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Track Records Fall as Locals Start 5 Flags Season Off with a Bang on Tripleheader Weekend

By Chuck Corder
5flagsspeedway.com reporter
The racing calendar officially turned to 2025 on Friday night at Five Flags Speedway.
Pyrotechnics exploded above the famed half-mile asphalt oval on Opening Night of not just the season, but a tripleheader weekend. They paled in comparison, though, to the fireworks all four local divisions delivered Friday.
Each class set new track records and entertained the Five Flags faithful on a chilly night with heated, door-to-door, nose-to-tail, edge-of-your-seat racing that set promising tones for what hopefully will be tight battles all the way to September’s Night of Champions.
The four local series—Faith Chapel Outlaws, Gulf Real Estate Group Pro Trucks, The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen and Story & Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks—completed a perfect baton pass to the ARCA Menards Series East and the four-cylinder Vore’s Compact Touring Series tonight with the ASA STARS National Tour wrapping up weekend festivities Sunday afternoon.

Faith Chapel Outlaws

The Outlaws were the last to qualify Friday night.
They sat around and watched as one-by-one track records began falling during group qualifying for the other three decisions.
The Outlaws did them one better with two drivers eclipsing the previous track record. Former two-time track champion Timothy Watson was first out and set down a blistering time of 17.116 seconds, which topped Derrick Griffin’s mark of 17.2 a few years back. Watson’s lap held on through most of the other 12 qualifiers until Bubba Winslow went lower at 17.003 seconds.
The 35-lap feature saw late-race drama with Watson coming out on top of runner-up Carter Taylor and third-place Logan Boyett.
“I don’t know what happened,” Watson said. “I guess I was in the right place at the right time. I wasn’t the fastest car on the track, but I ended up in Victory Lane.”
The past champ found himself with another checkered flag because of an intense battle between Taylor and Boyett, the defending series champion. Taylor, who finished second to Boyett in points in 2024, led every lap Friday until the last three.
That’s when he reached the bumper of lapped car Keith Thorpe. Boyett anticipated Taylor would go outside of Thorpe, but instead Taylor stayed low behind Thorpe. Boyett got into Taylor and the veteran took the lead from the teenager momentarily on Lap 33 as the pair exited Turn No. 2.
Watson—watching all the action play out through his windshield—maintained his momentum and easily moved into clean air ahead of Boyett on the back straightaway.
“I wish I was a lot cleaner than that,” Boyett said, taken accountability for his part in the incident. “I apologized for running him over and taking us both out of the chance for the win.
“We struggled during the race. We were really tight. I couldn’t stay close (to Taylor) for long. I missed the mark a little bit tonight.”
The 16-year-old Taylor rallied from the skirmish to take second from Boyett and took the high road after the race by brushing off the event.
“It is what it is and we’ll move onto the next one,” Taylor said. “We had a great car tonight. All the guys had their stuff together tonight. I hate it ended like it did, but we still got second. That’s good enough.”
Watson, who ran Late Models last year, felt at home in his Outlaws car Friday.
“These things are just a blast to race,” he said. “There’s good racing in this series like this almost every week.”

Gulf Real Estate Group Pro Trucks

Steven Davis is in a class of his own when he’s wheeling a truck at Five Flags Speedway.
Davis has two career Pro Trucks titles during Snowball Derby week and had a third stripped away last December for illegal lug nuts.
How did he rebound from that disappointment Friday night? Davis went out set a new track record (18.096 seconds) and won the 25-lap feature with ease.
“I work with a bunch of great guys,” the modest Davis said. “I’m thankful to be able to drive it.”
Despite all his success, this was Davis’ first win at Pensacola’s high banks since his 2023 Derby victory. Maddox Langham came from the back of the pack to finish runner-up and David Herndon finished third.
Langham, driving a truck that was finished earlier in the day, shocked himself with his Friday night result.
“I had no clue what this thing was gonna do,” he said. “From the transmission back, we completely stripped it. This was the first time to hit the track.
“I’m pleased. It’s a handful, but it was fast. And I like it.”

The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen

Chad Robinson is adamant. The only thing he did to the car since he won the Sportsmen Snowball Derby in December was drain the water ahead of January’s snowstorms.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Robinson said.
Wise words from the driver who not only won another The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen 25-lap feature Friday at Five Flags Speedway but also topped his own previous track record. Robinson’s time of 19.296 seconds topped his past mark (19.354).
“Tonight, and the Derby are really the only nights you’ll see a track record,” Robinson said. “That’s why we wanted to swing for it.”
He cleared B.J. Leytham on the outside just before the halfway point of the 25-lapper and never looked back.
“I tried to drive clean out there,” Robinson said. “It’s the first night, we’re all anxious, but I was able to keep the tires on it and go when I could.”
Leytham finished second and Charles Davis rounded out the podium.
“A real racer wants to beat the man that’s winning, so I hope (Robinson) runs the entire season,” Leytham said. “He’s really fast.”
Robinson has now won five of six races at Five Flags dating back to June and three in a row counting the Derby.

Story & Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks

Zach Curtis doesn’t make the eight-hour trip to Five Flags Speedway often.
But when he does race at Pensacola’s high banks, he comes loaded for bear. Curtis won last August and captured a second straight Crown Stocks Derby 40 last November on Snowball Derby Preview Day.
He was up from Palm Bay again Friday for Opening Night and back in Victory Lane after his win in the Story and Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks 20-lap feature.
Curtis held off defending track champion Doug Thorpe Jr., who finished runner-up, and third-place Hunter Lambert.
“This is awesome,” Curtis said. “That was a blast. Doug Thrope, man. I know he’s an aggressive driver, but that is one bad dude. I knew he was the guy to beat. I was fortunate to get to the front.”
He took over the pole when Thorpe rolled a “5” on the die roll. Thorpe was first in group qualifying, setting a new track record (21.384 seconds) by almost two-tenths.
“I was concentrating so much on Zach that I didn’t know it was the end of the race,” Thorpe said. “That was a great race, bumping around. We’re gonna put on a show one way or another.”
Robinson wins Sportsmen

1 32 Chad Robinson, Mobile, AL
2 8 B J Leytham, Mobile, AL
3 6 Charles Davis, LaPine, AL
4 31 Ryan Logan, Cordova, AL
5 7 Jim Pokrant Pensacola, FL
6 29 Parker McDonald, Theodore, AL
7 1 Jonathan Langham, Mobile, AL
8 8 Will Smith, Letohatchae, AL
9 98 Todd Valdez, Panama City, FL
10 99 Robert Lavery, Panama City, FL
11 19 Daryl McDonald, III, Theodore, AL
12 98 Payton Guy,
13 10 Cameron Leytham, Mobile, AL

Steven Davis sets new track record, and wins PRO Truck 25

1 79 Steven Davis, Theodore, AL
2 1 Maddox Langham, Mobile, AL
3 78 David Herndon, Laurel, MS
4 3 Ray Herndon, Laurel, MS
5 59 Becca Monopoli, Lakeland, FL
6 198 Mike Maddox, Tupelo, MS

Timothy Watson wins Outlaw 35

1 28 Tim Watson, Panama City, FL
2 923 Carter Taylor, Lucedale, MS
3 1 Logan Boyett Pensacola, FL
4 51 Stephen Nasse, Pinellas Park, FL
5 23 Gary Goodwin, Pensacola, FL
6 54 Conner Sutton, Pensacola, FL
7 22 Dylan Coutney, Citronelle, AL
8 93 Gary Sanford, Concord, AL
9 36 Keith Thorpe, Milton, FL
10 91 Chris Cotto, Milton, FL
11 11 Presley Johnson, Huntsville, AL
12 43 Jerry Bohlman, Gulf Breeze, FL
13 92 Bubba Winslow, Cantonment, FL

Zach Curtis wins Crown 20

1 24 Zachary Curtis, Palm Bay, FL
2 62 Doug Thorpe, Jr. Pensacola, FL
3 97 Hunter Lambert, Pensacola, FL
4 22 Chris Mitchell,
5 17 Ryan Bleich, Sr. Pensacola, FL
6 83 Noah Carter, Cantonment, FL
7 19 Blaise Boykin, Pensacola, FL
8 27 Jeremy Finney, Chickasaw, AL
9 42 Lance Elliott, Laramie, WY
10 25 Cameron Adams, Milton, FL
11 114 James O'Neal, Wilmer, AL
12 44 Tyler Young, Pensacola, FL
13 8 Austin Reeves, Enterprize, AL
14 68 Caleb Sanford, Coden, AL
15 48 Phillip Griffin, 8 Mile, AL
16 51 Kody Howard, Ponchatoula, LA
17 75 Colton Rutherford, Cantonment, FL
18 27 Michael Chadwick, Ozark, AL
19 25 Cody Hobbs, Pace, FL
20 42 Brandin Sidner, Cantonment, FL
21 80 Matthew Jarrett, Hurlbert Field, AFB, FL
22 12 Dee Davis, Walnut Hill, AL
23 71 Spencer Reynolds, Bessemer, AL
24 11 Cody Griggs, Pensacola, FL
25 10 Braeden Kitchen, Pensacola, FL

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