9/17/2025
Five Flags Speedway
Four Local Divisions Enter Saturday’s Night of Champions Vying for Track Titles
Four Local Divisions Enter Saturday’s Night of Champions Vying for Track Titles
By Chuck Corder
5flagsspeedway.com reporter
Mason Johnston knows while the road is long, the 23-year-old wants to follow in every groove his “Paw Paw” raced.
Okie Mason, Johnston’s 63-year-old grandfather, has been a short-track racing legend for six decades. Among his accomplishments include a pair of championships (Modifieds, Pro Trucks) at Five Flags Speedway in 2014. Mason won a total of six track titles that season.
Johnston, 12 at the time, has since longed for those two purple Hoosier Racing Tire jackets that track champions receive.
“I’ve always wanted those Hoosier jackets to hang up in the closet,” Johnston said.
After a couple of misses the last two years, Johnston has his best shot Saturday night at Five Flags in the Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks season finale.
He carries a 29-point lead against Connor Odom into the Harvesters Credit Union Night of Champions—the first of back-to-back Saturday nights of racing at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.
Johnston and the Pure Stocks will race 25 laps and be joined by three other divisions. The Faith Chapel Outlaws (40), Gulf Real Estate Group Pro Trucks (30) and the Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen (30) will also crown champions.
Instead of placing a bounty on Pro Trucks points leader Steven Davis, who is a perfect 4-for-4 at Five Flags this year, track officials have raised the winner’s purse to $1,200.
Grandstand gates open early Saturday (3 p.m.) with qualifying scheduled for 5:30 and the drop of the green flag slated for 7:30. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, military and students; $5 for children ages 6-11; and free for kids 5-and-under.
Johnston has built his comfortable cushion thanks to a perfect run of features at Pensacola’s high banks. He has won all four races this year. Similar to the Pro Trucks, track officials have doubled the Pure Stocks winner’s purse to $600.
“I haven’t looked at points this year,” Johnston said. “I know I’m in the lead, but I don’t know how far. I try not to look. That’s when I start making mistakes.
“I stay focused on trying to win races. That’s all you can do. When you’re points racing, that can lead to losing it at the end. I’m gonna run my race.”
Johnston speaks from unfortunate experiences. He lost his first shot at a championship to Robert Barber in 2023 because of car issues. Last September, points racing cost him against good buddy Maddox Langham, who overtook Johnston for the title on the final night.
But those heartbreaks led to elation in December when Johnston won the Pure Stocks edition of the Snowball Derby.
“After losing the track championship to Maddox, Paw Paw told me championships will come,” he said. “I think that finally got in my head. Just show up and win races.”
That’s all he’s done in 2025 at Five Flags.
Johnston has been able to follow in many of Paw Paw’s footsteps in his young career. His Derby checkered flag hangs next to Mason’s Derby flag. The pair also have their wrestling championship belts—victories at the Lee Fields Classic at Mobile International Speedway—displayed together.
Johnston hopes to don a purple jacket just like Paw Paw on Saturday night.
Article Credit: Chuck Corder
