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Winslow, Thompson Eye Battle to Finish Line for Super Stocks Track Championship Again

By Chuck Corder

Whoever said variety is the spice of life never drove a racecar.

Every driver wishes he could take a trip to Victory Lane when the dust settles each week.

It’s no different for the Super Stocks division at Five Flags Speedway.

The class has seen two winners in four races this year. Bubba Winslow 3, Randy Thompson 1.

The pair has been the class of the field two seasons strong now.

And like last year’s season finale, the track championship will be on the line Friday night at America’s Favorite Home Track.

And like last year’s season finale, Winslow leads Thompson by 22 points.

And like last year, Thompson hopes he can once again pull a rabbit out of his hat and ride into the night with his sixth track crown at Pensacola’s high banks.

“I know it might be difficult to win the championship, but anything can happen just like last year proved,� the 34 year old said. “As long we have everything together, our plan is to go out there and sit on the pole and win the race. That’s all we can do to get another championship.�

The Super Stocks aren’t the only ones vying for a title Friday. The Super Late Models have their Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series hardware up for grabs.

Admission is as follows: $15 adults; $12 seniors, military, students; $5 children 6-11; free for kids under 6.

The Beef “O� Brady’s Sportsman and Butler U-Pull-It Bombers take their penultimate ride also Friday before its Night of Champions on Sept. 28, a special Saturday evening under the lights.
Winslow and Thompson, who also drive Sportsman, have more pressing issues.

Winslow has had the dominant ride all season. He had a four-feature sweep just outside his windshield until Thompson wrecked those plans earlier this month with his inaugural win of 2013.

The victory drew Thompson three points closer to Winslow in the season standings.

Winslow will carry the same, precarious 22-point lead he held going into final night last year. It goes without saying he’s hoping for a different result this time around.

“Every race is as important as the next,� the 23 year old said. “You can’t expect to have a real big lead with only five races. You have to treat each one with the same intensity as the last.�

One thing will certainly be different this Friday compared to last year’s finale, though. Winslow will be in the same No. 86 he has driven all season.

Last year, Winslow was forced to drive a car that wasn’t his typical ride.

The unfamiliar surroundings spelled doom, as Winslow blew up early and Thompson’s eventual runner-up finish was good enough to overtake the track championship.

With a new team and a fresh start in 2013, Winslow feels more home than ever before.

“I can’t say enough of Trawick Motorsports, and Mike Trawick, for given me the opportunity to drive for those guys,� he said. “We fit hand-in-hand. They’re a close-knit group that enjoys hanging out more than winning sometimes.

“We’ve been lucky to have the success we’ve had this season. And, I’ve been fortunate enough to be with this caliber of car and team.�
Thompson hopes he can do the incomprehensible again Friday and find a way to hoist the hardware at the famed half-mile, asphalt oval.

He’d love to be able to celebrate the title with newborn son, Grady, and seven-year-old Jacob track championship No. 6 in seven years.

"It takes a lotta work, a lotta long nights working on racecars,� Thompson said of his impressive streak before adding, “... and a lotta money.�
Because all those trips to Victory Lane, no matter how often drivers enjoy taking them, don’t come cheap.

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