Southern Super Series Returns to Five Flags with a New, Familiar Face on Top of Standings

By Chuck Corder

A lot has changed to the Southern Super Series landscape in the last 28 days.

Since the last time the SSS competed at Five Flags Speedway in the SERF 125 – the second of four Deep South Crane Rentals Blizzard Series races this year – there race for the points title has been turned on its head.

A shakeup occurred earlier this month at Montgomery Motor Speedway and the Rumble by the River 125. Defending series champion Casey Roderick took a two-point lead against Giovanni Bromante atop the standings on the heels of three straight top-four finishes.

Roderick looks for his first SSS victory of the season on Friday night at Five Flags Speedway when the best Super Late Models in the country return for the SSS Mid Summer Sizzler. A blockbuster field will compete in pre-race heats to set the field for the 75-lap feature instead of qualifying.

The SLMs will be joined by the WCIparts.com Pro Trucks, The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen, and Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks when the gates open at 5 p.m. Friday. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, military, and students; and free for children ages 11-and-under.

After struggling through the first third of the 10-race season, Roderick has rebounded with a pair of runners-up and a fourth in his last three events.

The 15-year-old Bromante had led the points race since he opened the season with back-to-back wins. But in his last four, he hasn’t finished better than sixth and saw his slim advantage topple at Montgomery with a 14th-place finish.

Pensacola veteran driver Jeremy Pate continues to add pages to a storybook season and sits third in points. Pate has been the most consistent driver through the first half of the SSS season, finishing outside the top-10 just once — surprisingly, a 14th last month at Five Flags.

South Florida driver Anthony Sergi, 24, has also proven he can run with the bigger teams with four top-nine finishes. He occupies fourth in the standings currently and his best result this season was a third last month at Pensacola’s high banks.

Teenager Connor Okrzesik rounds out the top five, 30 points behind Roderick despite having an up-and-down season. Okrzesik  has experienced some lows of 23rd- and 30th-place finishes, but also seems to be trending upward with two top-fives in his last two races, including a runner-up at Montgomery.