Chase Elliott celebrates in victory lane after winning Saturday night’s Snowflake 100 at 5 Flags Speedway. Photo courtesy Chase Elliott/Facebook
No one can doubt Chase Elliott’s talent behind the wheel of a pro late model racecar. After Saturday at the Snowflake 100 at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL, it’s hard to doubt his mind, either.
Elliott started the on the pole but fell out of the top five, only to charge back in the closing laps to earn his third Snowflake 100 win. In doing so, he became the first driver to win the prestigious pro late model race from the pole position.
Elliott bested John Hunter Nemechek in a duel that lasted a dozen laps, finally grabbing a lead he wouldn’t relinquish on lap 94. Nemechek held on for second, with Justin South, Hunter Robbins and Dwayne Buggay rounding out the top five.
“I was just trying to be there at the front when it counted,” Elliott said in victory lane. “But I didn’t think it would go green there for that long.”
No one was expecting a long green-flag run after a wreck-filled start. On the fifth lap, Corey Deuser and Ryan Luza clanged each other and the frontstretch walls in an incident that ended the nights for both drivers.
Seven laps later, a third of the 36-car field collected each other in the east turn. The incident was triggered when Brad May and Baylee Curry spun in turn 2, blocking the track. When the smoke cleared, Jeremy Pate, Junior Niedecken, Johanna Long, Mark Day, Spencer Davis, Ben Kennedy, Jerrod Foley, John Bolen and Jake Griffin were at a stand-still.
This was the last time the field would be slowed for the evening.
After giving up the lead to South, Elliott then lost second to Robbins, third to Nemechek, fourth to Mike Garvey and fifth to Augie Grill. Nemechek continued moving to the front, making quick work of Robbins on lap 17. Over the next 40 laps, he reeled in South who started fading at the halfway mark.
Nemechek grabbed the top spot on lap 63, just as Elliott was making good use out of the tires he took it easy on for the first half of the race. After moving back past Garvey for third, Elliott charged back by South for second with 25 laps to go.
Nemechek wasn’t going to go quietly, however. Fighting on his worn tires, he pressed his advantage over Elliott as hard as he could, fending off a few advances by using lap cars as picks. But there were neither enough lap cars nor enough grip left in his tires to keep Nemechek in front.
After stalking for 15 laps, Elliott pounced in turn 2 on lap 94. As Nemechek’s car slid up the track, begging for grip, Elliott pulled even underneath and completed the pass in turn 3.
“I thought we had something for Chase, but I used up my tires too fast,” Nemechek said. “But I learned some stuff for tomorrow – hopefully, we’ll have a good day.”
Elliott starts Sunday’s Snowball Derby from the pole position. He’s looking to be the first driver to win both the Snowflake and the Snowball in the same weekend.
“I think we’ll have our best effort (Sunday),” Elliott said.
Also on track Saturday night were the Pro Trucks, with Riley Thornton scoring the victory. Eric Wallace crossed the finish line in second, with Colt James in third, Ray Hoey in fourth and Howard Langham in fifth.
All results are unofficial until certified by race officials.
The big race weekend wraps up Sunday with the 46th annual Snowball Derby. For more info, visit 5flagsspeedway.com.
5 Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Snowflake 100 – Dec. 7, 2013
1. 9 Chase Elliott
2. 8 John Hunter Nemechek
3. 43 Justin South
4. 18R Hunter Robbins
5. 45 Dwayne Buggay
6. 1 Mike Garvey
7. 29A Anderson Bowen
8. 112 Augie Grill
9. 42 Steven Davis
10. 66 Korey Ruble
11. 60 D.J. Shaw
12. 98 Russell Fleeman
13. 11 Brad May
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15. 11 Johanna Long
16. 12 Harrison Burton
17. 88 Garrett Jones
18. 5K Daniel Keene, Jr.
19. 7 John DeAngelis, Jr.
20. 129 Spencer Davis
21. 99H J.J. Haley
22. 04 Jerrod Foley
23. 08 Jake Griffin
24. 10 R.S. Senter
25. 81 Brandon Odom
26. 8D Mark Day
27. 2JB John Bolen
28. 4P Kyle Plott
29. 54 Daniel Hemric
30. 99 Junior Niedecken
31. 47 Jared Fryar
32. 05C Bayley Curry
33. 96 Ben Kennedy
34. 22P Jeremy Pate
35. 14L Ryan Luza
36. 14D Corey Deuser
Pro Trucks (Unofficial)
1 21 Riley Thornton
2 12 Eric Wallace
3 15 Colt James
4 26 Ray Hoey
5 1 Howard Langham
6 9 Mason Mitchell
7 44 Jeremy Boddie
8 154 Charlie Melvin
9 47 Andy Wojtaszczyk
10 99 Taras Hodivsky, Jr.
11 16 Jessie Reid
12 19 David Salsbury
13 69 Matt Vassar
14 51 Okie Mason
15 8N Jim Nides
16 96 Rick Pollaro
17 51K Zachary Knowles
18 32 Todd Pitts
19 12S Justin Steiner
20 39 Mark Chrudimsky
21 72 Darrell Leachman
22 94 Sean Steiner
23 88 Jim Phillips
24 13 James Lynch
25 17 Kyle Books
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