Racing News for June 26, 2015
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Being on top of your game, often seems to come and go. Sometimes when you drop out of that position it’s like it takes forever before you return to being on top again. That is exactly what happened to one of the most popular drivers who has ever turned a lap here.. Do you know who that might be? You guessed it. Wayne Niedecken, Jr. He has been a huge crowd favorite at “America’s Favorite Home Track” for decades, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing with age. After going through what I call a slump over the last couple of years, he seems to be back with fire in his eyes, to prove to the youngsters that he can still get the job done. After a great run in last year’s Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 he has found new life. He is 3 for 3 in the Pro Late Model Division at Mobile Inter- national Speedway and hopes to keep that streak alive here at his home track. Will it be a cake walk you might ask? Abso- lutely not!! We expect a good car count in the Pro Lates for our first 20/30 shootout. Drivers from Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and of course our local driver’s will be out to stop Niedecken’s hot streak. Also racing will be the Sportsman, Pro Trucks, Bombers and Vintage. This is a great chance for some of our newer fans to compare the differences between the race cars from the past to the new modern versions. What a difference time makes. It doesn’t matter if its technology or race cars, everything changes in time. Enough for now-! See ya at the races!!! Pro Late, Vintage, Pro Trucks, Bombers & Sportsmen By Chuck Corder Can Spears Threepeat? 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. He hopes to contin- ue his winning ways Friday night at his beloved track when the Southern Vintage Racing Association returns. “It’s the fastest we go all season,” said the 36-year-old Spears, who won the last two Vintage features here. “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.” The Southern Vin- tage 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. --Continued on page 2--
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Pro Late Model 20+30, Vintage Cars, Bombers. Sportsmen and Pro Truck racing.
Transcript of Racing News for June 26, 2015
Being on top of your game, often seemsto come and go. Sometimeswhen you drop outofthatpositionit’slikeittakesforeverbeforeyoureturntobeingontopagain.Thatisexactlywhathappenedtooneofthemostpopulardriverswhohaseverturnedalaphere..Doyouknowwhothatmightbe?
You guessed it. Wayne Niedecken, Jr.Hehasbeenahugecrowdfavoriteat“America’sFavoriteHomeTrack”fordecades,andhedoesn’tseemtobeslowingwithage.Aftergoingthroughwhat Icallaslumpover the lastcoupleofyears,heseemstobebackwithfireinhiseyes,toprovetotheyoungstersthathecanstillgetthejobdone.Afteragreatruninlastyear’sAllenTurnerHyundaiSnowflake100hehasfoundnewlife.Heis3for3 in theProLateModelDivisionatMobile Inter-nationalSpeedwayandhopestokeepthatstreakalivehereathishometrack.
Willitbeacakewalkyoumightask?Abso-lutelynot!!WeexpectagoodcarcountintheProLates for our first 20/30 shootout. Drivers fromTexas,Georgia,Alabama,andofcourseourlocaldriver’swillbeouttostopNiedecken’shotstreak.
Also racing will be the Sportsman, ProTrucks, Bombers and Vintage. This is a greatchanceforsomeofournewerfanstocomparethedifferencesbetweentheracecarsfromthepasttothenewmodernversions.Whatadifferencetimemakes. It doesn’tmatter if its technologyor racecars,everythingchangesintime.
Enoughfornow-!Seeyaattheraces!!!
Pro Late, Vintage, Pro Trucks, Bombers & Sportsmen
By Chuck Corder
Can Spears Threepeat?
BenSpearsreferstoFiveFlagsSpeedwayas“myDaytona.”Foramanwhohasaspecialconnectiontothefamedhalf-mileasphaltoval,racingPensacola’shighbanksalwayssendsanadrenalinerushthroughSpears.
Hehopestocontin-uehiswinningwaysFridaynightathisbelovedtrackwhentheSouthernVintageRacingAssociationreturns.
“It’sthefastestwegoallseason,”saidthe36-year-oldSpears,whowonthelasttwoVintagefeatureshere.“It’sthebiggesttrackwe’llsee,too.There’sathrillofgoingthere.Thefactthatwegettogotoanasphalttrackisjustacherryontopofwhatwegettodoonanormalbasis.”
TheSouthernVin-tageRacingAssociationiscomprisedof1934FordandChevycoupesandsedansthattypicallycompeteonnearbydirttracks,suchasFlomaton(Ala.)SpeedwayandSouthernRacewayinMilton. --Continued on page 2--
Spears Continued
Car Photos Tom Wilsey
251-597-4747
Video Ted Baber850-458-2501
July 10Pro Late Double 20/30SuperStock,Sportsmen,andBomber
July 24SuperLateBlizzard #3,PlusProTruck,SportsmenandBomber
Aug 7Modifieds of Mayhem#7SuperStock,Sportmen,BomberPLUSFasterPastorandDemolition Derby
Aug 28Pro Late Double 20/30PlusProTruck,SportsmenandBomber
Saturday, Sept 19ProLateModel100Allen Turner Tune-Up,SuperStock,SportsmenandBomber
Saturday, Sept 26BlizzardProTruck,SportsmenandBomberDSC Night of Champions
Friday-Sun Oct. 23NOPI Nationals
Saturday, Nov. 21Snowball Preview
Thursday, December 3 - Sunday Dec 6th48th Annual Snowball Derby
“We’retryingtomakeitthreeinarow,”SpearssaidofhisquestforararehattrickatFiveFlags.“Idon’tknowwhatmakesussogood.I’mstillwonderingmyselfwhywe’refasterthaneverybodyelse—some(drivers)thathavebeendoingthisalotlongerthanIhave.
“Ijustdriveit.Wetrytobringaverywell-preparedcarthere.Wewanttobethereattheendtowinit.”
FoundedbyBillDanielsandJerryVenablein2013,theSouthernVintageRacingAsso-ciationstartedsmallandmadeititsmissiontobringattentiontoafun,affordableclass.
ItquicklyexpandedfromitsoriginalhometrackofFlomatontoincludedirttracksdeeperintheFloridaPanhandle.SunnySouthinGrandBay,Ala.,andMobileInternationalSpeedway—bothasphaltsurfaces—havecomeonboardthisyear.TheSouthernVintageRacingAssociation’sseasonculminatesinAugustatMISandtheLeeFieldsMemorial.
Spears,whowastheserieschampionin2013andwasfivepointsshyofarepeatcrownlastyear,isscalingbackhisracingschedulethisseason.
“It’sallaboutgettingthewholeofthesum,makingthewholeorganizationbiggerandstronger,”Spearssaid.“Winningthatfirstchampionshipandthenfinish-ingsecond,itwasenoughforusforawhile.Wenevertrulygottofixthecarcompletelyeachtimesomethinghappenedtoitduringthosetwoyears.” --Read all of Chuck’s story on our web site.--
Jerry Bohlman has fleeting visionsofhisfather’sglorydaysonasphalt.LongtimefansofFiveFlagsSpeed-way might remember the name“Gary Bohlman” during the early1970s.The elder Bohlman broughthis No. 43 1968 Camaro — twofacts the younger Bohlman recallswithease—toVictoryLaneseveraltimesuntilheleftthesportin1975.
IfJerryBohlman’smemoryisalittlefoggy about those years, He wasstill indiaperswhenGaryBohlmanstarted racing; barely out of themwhenhisdadstopped.
“Irememberbeinginthepitswiththeother kids playing,” JerryBohlman,now44,said.“Wedidn’tcaremuchabout the racing.All we wanted todo was take the tools out and digaround in the dirt with them. Andthen,we’dget into troublebecausewe’deventuallylosesometools.”
JerryBohlmanwillhaveallhistoolsathisdisposalcomeFridayashetriestofollowinhisfather’svictoriousfootsteps.Bohl-manwillbeapartofadeepfieldwhentheSouthernVintageRacingAssociationfueledbySunocomakesitsreturn..
The local touring series that competesonbothdirtandasphalttracksalongtheGulf Coast is comprised of 1934 Fordand Chevy coupes and sedans. Thethrowbackssitonopen-wheeled framesandboastV8enginesunderthehood.
“It puts the fun back into racing,” saidJerry Bohlman, who raced late modelsforafewyearsatFiveFlags.“There’snootherwayaroundit.They’reinexpensive,forone,andalottafun.Ienjoyitforthosereasons. Plus, everybody helps eachotheroutattheracetrack.“Nobodyfightsorargues.That,Ithoroughlyenjoy.”
While Jerry Bohlman struggles to reeloff details about his father’s racing ac-complishments,it’seasytotelltheappledidn’tfalltoofarfromthetree.
Aclearsignofthefather-sonconnectioncomeswhen you notice the number onthe side of Bohlman’s ’34 Ford Coupe.Just like his old man, Jerry BohlmanproudlydisplaystheNo.43.
“Ilikethefeelofthrowingitintothecor-nersatFiveFlags,” saidBohlman,whocompeted in bothVintage races stagedlast season at Pensacola’s high banks.“DrivingitinthereashardasIcan,it’sablast.There’salittleslippingandsliding,butthat’sjustthethrillofthespeedswetravel.”
Aregularpavementpoet.-Read all of Chuck’s story on our web site.
By Chuck Corder
A-1 Lock & Safe850-455-4358
The Locksmith Leader
Driver Jim Pokrant (in blue shirt)hadsomenicecommentsonMartyWhite’sdriving2weeksago.
