand Bay, AL
9 7 Jackson Boone, Franklin, TN
10 44 Jeremy Doss, Upper Lake, CA
11 89 Dylan Fetcho, Lebanon, TN
12 58 Michael Atwell, Naples, FL
13 62 Kevin Harvick, Charlotte, NC
14 33 Dustin Smith, Mobile, AL
15 23 Billy Van Meter, Indianapolis, IN
16 9 Chase Elliott, Dawsonville, GA
17 5 Jonathan Knee, Ft. Collins, CO
18 37 Michael Goddard, Ft. Myers, FL
19 54 Conner Sutton, Pensacola, FL
20 2 John Bolen, Jasper, AL
21 51 Jake Finch, Lynn Haven, FL
22 47 Allen Karnes, Sharpsburg, GA

Story & Bleich Roofing Crowns 20
1 62 Doug Thorpe, Pensacola, FL
2 17 Ryan Maxwell, Pensacola, FL
3 17 Ryan Bleich SR Pensacola, FL
4 5 Brian Musgrove, Andalusia, AL
5 10 Braeden Kitchen, Pensacola, FL
6 26 Blaise Boykin, Pensacola, FL
7 48 Okie Mason, 8 Mile, AL
8 39 Charles Ellis,
9 41 John Taylor, Pensacola, FL
10 3 Jason Roos,
11 12 Dee Davis, Walnut Hill, FL
12 92 Bobby Saurez,
13 11 Cody Griggs, Pensacola, FL
14 19 Garrison Story, Pensacola, FL
15 75 Colton Rutheford, Cantonment, FL
16 69 Zach Dickerson, Pensacola, FL
17 27 Jeremy Finney,
18 1776 Hollywood Sidner, Cantonment, FL
19 59 Nate Hardin, Pensacola, FL
20 4 Adam Salter, Andalusia, AL
21 25 Cody Hobbs, Milton, FL
22 114 James Oneal, Wiimer, AL

Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen
1 32 Chad Robinson, Mobile, AL
2 11 James Patrick, Mobile, AL
3 0 Brannon Fowler, Molino, FL
4 6 Charles Davis, La Pine, AL
5 19 Daryl McDonald III, Theodore, AL
6 29 Parker McDonald, Theodore, AL
7 7 Jim Pokrant, Pensacola, FL

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