Brannon Fowler, seen here from earlier this year, picked up the Sportsman win and a $1,000 payday Friday night at 5 Flags Speedway. Photo by Fastrax Photos/Tom Wilsey/Loxley, AL
Sweaty. Out of breath.
It was all worth it for Brannon Fowler. About a $1,000 worth it.
Fowler got out of his white No. 00, shared a long embrace with his father Glenn Fowler and celebrated his 35-lap Sportsman feature win Friday at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL.
Fowler got the lead on lap 12 and held off a charging Steve Buttrick to snatch the top prize of a grand in the Sportsman biggest payout of the year until the annual Snowball Derby.
“Whoo!” shouted Fowler, who extended his points lead. “I’m so tired and excited. It has been a long season. But it’s sure paying off. I gotta thank all the fans out here.”
A crowd that would rival any night of the Snowball Derby watched a wild night of racing that ended with the famed half-mile oval’s first Demolition Derby in 23 years.
Ronnie Smith, a former Pro Late Model champion, was the last of seven cars standing when he put Lynn Frank out of his misery. Smith took home the winner-take-all $1,500.
“I tell you what, it was hot in that car,” Smith said. “It was real fun out here. I was crazy enough to do it. This was a great time tonight. I gotta figure out how to get this into a trailer.”
The Demoltion Derby wrapped up a terrific evening at America’s favorite home track. It easily was the most well-attended event of the season to date.
The night began with Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino winning the annual celebrities race. Valentino passed WXBM morning personality Lindsey Marie on the final lap for the victory.
“It’s not as hard as a County Commissioner’s meeting,” Valentino joked. “That was a lotta fun. Coming on the last lap, (WCOA’s Jim Sanborn) hit the far wall. We were just lucky tht we fished in between them.”
Lindsey Marie, who had a commanding lead, couldn’t navigate through lapped traffic and she backed off when Sanborn had issues at the top of turn 3.
Despite finishing second, the 2007 University of West Florida graduate was ecstatic.
“That’s some girl power,” she said. “What a rush. I’ll be back next year, baby.”
Fowler got to experience the rush of winning for the third time this season at Five Flags.
The Molino driver stayed out in front after taking the lead from Randy Thompson.
That was the perfect position as the cautions came aplenty. Thompson learned that the hard way when Paul Matis cut him off.
With Thompson running a close second to Fowler with 27 laps completed, Mathis chopped Thompson.
Thompson got some retaliation under caution, spinning Mathis at the same spot on the racetrack.
Stevie Mercer and Buttrick, the fast cars in qualifying respectively, made bold decisions to start at the tail end of the 22-car field and go after a $200 bonus.
Those decisions were wise halfway through the race. Mercer and Buttrick reached third and fourth, respectively, until Mercer had cylinder troubles around Lap 20.
Buttrick, who had five wins coming into Friday, couldn’t quite pull off the unthinkable and get by Fowler.
“Brannon had a fast car at the end,” Buttrick said. “But to start at the back and end up here, I’m happy with that. I’m not gonna complain about that.”
Super Stocks
Jessie Reid has battled through an emotional season of loss.
Nothing was more painful than losing his crew chief back in the spring.
The racing gods were smiling on the veteran driver from Eight Mile, Ala., Friday as Reid won the 25-lap feature easily.
“I’ve been trying to get back up here in the winner’s circle,” Reid said. “These guys have been putting on me lately. It’s about time.”
Bombers
Carpe diem for Milton’s Brandon Burks.
Effects on pregnant woman: Ashwagandha is very effective in curing prostatitis. India is the largest grower of drumstick trees. This all-natural herbal supplement combines several potent ingredients that increase desire, elevate your mood and allows you to enhance your sexual performance easily. india sildenafil Cost is the first concern when person visits the market and get attracted by an element. It looked like Jay Jay Day was going to run away with it, building on a huge lead he assumed with 13 laps completed.
But when Day had a flat with two laps to go, Burks seized his opportunity and collected his third victory of the season.
“Holy cow that was fun,” Burks said. “That was more work than anything. Halfway to go, I didn’t think I had a chance to win. It feels good to win. It never gets old.”
Action returns to 5 Flags Speedway on Friday, Sept. 9 with the Allen Turner Pro Late Model 100, plus racing in the Modifieds, Sportsman and Bomber divisions. Visit 5flagsspeedway.com for more info.
5 Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Race Results – Aug. 26, 2011
Sportsman
1. Brannon Fowler,
2. Steve Buttrick
3. Lee Reynolds
4. Bubba Winslow
5. Michael Sanford
6. Scott Barbaric
7. Randy Thompson
8. Nick Brownlee
9. Bo Resmondo
10. Tina Davidson
11. Gary Robinson
12. Justin Babb
13. Paul Mathis
14. Johnny Greene Jr.
15. Wayne Burkett
16. Michael Couture
17. Stevie Mercer
18. Charles English
19. Mark Montgomery
20. John Ward
21. Marty White
22. Jim Pokrant
Super Stocks
1. Jessie Reid
2. Bubba Winslow
3. Randy Thompson
4. Joe Mahuron
5. Darin Matthews
6. Brandon Harris
7. Mike Moore
Bombers
1. Brandon Burks
2. Kenny Williams
3. Gary Goodwin
4. Michael Nelson
5. Brian Lane
6. Tracy Soles
7. Leonard Craig Jr.
8. Hunter Ward
9. Dayton Sidner
10. Sam Mellema
11. Wilber Goraum
12. Robert Balkum
13. James Beal III
14. Courtney Rodrigues
15. Jay Jay Day
16. Gary Burkett
