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Fast Fayard at 5 Flags

Chuck Corder

Todd Fayard has several vivid childhood memories that revolved around racing.

He can recite almost lap-for-lap detail on old World of Outlaws Sprint Car series cable episode. He specifically recalls hopping in the back of the truck with his father, Fred Fayard, and motoring to see the super modifieds race.

“They were fast; I remember that,� Todd Fayard said. “I always wanted to do it.�

At 39, Fayard is getting to live out one of his boyhood dreams, piloting a pair of winged sprint cars. The Saucier, Miss., will be at Five Flags Speedway on Friday, along with close to 30 of his friends when the Tampa Bay Area Racing Association winged pavement sprint cars make their triumphant return to Pensacola.

In non-winged racing, Sportsmen, Bombers also will battle along with a special Black Flag Race for the Super Stocks when the gates open at 5 p.m. Friday. Grandstands admission is $15 Adults; $14 Seniors/Military; $12 Students; $5 Child (6-11); Under 6 is Free. The pits open at 1 p.m. Friday and passes are $25.

This will be Fayard’s first chance to compete in a pavement feature this season. He currently leads the points race for the Cajun Sprinters, which race on dirt tracks across the southeast.

“We like the half-mile. We’ll race anywhere,� Fayard said. “Hats off to (the TBARA) guys. It’s hard to make that trip way up here the way the economy is.�

His first trip on a pavement speedway came in 2009 at Five Flags where took his dirt sprint car and put a pavement front axle.

Fayard’s night ended abruptly when he broke a motor in qualifying. Still, the experience did nothing to make him reconsider his pursuit of his aspirations.

“We’ve always been racing family,� said Fayard, who owns Seamless One LLC, a gutters repair business in Saucier. “We finally made enough money to buy a sprint car. That sparked the fire.

“My father got involved three years ago. He loves this pavement racing. We like sprint cars. They’re the fastest things on wheels.�

On the average, the sprints easily pass 100 mph. Fayard said the fastest he has ever run his sprint was the 133 mph he reached last week at MIS. Sprints typically run 2.5 to 3 seconds faster than late models.

Each time Fayard and Co. pull into a truck stop or rest area to stretch their legs, the eyebrows get stretched just as much.

“They think we’re crazy getting in those things,� Fayard said. “ ‘They look dangerous,’ everybody says.

“You try not to make a mistake. Sprint cars are very simple. It’s grassroots racing. Nothing technical.�

Nothing technical, but very fast.

Just like Fayard always remembers them.

 

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