Stephen Nasse and Derek Thorn both made trips to victory lane at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida over the weekend.
Nasse took the win on Friday night, while Thorn was victorious in Southern Super Series action on Saturday night.
On Friday, Nasse topped a stout field of 32 cars for the $10,000 victory.
“It almost feels like a Snowball Derby win to me,” said Nasse, who reunited with Jett Motorsports for the weekend. “It has been a tough journey. I feel pretty stupid walking away from Jett. They are one helluva team and Pat Jett really knows how to orchestrate the setups to make these racecars go fast.
“This team is truly amazing. Plus, my dad has been putting his hard-earned time in. I’m super thankful to have my mom here, too. To do this here, I really appreciate the fans.”
Senoia, Georgia’s Bubba Pollard finished a distant second, with John Bolen in third.
While Nasse was overjoyed, Derek Thorn was still overheated from his Snowball Derby loss last year. Talking Rock, Georgia’s Chandler Smith hoisted the Tom Dawson Trophy in December, but not without controversy when he moved Thorn for the lead eight laps short of the finish.
Thorn, who was fastest in qualifying, got a modicum of payback against Smith on lap 36. This time Smith led the race with Thorn filling up his rearview mirror. Thorn stalked Smith through each turn. When the pair got to the back straightaway, Thorn used his bumper to spin Smith and sent him careening down the middle groove of the track. Jett Noland blasted into Smith’s driver’s side door and the accident collected three other cars.
“It’s crazy how these guys are driving,” Pollard said after. “I don’t know what they’re thinking. We had a good racecar. We were able to make our way to the front, but we were just a little too tight there when we needed to go.”
Thorn’s theatrics weren’t over, however. After being sent to the tail end of the field for his role in the Smith crash, Thorn brought out another caution with 44 laps completed. He forced his No. 43 onto the apron and made it three-wide as he entered turn 1. Unfortunately, Thorn didn’t have enough room and caused another accident.
That was the final straw for race officials. They parked Thorn for the remainder of the night.
Despite all the chaos, Nasse maintained his lead and didn’t have a scratch on his No. 51 as he embraced friends and family while posing for photos in Victory Lane.
“Everybody has been working so hard at the shop,” Nasse said. “We’ve got this car hooked up right now.
“We’ve been focused so much on coming here and winning races. I hope we can do the same thing (today). Good things are coming.”
After a wild night on Friday, Saturday night went more Derek Thorn’s way.
The Bakersfield, California native charged from the 18th starting spot in the 25-car field to hunt down then-leader Hunter Robbins on lap 92, then navigated lap traffic in the closing laps to score his first Super Late Model win at Five Flags Speedway.
“I can’t thank my team enough,” said Thorn. “The guys worked so hard and that kind of work ethic is what makes our team special.”
Thorn has won several Pro Late Model races at the famed half-mile asphalt oval, including two of the last three Snowflake 100s. He was ecstatic that his back-of-the-pack quest helped remove the SLM monkey off his back and earn his team $10,000.
“It’s a sigh of relief for us in the Super here,” Thorn said. “For whatever reason, it had eluded us.”
Not any longer. Thorn praised his team and sponsors for getting him to Victory Lane.
“I’m lucky to have good equipment,” he said. “You can’t win the Kentucky Derby on a donkey. We’ve been good every time we’ve been here. I’m disappointed in last night.”
“Spinning him out wasn’t intentional, said Thorn of Friday’s incident with Chandler Smith. “I went for a move off (turn 2) and anticipated him to be back on the gas sooner. I was rolling the top a little bit tight behind him. By time he checked up, I was already committed to continue high and he was slowing down faster than I could slow down and he went around.”
Robbins finished in second, with Matt Craig in third.
Bubba Pollard finished in fourth. That, coupled with his second Friday, meant that Pollard had the best average finish for the weekend. His reward is a starting spot in June’s Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) season opener at Five Flags.
Drivers already confirmed for the SRX race include former NASCAR champions Bobby Labonte, Michael Waltrip, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman, as well as IndyCar Series champions Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ernie Francis, Jr.
“It’s a great honor to race against some of the best,” Pollard said. “We’re gonna have some fun. I think it’s great what SRX is doing for short-track racing. There are a lotta stars out there that don’t get the recognition they deserve.”
John Bolen rounded out the top five finishers.
For more information on the Southern Super Series, visit SouthernSuperSeries.com. For more information on Five Flags Speedway, visit 5FlagsSpeedway.com.
Southern Super Series
Five Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Race Results – April 8, 2022
1. Stephen Nasse
2. Bubba Pollard
3. John Bolen
4. Jackson Boone
5. Daniel Dye
6. Matt Craig
7. Hunter Robbins
8. Michael Hinde
9. Augie Grill
10. Blaine Rocha
11. Tyler Tanner
12. Michael Atwell
13. Gavan Boschele
14. Jake Finch
15. Ryan Crane
16. Dustin Smith
17. Kyle Bryant
18. Derek Thorn
19. Chandler Smith
20. Jett Noland
21. Boris Jurkovic
22. Cole Butcher
23. Jake Garcia
24. William Sawalich
25. Preston Peltier
26. Colin Allman
27. Anthony Cataldi
28. Eric White
29. Hudson Halder
30. Dustin Dunn
31. Kyle Plott
32. Rocky Samson
Southern Super Series
Five Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Race Results – April 9, 2022
1. Derek Thorn
2. Hunter Robbins
3. Matt Craig
4. Bubba Pollard
5. John Bolen
6. Cole Butcher
7. Daniel Dye
8. Stephen Nasse
9. Augie Grill
10. Blaine Rocha
11. Jake Garcia
12. Jake Finch
13. Michael Atwell
14. Ryan Crane
15. William Sawalich
16. Jackson Boone
17. Tyler Tanner
18. Gavan Boschele
19. Anthony Cataldi
20. Preston Peltier
21. Kyle Bryant
22. Dustin Smith
23. Colin Allman
24. Michael Hinde
25. Hudson Halder
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