5 Flags Speedway - Pensacola, Florida
As Saturday turned to Sunday, it was apparent the 2011 season at Five Flags Speedway would not go gentle into the good night.
First, Mother Nature was sorry to see the season go, postponing the start of the evening’s festivities more than two hours with plenty o’ rain drops.
Then, both Bubba Pollard’s 18th victory of the season and his Allen Turner Pro Late Model track championship were stripped after a lengthy post-race technical inspection process.
Pollard was disqualified because of an illegal cam shaft. Similarly, runner-up Mike Garvey was bounced for illicit lifters.
All the moving and shaking left LaVernia, Texas, driver Brandon Bendele with his first checkered flag at Five Flags and D.J. VanderLey with his second straight track crown.
This was the final night of racing until the 44th annual Snowball Derby from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4
“You hate to see this happen in tech,” VanderLey said, “but if you don’t abide by the rules, there are consequences for it.”
The Auburn honors college sophomore was back at his family’s shop in Mobile, seconds away from unloading his No. 2 when someone called and notified him there might be an issue in tech.
VanderLey and his father Dan wasted little time in getting back to the famed half-mile, asphalt oval where the car’s clean bill of health coughed up a championship.
“What’s in question was the engine,” D.J. VanderLey said. “It’s an hour drive back home. We made it back here in two-and-a-half hours since we first left the track. I f we can swap engines and get it as hot and oily and greasy as if it had just come off the track, then that’s darn impressive.”
VanderLey looked impressive all night, never falling below the top five before ultimately finishing fourth behind Bendele.
Early on it was Bendele who had the car to beat, leading the first 43 laps before a lapped car cost him the top spot.
While Garvey and Pollard were the fastest cars in qualifying, respectively, Bendele started on the pole with the invert and proved he had a car to beat early on.
Kevin Chase changed the complexion of the race. As Bendele, Pollard and Garvey approached lapped traffic, Bendele tried to pass Chase.
Instead of letting the then-leader slide by, Chase pinched down and closed the door on Bendele. That was chum in the water for Pollard and Garvey, who both blew by Bendele, and Pollard took the lead at lap 44.
“For the most part, (the lapped cars) were staying on the bottom like they’re supposed to,” Bendele said. “But (Chase) came across my nose. From there we just kinda rode and were hoping for a caution.”
He and the rest of the 27-car field got a few down the stretch, but nobody had enough for Pollard and Garvey.
The pair flip-flopped the lead until Pollard took it back for good on lap 69.
“He’s definitely tough and he had a good racecar tonight,” Pollard said of Garvey. “I like racing with Mike. He’s a good racer and drives me clean. Hopefully, we’ll be in the same situation come the Derby.”
Well, hopefully, the situation will be a little better for both.
The strain of tech was written all over Pollard’s face underneath the inspection lights.
“Nobody ever wants to win like this, but there were infractions,” Bendele said. “The cars are so even already that if you don’t meet the rules, it is what it is.”
And what it was on a long Saturday night was the thrill of victory for Bendele and VanderLey and heartbreaking agony for Pollard.
Modifieds
Todd Jones finally wiped the sweat off his brow.
While Chris Cotto went about dominating the 35-Lap Modifieds feature Saturday at Five Flags, Jones had to battle a poor-handling car to hold off a strong charge from Gerald Wilkerson for the points title.
Wilkerson finished ahead of Jones in the feature itself, but Jones managed to win his first-career track crown at Five Flags by a mere seven points.
“I tell you what: Anybody that says racing is not a sport, this wears on you,” Jones, of Pace, said. “I got nervous today. The car was all right; it was probably me. Everybody in this class is really good, so it means a lot.”
The night itself meant a ton to Cotto.
The Milton driver made it two wins in a row Saturday and never left a doubt as to whose car was the best. Cotto got to the lead early, passing Jones, and never looked back.
“Wow what a race,” Cotto said. “The car is getting better and better. I’m knocking the rust off. We’re out here for wins.”
Sportsmen
Just another rowdy night of trading paint in the Sportsmen series produced a places in history Saturday at Five Flags Speedway.
Lee “Reddog” Reynolds of Mobile got his first-ever win on asphalt while Brannon Fowler’s fourth-place finish easily was good enough for his first-career Sportsman track crown.
Reynolds took the lead in the 20-Lap feature now after then-leader Johnny Greene appeared to have scraped the outside wall down the backstretch on Lap 9.
“We just got lucky was all it was,” Reynolds said with a hearty laugh. “We’ll be here for the (Snowball) Derby. We’re gonna try it again.”
He’ll have some tough competition once again, as Fowler will go into the first week in December with a giant head of steam after hoisting the championship.
“I couldn’t have done this without so many people,” he said. “So much thanks goes to my dad (Glenn), the hard work, effort and ideas he has put into this car.
“I look forward to the Snowball Derby and trying to defend this title next year.”
Bombers
In the end, a heated rivalry was put on the backburner with hardware on the line.
Brandon Burks and Gary Goodwin have exchanged leads and wins just as much as they’ve exchanged words this season.
But on Saturday with Goodwin nursing an 18-point lead coming into the 20-Lap Bombers feature, the pair strictly was focused on the task of winning the track championship.
Burks got the feature win, but couldn’t put enough room between him and Goodwin to claim the crown.
“Man, that was so much fun!” Burks, of Milton said. “I cannot thank everybody enough. Without them, I wouldn’t be holding this trophy.”
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Goodwin finished runner-up and celebrated with his wife and a load of friends on the front straightaway.
Burks held a huge lead over him for the last half of the race, not that Goodwin seemed to worry. In fact, he could care less, as long as he could finish the final laps down the stretch, the title would be his.
That’s exactly what happened.
“It was a fun year out here,” Goodwin said with a ear-to-ear smile. “We definitely had a fun time running.”
5 Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Race Results – Oct. 8, 2011
Allen Turner Snowflake Tune Up 100
1. Brandon Bendele
2. D.J. VanderLey
3. Kyle Benjamin
4. Willie Allen
5. Hunter Robbins
6. Chris Davidson
7. Brandon Odom
8. Kyle Sirizzotti
9. Josh Hamner
10. Thomas Praytor
11. Dwayne Buggay
12. Blake Ferguson
13. John Thompson
14. Rodney Benefield
15. Kevin Chase
16. Madison Schneider
17. Troy Grisaffi
18. Tyler Edwards
19. Ben Kennedy
20. Ron McDonald
21. Logan Boyett
22. Keith Thorpe
23. Kyle Bryant
24. Anderson Bowen
25. Zak Hausler
DQ. Bubba Pollard
DQ. Mike Garvey
Modifieds
1. Chris Cotto
2. Mark Chrudimsky
3. Bubba Pollard
4. Nathan Davis
5. Gerald Wilkerson
6. Jeff Letson
7. Todd Jones
8. Scooter Grice
9. Nathan Ingersoll
10. Brandon Howell
11. Tyler McLeod
Sportsmen
1. Lee Reynolds
2. Johnny Greene
3. Steve Buttrick
4. Brannon Fowler
5. Jim Pokrant
6. Michael Couture
7. Michael Ledlow
8. Chris Nielsen
9. Thomas Warren Jr.
10. Jimmy Goodwin
11. Bob Bryant
12. Randy Thompson
13. Marty White
14. Bo Resmondo
15. Tina Davidson
16. John Ward
17. Justin Babb
18. William Kitchen
19. Daniel Fleming
Bombers
1. Brandon Burks
2. Gary Goodwin
3. Leonard Craig Jr.
4. Michael T. Nelson
5. Wesley Barnhill
6. Kenny Bullard
7. Sam Mellema
8. Robert Balkum
9. Courtney Rodrigues
10. Tracy Soles
11. Michael Kitchen
12. Kerner Kafka
13. Gary W. Burkett Sr.
14. William C. Davis
15. Jay Jay Day
