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Santos wins Winged Sprint 30 on his birthday,

Santos Hammers Must See Racing Winged Sprints Field at 5 Flags

By Chuck Corder
5flagsspeedway.com reporter
Bobby Santos III had a simple wish on his 40th birthday Friday night at Five Flags Speedway.
“All I wanted to do was win tonight,” Santos said.
The birthday boy blew those candles out early in an otherworldly performance inside a 410-winged pavement sprint car. Santos bludgeon the Must See Racing Series field en route to leading all 30 laps of the feature.
The Massachusetts wheelman sealed the dominant performance with a 9-second victory against teenager Colton Bettis, who finished runner-up. Canadian Aaron Willison came home third.
“This team has given me all the resources to have fast racecars,” Santos said. “It’s tough because there are so many good cars. The level of competition is getting greater and greater.”
Santos was the class of a deep field Friday. He was fastest in qualifying and the only driver to crack the 13-second mark with a lap of 13.906 seconds—equating to an average speed of 129.441 miles per hour.
Brian Gerster’s 11-year-old mark of 13.046 is safe for another year.
After the redraw, Santos started second. He didn’t waste a second of time once the opening green flag dropped. Santos nearly blew the wings off polesitter Dylan Reynolds as the field thundered into Turn No. 1.
Santos got by Reynolds on the high side and disappeared from his closest competitors. He navigated lapped traffic effortlessly and often had full straightaway, at times even half-a-track, leads.
Amazingly, the only two cars Santos didn’t pass Friday night were his fellow podium finishers, Bettis and Willison.
“The redraw is where I missed (Santos),” the 16-year-old Bettis joked. “He had a rocket ship. He does this for a living. I just gotta get a better starting spot.
“But for our first night in a 410, I’m just lucky to be standing here.”

Story and Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks

Adam Salter had some unfinished business at Five Flags Speedway.
Sure, he took home the track championship during last Saturday’s Night of Champions No. 2.
But finishing runner-up left the celebration a little muted.
Salter made up for it Friday night in a Story and Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks exhibition feature. He started fifth, took the lead before the midway point and held off his brother Chris Salter in the second half of the 25-lap race.
“We work on this thing Monday through Sunday,” Adam Salter said. “That was a lotta fun. I’m happy I get to race against my brother. We came here wanting to finish 1-2.”
The Salter Brothers checked that goal off the list with Zachary Abdelwahed rounding out the podium. Abdelwahed had the best performance of his young Five Flags career. The Pensacola driver had yet to crack the top-10 before Friday. He led the opening laps until Adam Salter ducked inside on Lap 8.
“I’m trying the hardest I can to stick with the Salters,” Abdelwahed said.
With Adam Salter out front, that left Abdelwahed in the middle of a Salter sandwich before Chris Salter got by him for second on Lap 13.
Chris, the elder Salter brother at 35 years old, had a few looks to get under the 29-year-old Adam down the stretch but couldn’t pass him.
“I wanted to move him really badly,” Chris Salter joked. “I was close.”

Allison Legacy Series

Justin Reeves made sure his trip across the bay was worth it.
The Mobile driver snagged his first career win at Five Flags Speedway with a 20-lap feature victory in the Samson Performance and Restoration Legacy Series (Allison Legacy Series).
Reeves assumed the lead early and kept Texan Brian Benedict at bay for the final four laps to record a memorable trip to Victory Lane.
“The team worked their tails off on this thing,” Reeves said. “We’ve had a bunch of (mechanical issues).”
Benedict’s valiant push netted him runner-up honors and Calvin Johnston finished third.
“I’m proud and thankful for everybody that helped us,” Benedict said. “It was tight. All these guys drove a heckuva race. I love this track.”

Legacy 20
1 37 Justin Reaves, Mobile, AL
2 26 Calvin Johnston, Adkins, TX
3 72 Brandon Wilson, Theodore, AL
4 48 Mike Knotts, Universal City, TX
5 2 David Clark, Grand Bay, AL
6 1 Brian Benedict. Cypress, TX
7 3 Deliah May, San Antonio, TX

Story and Bleich Roofing Crown Stock 25
1 6 Adam Salter, Andalusia, AL
2 8 Chris Salter, Andalusia, AL
3 13 Zach Abdelwahed, Pensacola, FL
4 17 Ryan Bleich, Sr. Pensacola, FL
5 92 Taylor Ortiz Pensacola, FL
6 5 Brian Muscgrove, Andalusia, AL
7 75 Colton Rutherford, Cantonment, FL
8 12 Dee Davis, Walnut Hill, AL
9 1776 Steve Sidner, Pensacola, FL
10 7 Josh Douglas, Cantonment, FL
11 97 Hunter Lambert, Pensacola, FL
12 64 Breadon Thompson, Crestview, FL
13 19 Garrison Story, Pensacola, FL
14 62 Doug Thorpe, Jr. Pensacola, FL

Must See Wing Sprint 30
1 22 Bobby Santos III, Franklin, MA
2 61 Colton Bettis, Lutz, FL
3 36 Aaron Willison, Langely, BC, Canada
4 5 Joe Liguori, Lebanon, IN
5 10 Kevin Mingus, Medina, OH
6 9 Dodge Carlbert, Palmetto, FL
7 77 Johnny Gilbertson, Tampa, FL
8 55 Tommy Nichols, Tampa, FL
9 7 Bobby Komisarski, Dayton, OH
10 21 Butch David, Geismar, LA
11 81 Stephen Hollinger, Melbourne, FL
12 121 Todd Bliss, Baton Rouge, LA
13 18 Shane Butler, Bushnell, FL
14 68 Mickey Kempgens, Tampa, FL
15 24 Dylan Reynolds, Leesburg, FL
16 32 Joey Schmidt, Banch, AK
17 86 JJ Dutton, Leesburg, FL
18 1 Daniel Miller, Ocklawaha, FL
19 67 Scotty Adema, Ft. Myers, FL
d ns 20 Alby Ovitt, St. Johnsbury, VT
d ns 14 Davey Hamilton Jr., Boise, ID

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