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Renewed Focus has 56-Year-Old Rogers Discovering Fountain of Youth at Five Flags

By Chuck Corder

David Rogers started short-track racing nearly 40 years ago.

As the green flag dropped on his career, the Central Florida native’s first goal was to compete at the prestigious Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla.

Rogers’ crew didn’t mince words at the time with their green, teenage driver.

“You don’t have any business going up there,� they told him. “If you can’t win down (in Central Florida), you won’t make the race up there.�

My, how far Rogers has come.

The 56 year old enters Friday’s Miller Lite 100, the regular season finale for the Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series, fourth in the standings with 169 points. The next time the Super Late Models race at Five Flags it will be the 44th annual Snowball Derby.

All that separates Rogers from the top are points leader Augie Grill (244), Grant Enfinger (232) and Bubba Pollard (212) — a virtual who’s who of the best late model drivers in the nation.

Rogers loves beating and banging with the best of the best.

“I think that we can run with those guys on any given night,� he said. “I’ve really felt like I’m bringing a knife to gunfight when I come to Pensacola because the rules are little different than what I’m used to at New Smyrna.

“I’m pleased we’ve put a solid bunch of races together. There’s no reason, David Rogers shouldn’t win a race at Pensacola once in a while.�

Rogers will try to end his drought Friday as Grill and Enfinger likely battle it out for track title bragging rights.

Another season championship on the line Friday comes in the Super Stocks where Bubba Winslow will try to make his lead hold up over Darin Matthews.

The Sportsmen and Bombers also continue their respective seasons when the famed half-mile, asphalt oval opens its gates at 5 p.m. Friday.

Grandstands admission is as follows: $15 Adults; $14 Seniors/Military; $12 Students; $5 Child (6-11); Under 6 is Free. The pits open at 1 p.m. with passes costing $25.

Rogers has been a popular Derby figure since he began competing in America’s premier short-track race in 1974.

He boasts a few top 10 finishes, but has experienced more hardships than he’d care to remember. At last year’s edition, just to name one example, Rogers broke an axle during a heat race and missed the main event for the first time in many years.

“I like racing for that whole bunch at Five Flags,� said Rogers, who won a NASCAR Racing Series National Championship in 1994 after sporting a unblemished record of 22 wins in 22 races at Volusia Speedway.

“(Five Flags treats) you like they want you to be there, which is something folks have gotten away from down here. They make it worth that seven-hour drive. To be honest with you, though, I’ve had the most horrendous luck when it comes to Pensacola.�

Most of that has changed this year thanks to a couple of major tweaks to his No. 11’s program.

For one, he has benefitted from having an extra car. In previous years, Rogers raced Friday in Pensacola only to turn right around and battle the next night in the same car back home in New Smyrna.

Now, he has a chassis strictly with a Pensacola setup.

The other major difference comes under the hood. Rogers now boasts a motor strong and capable enough to keep him running with the Grills, Enfingers, Pollards and Chase Elliotts of the Blizzard world.

“We’ve kinda just paying more attention to Pensacola,� he said. “We were handicapping ourselves before trying to run the same way up there as we do down here (at New Smyrna).

“And they’re not even close to being the same track. Now we have a good base line for Pensacola.�

And that’s why Rogers feels more confident than ever with the Derby just around Turn 4.

His high hopes of hoisting the Derby’s Tom Dawson Trophy have never diminished.

Forty years after he first pictured it, David Rogers is steering his dreams into reality and proving he has plenty of business battling at Five Flags.

 

Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series Top 5 — 1. Augie Grill 244, 2. Grant Enfinger 232, 3. Bubba Pollard 212, 4. David Rogers 169, 5. Donnie Wilson 150

 

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