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Robbins Goes Last to First to Win Elantra 100

Chuck Corder

Hunter Robbins’ faith never wavered.

While his Pro Late Model crew tried to plug a leak in his No. 18 car, the Montgomery, Ala., driver kept his focus.

Robbins was rewarded for his patience Friday night at Five Flags Speedway, as he came from the end of the line to win the Allen Turner Elantra 100 in the Pro Late Models’ season debut.

It marked the second time in last two Pro Late Model races at Five Flags that a driver came from the back of the pack to Victory Lane. That’s what Chase Elliott did at last year’s Snowflake 100.

“It’s pretty cool,� a giddy Robbins said. “I told (his crew) that Chase passed more cars than we did, so I knew it could be done. That’s what we did.�

Robbins, who brought out the first of the first of 11 cautions Friday, passed D.J. VanderLey for the lead on Lap 84.

Brandon Bendele had one decent look at Robbins late, but it wasn’t enough to unnerve the 20-something. Bendele finished second, Dwayne Buggay was third, VanderLey fourth and Bubba Pollard fifth.

An extraordinary number of 11 cautions belied how good of a race Friday night was. Four different cars held the lead at one point.

“With the restarts,� Robbins said, “we were stuck on the outside and we wanted to be on the inside because D.J. was so good on the restarts. We had to get around him to dictate the pace and we did.�

In heroic fashion. Robbins, who was running in the top 10, began leaking fluid on the speedway and brought out the yellow with 15 laps complete.

His crew discovered the leak was coming from the transmission.

“I guess we rushed and missed that plug that fell out,� Robbins said. “We’re very lucky it worked out for us in the end.

“I just kept encouraging my guys. It went back green while we were in there, but the caution came out and it worked out for us.�

It worked out well for Thomas Praytor early on Friday.

The Mobile native had the fast time in qualifying and sat on the pole before he had a disastrous roll of the dice to set a 10-car invert. Praytor finished 15th.

Donnie Hamrac started with the lead after the invert and held it for the first 27 before Pollard finally cleared him.

As the 24-car field approached the halfway point, a five-car collision brought out the seventh caution.

Hamrac was running third, but got loose coming out of Turn 2, causing the cars behind him to slow up. The first few made it through unscathed before the next wave fell victim to the accordion effect.

Robbins, by virtue of his great outside runs, had made it all the way to third by the halfway point. VanderLey passed Pollard for the lead on Lap 58 and brought Robbins with him.

Robbins never left VanderLey’s bumper for the next 25 laps and easily cruised by the defending track champion with 16 laps to go.

Robbins never had a doubt.

Elantra 100 results—1. Hunter Robbins; 2. Brandon Bendele; 3. Dwyane Buggay; 4. D.J. VanderLey; 5. Bubba Pollard; 6. Logan Boyett; 7. Chris Davidson; 8. Korey Ruble; 9. Jeremy Mullinax; 10. Mason Mitchell; 11. Tommy Rollins; 12. David Jones; 13. Keith Thorpe; 14. Bobby Reuse; 15. Thomas Praytor; 16. Eddie Craig Sr.; 17. Kevin Chase; 18. Troy Grisaffi; 19. Shanna Ard; 20. Donnie Hamrac; 21. Kyle Sirizzotti; 22. Kyle Bryant; 23. Tyler Miles; 24. Ronnie Smith

 

Super Stocks

The monkey is officially off Paul Jean’s back.

Time and time again he had come to Five Flags Speedway with a car that seemed to be one of the top ones to beat. Time and time again he left heartbroken.

Not this Friday, though. The Cordova, Ala., resident came from toward the back of the pack to get his first win in Pensacola, pulling away from Randy Thompson and Bubba Winslow late in the 25-lap feature.

Thompson finished second, but was disqualified in technical inspection for being too low. That pushed Winslow to the runner-up spot and Shannon Jackson to third.

“This one has eluded me for so long,� Jean said. “I tell you, we’ve raced at a bunch of tracks, had the car that should’ve won the Derby last year — we were there. So many times we were there. This was the last track in the southeast we hadn’t won at.�

He assumed the lead from Darin Matthews, who led from the opening lap, on Lap 18 with a nifty move in Turn 1 and pulled away from Thompson and Winslow.

Winslow, the points leader coming into Friday, battled Thompson for second the rest of the way, but never could put his nose under Thompson’s bumper to successfully pass.

Polesitter Mike Moore fell back as he had car troubles early and often before bringing the No. 55 to the pits before the halfway point.

Super Stock results—1. Paul Jean; 2. Bubba Winslow; 3. Shannon Jackson; 4. John Shuffler; 5. Darin Matthews; 6. Eddie Hamrac; 7. Joe Mahuron; 8. Brandon Harris; 9. Mike Moore; DQ. Randy Thompson

 

Sportsman

Steve Buttrick looked up, saw Stevie Mercer in the rearview and knew it was time to go.

The defending track champ left Mercer grasping for air and raced to his 14th victory over the last two seasons at Five Flags Speedway.

Mercer had a look to pass Buttrick on Lap 11, but the No. 33 pinched the No. 51 in Turn 1.

A lap later, Mercer had another great look only to be pinched again by Buttrick.

“Stevie was coming on strong, and he was letting me know he was there,� Buttrick said. “I knew I had to give it all I had. The car was good.�

Mercer finished second and Tina Davidson moved to third after series points leader Brannon Fowler was disqualified.

Sportsmen results—1. Steve Buttrick; 2. Stevie Mercer; 3. Tina Davidson; 4. Jim Pokrant; 5. Wayne Burkett; 6. Jimmy Goodwin; 7. Marty White; 8. Thomas Faddis; 9. Chris Neilsen; 10. Mark Montgomery; DQ. Brannon Fowler

 

Bombers

They beat. They bang. They are the Bombers.

It took nearly a dozen cautions, but when the debris settled series points leader Curtis Faircloth stayed perfect with his third win in three features this season.

“That was one of the roughest races we’ve raced yet,� said Faircloth, who won the 20-lap event. “Tally Warrick ran a terrific race, and ran me clean.�

Warrick led for a portion of the race and finished second but was disqualified in technical inspection. Warrick’s misfortune pushed Robert Balkam to second and Kenny Bullard to third.

Balkam, who sat on the pole, had a roller-coaster evening before winning a tremendous battle for third on the last lap.

Truth be told, the entire night was a roller coaster for the Bombers. The “Crunch Bunch,� as they’ve been affectionately dubbed lived up to the nickname as some hard racing led to five cautions in the first half of the race.

Brandon Burks took the brunt of it, being collected in back-to-back yellows as the 15-car field tried to reach 10 completed laps.

He cut a tire battling Faircloth for second in Turn 4. As they went green again, Burks got collected when William Davis was bumped by Kenny Bullard on the restart.

After they finally crossed the halfway point, Warrick tried to shove his way past Faircloth, but never could get under the man who has been unbeatable so far this season.

Bombers results—1. Curtis Faircloth; 2. Robert Balkum; 3. Kenny Bullard; 4. Leonard Craig Jr.; 5. James L. Beal III; 6. Courtney Rodrigues; 7. Tracy Soles; 8. Gary Goodwin; 9. Tony Boyd; 10. Thom “Doc� Crosslin; 11. Brian Lane; 12. Brandon Burks; 13. William C. Davis; 14. Johnny Greene Jr.; DQ. Tally Warrick

 

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