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Fiery Goodwin Looks for First Outright Win, to Pad Points Lead

By Chuck Corder

Gary Goodwin’s competitive fire is scorching.

You could say it burns hotter than the engine inside his Bombers car.

All drivers want to win. Goodwin’s desire to dominate Friday nights at Five Flags Speedway borderlines on scary.

“I hate being second; I hate it even worse to be third,� the 36 year old said. “I hate to get beat on the track. It irks me.�

Whether he’s catching fish aboard his Jamie G. Charters boat or up on the wheel of his silver No. 23, Goodwin wants to be the best.

Going into the 20-Lap Butler U-Pull-It Bombers feature Friday at Five Flags, he is the best.

Goodwin owns one win, eight other top-five finishes and an eight-point lead. Goodwin knows his slim lead over Brandon Burks is precarious, though, on Double Points Night for both the Butler U-Pull-It Bombers and West Florida Coatings Sportsmen.

“Now that the points championship is within my grasp, I definitely wanna win this,� Goodwin said. “We’re doing everything we can to get the win legitimately.�

The Allen Turner Pro Late Models will have a legit battle on their hands when the Azera 100 gets under way, as will the Modifieds in their 35-Lap feature.

The grandstands open at 5 p.m. Friday with admission as follows: $15 Adults; $14 Seniors/Military; $12 Students; $5 Child (6-11); Under 6 is Free. The pits open at 2 p.m. with passes costing $25.

What makes Goodwin’s run to the top of the points standings so amazing and impressive is this is his first full season to compete at Five Flags.

On the heels of a third-place finish at last year’s Snowball Derby, Goodwin has been steady all season long.

He got his first win May 20 when Brian Lane was disqualified in technical inspection and boasts three runner-up and third-place finishes.

“We’ve always been fast and running up front,� Goodwin said. “They’re might be one or two cars faster than us. You can, literally, be two-tenths (of a second) off the pace and not be running up front.

“Everything you do, even in the Bombers class, really matters a lot.�

Goodwin’s biggest learning curve has been the adjustment to asphalt. A dirt tracker by trade, Goodwin first came to the famed, half-mile asphalt oval last season, but never felt good enough about the car’s handling to race it.

“No way was I going to stay out there and run in the back of the pack,� he said. “We just loaded up and went back to the house. We were there; we just didn’t participate.�

Now, he’s participating in a big way.

And thanks to some timely sponsors, such as FMF Charters, Vessel Management Service and his brother Sean’s business, Goodwin A/C and Heating, Goodwin has been given the resources to level the playing field with his rivals.

Just this week, Emerald Coast Tree bought him four fresh tires to get him ready for Friday night.

Goodwin hopes the new rubber results in a trip to Victory Lane.

His first-career outright win would sure stoke that fire in his belly.

“If I’m not up front, basically, I’m not happy,� Goodwin said. “I expect to win every time I go.

If I’m not up front, it’s time to go home and do something different to the car. My expectations has always been to be up front the whole season.�

 

Butler U-Pull-It Bombers Top 5 — 1. Gary Goodwin, 539, Leader; 2. Brandon Burks, 531, -8; 3. Leonard Craig Jr., 427, -112; 4. Tracy Soles, 424, -115; 5. Robert Balkum, 419, -120

 

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