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Davis, Odom Earn Thrilling Wins in Allen Turner PLM Split Features; Buttrick Looks Fine for Win No. 9

By Chuck Corder

A trip to Victory Lane at Five Flags Speedway had eluded Steven Davis for a long time.

Maybe it was fitting, then, that his win Friday came in dramatic fashion.

The veteran from Mobile was clutching the win when on the final lap near disaster struck.

Coming out of Turn 4, Davis’ back tires got loose and he crossed the finish line sideways before smacking the inside wall.

If runner-up R.S. Senter had been any closer to Davis’ bumper on going into the turn, it’s no stretch to think the Oakwood, Ga., would have carved a win in his first appearance at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.

“I don’t know why I lost it or what happened,� said a befuddled Davis, whose No. 42 had to be dragged in on the tow truck. “I was driving it the same way I drove every other lap. It went to spinning and I lost it.�

He won it and then he crashed it.

The fireworks capped an improbable story for Davis, who hasn’t raced all year because of his offshore job on an oil rig.

Davis worked the typical two weeks on, two weeks off schedule.

He was thankful he made time for Friday.

“We worked pretty hard on it,� said Davis, the 2006 PLM champion in Pensacola. “I don’t know if we were the fastest, but we were able to start up front and make some moves.�

Davis took the lead from David Jones on Lap 4 and held off charges from Senter and 13-year-old Garrett Jones, who ran second until a late restart.

Jones brought it home in third, which was exactly where he finished in the opening 20 lapper Friday night.

That feature was won by Brandon Odom, who had an impressive streak going before finishing fourth in Friday’s finale.

Odom swept the two features the last time the PLMs raced at Five Flags and then went out and posted the fast time (16.675 seconds) in qualifying to earn the opening pole Friday.

He stretched his hot streak with another dominating performance in the 20 lapper. He was followed by Bryce Dulabhan, 17, and Garrett Jones.

“That’s a good way to start off in the 20 lapper,� Dulabhan said. “The car’s running good. Hopefully we can keep capitalizing on this.�

Unfortunately, the Fairhope (Ala.) High senior struggled in the 30 lapper and could only manage a sixth.

While Garrett Jones had his heartbreak of another potential win slipping through his grasp, the third helped him extend his points lead over Dulabhan.

“So far it’s been a good night,� Garrett Jones said after the first feature. “The clutch was going out and we couldn’t get back to the gas.�

It took us three green flags to get the opener underway. Davis missed a shift on the first green and couldn’t get up to speed.

After they lined up double file again, a second caution came out without a lap being completed when Milton’s Madison Schneider spun at the start-finish line and ended up facing the wrong way.

Third time was the charm and once the 15-car field got started, they put on a show.

 

Pro Trucks

Steve “Chopper� Stagner might think about changing residences.

He calls Mobile International Speedway his home track, but the way he steers his No. 38 Pro Truck at Five Flags, perhaps a move is in order.

Stagner made it four-for-four in 25-lap Pro Truck features this year in Pensacola, pulling away late from heat race winner Jay Jay Day.

“We’ve been working on this thing every night this week,� Stanger said. “Jay Jay was way faster than us. We just kept working, working and working. Man, it came back to us here again (in Victory Lane). To be right here, it shows.�

Stagner pulled away from Day with eight complete. Chris Brownlee held a marginal lead over Hollywood Hodivsky for third before Hodivsky began sliding all over the track.

He fishtailed down the front, seemingly destined to put into one of the walls before saving it.

“We were fast,� Day said. “We just keep getting the right rear too hot. We were closer this week, though. I’m very happy. We’re still not fast enough, but we’re getting there.�

 

Sportsman

The front. The back.

It doesn’t matter to Steve Buttrick. He’ll break your spirit in any fashion imaginable.

The three-time defending Sportsman Snowball Derby champion chose to leave his starting spot of fourth Friday, opting instead for the tail end of the 11-car field to add some spice to the 25-lap feature.

It mattered little, as Buttrick won for an eye-popping ninth time this year and has a nearly insurmountable points lead with just a few races left.

“That was a lot more fun,� said Buttrick, who took the lead from Brannon Fowler on Lap 18. “When you can race guys and you can pass ’em and drive around ’em that makes it a lot more enjoyable to me.�

Fowler finished second and Johnny Greene Jr. rounded out the podium.

Buttrick passed two cars on the opening turn and blew by six at the end of first lap. He was flying and climbed to second by Lap 6.

With Fowler leading, Buttrick needed to make up 10 car lengths with 16 laps left.

It was another near nightmare for Fowler on Lap 13, as lapped car Gary Goodwin nearly pinched him against the outside wall. He held onto the lead at the time, but checking up allowed Buttrick to catch up to Fowler’s bumper

Buttrick seized the opportunity for the lead when Fowler made a rare mistake between turn Nos. 1 and 2 on Lap 18.

 

Bombers

Michael Nelson was sucking air in Victory Lane.

One wonders why. He enjoyed one of the easiest wins of his young career with a dominant wire-to-wire performance in the 20-lap Butler U-Pull-It Bombers feature Friday.

Hunter Ward, fresh off a win earlier this month, finished second and David Johnson rallied for third.

“Man, the car was hooked up tonight,� said Nelson, who hoisted his third checkered of the season. “It’s amazing what a few changes can do to make these cars handle.

“This is the best win all year. I don’t know why; it justt feels great.�

Ryan Worsham, second in points coming into Friday, failed to make the feature after the 13 year old crashed during practice.

The top four of Nelson, Johnson, Ward and Robert Balkum put on a show early on as the foursome fought tooth and nail to take control of the race.

As Nelson separated himself, Ward and Balkum engaged in a battle for second.

Nelson got to watch it all in his rearview mirror and enjoyed his Sunday drive to the win.

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