IT'S TIME TO RACE!!

July 25, 2004 FSCR Carlson wins Blizzard Battle at Five Flags CARLSON WINS BLIZZARD BATTLE AT FIVE FLAGS JULY 23, 2004 - Scott Carlson won the battle in the USA Digital-NEXTEL 100 at Five Flags Speedway while fellow Pensacola driver Eddie Mercer won the war. Mercer probably didn’t feel like celebrating after outqualifying the other thirty Super Late Model drivers and dominating the first 93 laps only to finish second behind Carlson. But he now joins David Hole in a tie for first place in the Blizzard Series and a good shot at a guaranteed start in December’s 37th annual Snowball Derby. Carlson, who also won the first of the five-race series, didn’t have the fastest car but outsmarted his competitors by pitting first under a lap 93 red flag. Carlson started the race in third place but had fallen back to seventh before the late race stop. He was passed by the flying trio of Wes Loyd, Ryan Crane, and J.R. Norris who were on fresh tires after pitting just past the race’s halfway point. "I was just trying to stay out of a wreck and waiting for a caution flag in order to get new tires when they went by" said Carlson. By the 85th circuit, the three had passed defending Snowball Derby champion, Charlie Bradberry who had been in that spot from the start and had reeled in Mercer. As the four freight-trained into turn three on the 91st lap, Crane got into the back of Loyd causing him to spin. Loyd did a 360 degree spin and continued but Crane and Norris crashed and were done for the night. The race was stopped in order to clean up the track and as the field came to a stop on the backstretch, Carlson sneaked into the pits for new right side rubber. Mercer, who had lost radio communication with this crew, came to a full stop, as did the rest of the field. Ricky Turner, the 2002 Snowball Derby winner, quickly fired his engine back up and led Mercer and the majority of contenders in for new tires. Carlson got back on track first, followed by Mercer, Turner, Donald Long, Charlie Bradberry, David Hole, and Bubba Naumann. "I don’t think we had the fastest car but we outsmarted them on this one", claims Carlson. John Wilkinson and Grant Enfinger stayed on the track and led the field to a restart on lap 95. Wilkinson spun his tires when the green flag was waved and Carlson, Mercer, Turner and Long rocketed to the front. On the next lap, a tangle involving Enfinger and Loyd brought out yet another caution flag setting up a green-white-checkered sprint to the finish. Carlson had no trouble maintaining his lead and was followed across the stripe by Mercer, Turner, Bradberry, and Long. David Hole, who won the last Blizzard Series race, came in sixth and now shares his point series lead with Mercer. Wes Loyd, who ran one of the best races of his career, was able to salvage a seventh place finish propelling him to fourth in the point’s chase. Ryan Crane is now a distant third while Donald Long sits in fifth place. Several top competitors were eliminated by crashes in the caution-filled event that included five yellow flags and three race stoppages. 2001 Snowball Derby winner, Wayne Anderson only made three laps before crashing out before the dreaded "Big One" occurred on lap 37 ending the night for Stanley Smith, Paul Kelley, and Ronnie Sanders . Several cars were involved, including the one driven by Kevin Perry who summed up the experience by saying, "Everyone who didn’t have a spotter hit me." Kelley’s car succumbed to more damage in a melee six laps later. In Modified action, Tommy Aaron won his second feature in a row, leading all twenty-five laps. The race was caution free and Aaron held a straightaway lead over point’s leader Sammy McMullen at the finish. Wesley Stephens was third. Jessie Reid beat Kevin Rewinkle by one car length in the Super Stock feature for his third victory of the year. Reid, a former track champion at Five Flags took the lead from Rewinkle on the 18th lap but was challenged all the way to the checkered flag. Point’s leader, Steve Campbell was a close third after starting the 25-lap race in fourteenth. Jimmy Hardin celebrated his birthday by leading the Super Stock race wire to wire but the win didn’t come easy as he felt heavy pressure from James Ziniwiecz and point’s leader Earl Polk. The Super Stocks were also able to get their race in without any incidents. The Bombers joined the premier Super Late Model class in bending up several racecars. At the drop of the green flag the "Crunch Bunch" did just that. With thirty of the entry level division machines going for victory in a fifteen-lap race, things can get hectic and several cars never made it to the first turn. Joel Lesley Jr. who leads in points was the benefactor of having one apparent winner drop out with overheating problems and another disqualified after the race. Bo Resmondo overtook Mike Kitchen for the lead on the 11th lap only to fall out two laps later under caution. Kitchen crossed the finish line ahead of Lesley but in the post-race inspection was found to have an illegal set of springs on the car. Lesley was awarded the victory over David Barnett and Rocky Boyd II. The next event in the celebration of "Five Decades of Speed" will be a regular Friday night race on August 6 for the Bombers, Spectators, Super Stocks, and Modifieds. There will also be a bicycle race held that night for the kids. The fourth Blizzard Series race will be held on August 20th. For more information call the speedway office at (850)944-8400. Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! news@karnac.org or send a letter to the editor!