Stephen Nasse (left) took the victory in Saturday night’s Southern Super Series season finale at 5 Flags Speedway. Bubba Pollard (middle) won the track’s Blizzard Series championship, while Hunter Robbins (right) scored the Southern Super Series title. Photos: Eddie Richie/Turn One Photos/Loxley, AL
Stephen Nasse seems to have buried his Five Flags Speedway demons firmly under the famed Pensacola, Florida half-mile oval’s asphalt. Certain past nightmares might remain open wounds, but a trip to victory lane proves an uncanny salve.
Nasse captured the Deep South Cranes Blizzard Series 125 on Saturday night, leading the final 18 laps after passing Bubba Pollard.
Nasse bookended the Super Late Model season at Pensacola with wins, capturing the season opener in April and Saturday’s season.
“I don’t even know how to get out of the car, it has been so long since I’ve been in victory lane,” he said. “This team puts in so much hard work. Never give up — that’s our big thing. It’s an emotional deal.
“It feels good to get back to victory lane. They made me work for it tonight.”
William Sawalich, who had one of the other two Blizzard Series victories in 2022, finished runner-up and Matt Craig rounded out the podium.
While Nasse won the race, two other drivers claimed season SLM titles in two series. Pollard, who took the lead from Chandler Smith on lap 98, clinched his fifth career Blizzard title but his first crown without winning a race. The Senoia, Georgia racer finished fourth and ended a 14-year streak with a Late Model win at Five Flags.
“We had a good racecar,” Pollard said. “With the way tires are, you don’t really know what they’ve got. We had to run hard early to keep up with those guys. The guys behind us were in the catbird seat and could kind of ride while we burned our stuff up.
“It was a good weekend. I feel like we’re in a lot better place than at the beginning of the year.”
Pollard fell just short of winning two pieces of hardware in one night. Instead, Hunter Robbins celebrated his first career Southern Super Series title. Robbins handed Georgia Racing Hall of Famer Ronnie Sanders’ team the championship by four points over Pollard.
“It was a pretty rough night,” admitted Robbins, who finished 10th. “We didn’t run the way we wanted to. It was tough to hang on to be where we needed to be.
“We’ll take the bad night and enjoy the good. It kind of puts a damper on the night, but it was a good year. I couldn’t be more thankful for the people that helped me all year. It took every single (family and friend) to get us here. There are a lot of moving parts when you’re a grassroots team. It took a lotta hard work and sacrifice and I think that’s pretty cool.”
Nasse was in the hunt for both titles but fell a single point short of Pollard and finished a distant third in the SSS. Still, the feature win Saturday was the best birthday present he could give his father.
“My dad these last few months has been going to work on the setups,” Nasse said. “We’re getting better and better baselines on this car. I can’t say enough for this team.
“Winning the last one before the Derby means everything. It always gives you that extra bit of confidence going into December.”
Southern Super Series
5 Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Race Results – September 24, 2022
1. Stephen Nasse
2. William Sawalich
3. Matt Craig
4. Bubba Pollard
5. Casey Roderick
6. Chandler Smith
7. Jake Garcia
8. Jake Finch
9. Dustin Smith
10. Hunter Robbins
11. Augie Grill
12. Sean Hingorani
13. Daniel Dye
14. Gavin Graham
15. Nicholas Naugle
16. Sammy Smith
17. Michael Hinde
18. Jackson Boone
19. Jesse Love
20. John Bolen
21. Timothy Watson
22. Dusty Williams
23. Harold Crooms
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