Steve Buttrick scored the win in the Snowball Derby Sportmen feature on Thursday at 5 Flags Speedway. Photo by Fastrax Photos/Tom Wilsey/Loxley, AL
Steve Buttrick and Curtis Faircloth opened up action for the 44th annual Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida Thursday night by capturing victories in the Sportsmen and Bomber division features.
Both had to hold off tough competition and endure caution flags to get to victory lane, but in the end, they both came away as the first winners of what promises to be an exciting Derby weekend.
Sportsmen
The late models have Augie Grill and Bubba Pollard.
But even those two stalwarts must gawk at the accomplishments of one Steve Buttrick.
No one dominates Five Flags Speedway like the West Florida Coatings Sportsmen driver.
Buttrick successfully defended his Sportsmen Snowball Derby title, leading wire to wire late into Thursday night.
“The car was on a rail all night long,” he said. “It feels good to be able to defend this title, that’s for sure.”
There was no question Buttrick had the fast car all night. He proved that during qualifying when he not only scored the pole, but also set a new track record in the process with a 20.640-second lap.
“I didn’t realize I broke the track record by that much,” Buttrick said. “I knew it was good, but nothing like that.”
Once, the 50-lap feature began, though, Buttrick had to earn the trip back to Victory Lane. He was perfect on restarts, and he had to be because the race was marred by cautions that climbed into the double digits.
Each time Buttrick put the throttle down, runner-up Bubba Winslow was right there challenging for the lead.
Winslow made his stiffest move on the final restart with 41 laps completed.
He pinched down on Buttrick in turn 1, but it wasn’t enough. Then over in turn 3, Winslow banged bumpers with Buttrick. That didn’t rattled the old man’s cage either.
“I knew we had to be aggressive on the restarts,” Winslow said. “It still wasn’t enough.”
The 24-car field was whittled in half by the end of the race because of all the collisions.
A red flag was even brought at one point as emergency medical personnel attended to a track official in the grandstands.
Through it all, Buttrick’s focus wasn’t disturbed. In fact, he was as loose as he could be.
“During that red flag, I almost fell asleep,” he said. “But it’s the same thing every time: just go.”
It has been a winning formula for the last two years that’s for sure.
Curtis Faircloth stormed the front of the 24 car Bomber field to take the feature win Thursday night. Photo by Fastrax Photos/Tom Wilsey/Loxley, AL
Bombers
Racing is all about how you finish.
Curtis Faircloth embodied that old adage during the Bombers division of the 44th annual Snowball Derby on Thursday at Five Flags Speedway.
In a race that saw him start toward the back of the 24-car pack, Faircloth survived great attrition among the leaders and used a late charge to capture the thrilling 30-lap adventure.
The Pace resident held off a dogged attempt from Johnathan Day in the closing laps
“(Dang), I feel like a supermodel,” Faircloth said, wearing an ear-to-ear grin as he posed for photographs with his ecstatic family.
He had every right to take his turn on the catwalk in Victory Lane.
Faircloth’s roller-coaster season saw him ride a wave of success, winning five times early on.
All those good vibes went out the window, though, following a one-race suspension cost him most of his points.
Faircloth refused to yield his motor in June when another driver put a claim on it. Forfeiting just once race forced Faircloth to regroup and miss the second half of the season almost entirely.
He erased all those frustrations with a memorable run Thursday.
“This is the biggest accomplishment because of all the work I’ve put in myself,” Faircloth said. “I’ve had some great help from friends, but I’ve spent so much time on this car. Just ask my wife. She’s glad it’s over and so am I.”
His family and team were about the only ones that were excited the season had closed.
Day, who won the season championship at his track in Mobile, was in prime position early on Thursday. He took the lead around Lap 11 following a vicious crash between then-leaders Jay Jay Day, Johnathan’s cousin, and Five Flags track champ Gary Goodwin.
Jay Jay Day, the fast qualifier, was running away with the Derby before his night ended with a loud thud.
On a restart, Goodwin shot in front of him, but immediately began to swerve all across the track. Jay Jay Day tried to check up, but it was too late. Goodwin’s loose No. 23 slammed Jay Jay Day’s No. 98 into the outside wall on the back stretch before it came to a screeching halt, pinched in the inside guard rail.
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“I felt like I let a lotta people down, but what are you gonna do?” he said. “(Faircloth) was real good on the restarts. We were better on the long runs. Unfortunately, we ran into lapped traffic.”
Faircloth wasn’t going to let that prevent him from the trophy and the checkered flag.
On one of the three restarts with 10 laps completed, he shot a tiny gap and went from fourth to first in the blink.
Faircloth’s lead didn’t last long because it was waved off when another caution came out before a lap was finished. Still, he served notice that nothing was getting between him and a coveted Derby title.
“I don’t know what move I made. I just drove,” Faircloth said. “I don’t think when I’m out there.”
A racer’s mentality for sure.
The 44th annual Snowball Derby weekend continues Friday, with Snowball Derby qualifying, along with racing in the Super Stock and Modified features.
Saturday will feature the final qualifying race for Sunday’s Snowball Snowball Derby, along with the running of the Allen Turner Snowflake 100.
Sunday will feature the 44th running of the Snowball Derby Super Late Model feature, with the green flag slated to fall at 2 pm.
For more information or ticket info, visit 5flagsspeedway.com.
5 Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Snowball Derby Thursday – Dec. 1, 2011
Sportsmen
1. Steve Buttrick
2. Bubba Winslow
3. Shanna Ard
4. Jimmy Goodwin
5. James Patrick
6. Michael Couture
7. Jared Courtney
8. Michael Sanford
9. Raymond Ray
10. Johnny Greene, Jr.
11. Michael Ledlow
12. Calvin Cook
13. Willie Kitchen
14. Bryce Dulabhan
15. Chad Robinson
16. John Ward Jr.
17. Chris Nielsen
18. Lee Reynolds
19. Marty White
20. Bo Resmondo
21. Wayne Burkett
22. Jonathan Langham
23. Brannon Fowler
24. Jim Pokrant
Bombers
1. Curtis Faircloth
2. Johnathan Day
3. Kenny Bullard
4. Leonard Craig, Jr.
5. Hunter Ward
6. Kenny Williams
7. Tally Warrick
8. Jayme Corry
9. Robert Balkum
10. Tracy Soles
11. Bryon Reed
12. T.J. Thompson
13. Gary Goodwin
14. David Johnson
15. Kim Bishop
16. Wesley Barnhill
17. Courtney Rodrigues
18. Dave Smoot
19. Rusty Powell, Sr.
20. Brandon Burks
21. Brian Lane
22. Jay Jay Day
23. Rusty Powell, Jr.
24. Michael T. Nelson
