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| Turner Wins Snowball Challenge | by Gordon Paulus
Ricky Turner passed Pensacola's Eddie Mercer with 10 laps left Friday night to win the Snowball Challenge Series Late Model 150 in the season opener at Five Flags Speedway.
Turner, the two-time defending Southern All Stars champion, earned $5,000 and a provisional start in the Dec. 8 Snowball Derby.
The Dawsonville, Ga., driver had to overcome some damage from a wreck and two flat tires to win in the 25-car feature. Pensacola's Scott Carlson finished second, followed by Mercer, Wayne Anderson and Jeremy Rice.
With 30 laps left, Mercer and Wayne Willard engaged in a side- by-side duel that lasted almost 10 laps and provided some of the most exciting racing of night. On four consecutive laps, the two drivers took turns leading by a noseat the start-finish line.
But that racing allowed Turner to close the gap, and he slipped past Willard, the ducked low to take Mercer on lap 140.
Turner's rear end was damaged in an eight-car wreck on lap 35. But the damage was minimal, and he stayed on the lead lap. Later, Turner's right rear tire began to go flat but a caution allowed him to pit without losing a lap.
In the Spectator race, Derrick Johnson took the lead with two laps to go after a wreck took out the two leaders.
Sonny Holland comfortably was leading and Rocky Boyd was trailing as they neared the end of the race. But Gary Burkett, Chris Cotto and Jason Majors collided in Turn 4 and appeared to block the track.
Holland tried to make it through an opening in the middle, but there wasn't enough room and he crashed. Boyd tried the same thing and also got hit.
That left Johnson, who was a half-lap behind, to take the top spot. He led the final two laps, followed by Scott Barbaric, Ted Martin and James Zinewicz.
In the 25-lap Super Stock race, Mobile's Cale Gale took the lead on lap 10 and went on to a victory. Gale is the son of former late model drive Bubba Gale.
He passed defending points champion Paul Dickerson and gradually pulled away. Todd Brett finished second, followed by Jerry Sanford, Dickerson and Joe Lowe.
Pensacola's Sammy McMullen won the 15-car Modified feature, which was shortened from 25 to 15 laps after a long delay caused by a nine-car pileup on the front straightaway on the first lap.
McMullen passed Richard Worsham for the lead on lap 6. Worsham was second, followed by Chet Morrison, Todd Jones and Jeff Godwin.
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