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Six Drivers Prepare to Beat, Bang for Lone Derby Provisional at Blizzard Series Season Finale

By Chuck Corder

Steering wheels might need an extra layer of padding come Friday at Five Flags Speedway.

There promises to be a slew of white knuckles when the Super Late Models in the Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series return this week for their season finale.

A lone Snowball Derby provisional spot will be up for grabs at the Buddy’s Home Furnishings 125 for eligible drivers that finish in the top 10 in the season’s points standings.

The highest-ranked of those 10 drivers that fails to qualify the first week in December for the 46th running of short-track racing’s preeminent event will earn that coveted place in the Derby field.

Going into Friday night, 38 points separate eighth- through 13th–place in the current standings. For those six in limbo, devising a successful strategy that will help them either maintain their position or crack the top 10 has taken on significant importance.

“If I have to depend on a provisional, I hope one is available,� said 55-year-old Scott Carlson, who currently is inside the top 10 in ninth. “It’s better than being 11th, I guess. I’m not planning on relying on a provisional. If I do, though, I hope it’s there for me.�

For drivers such as points leader Daniel Hemric, there figures to be few bumps in the famed half-mile, asphalt oval Friday night.

With a respectable finish (seemingly anywhere in the top-six), Hemric will likely wrap up the Blizzard Series track championship in his first full season of racing at Pensacola’s high banks.

“Locking in a guaranteed spot is one of the biggest reasons in choosing to run the (Blizzard) series this year,� said Hemric, who owns a win and a pair of fourths in three Blizzard events in 2013. “There’s so much preparation that goes into qualifying for the Derby. It’s unreal. This allows you to focus on the race and (it) takes some of the pressure off of you.�

The SLMs won’t be the only ones feeling pressure when the gates open at 5 p.m. Friday. The Super Stocks will crown its track champion, as well, while the Beef “O� Brady’s Sportsmen and Butler U-Pull-It Bombers draw closer to their season title runs.

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

Donnie Wilson is one of those drives on the outside looking. The 42-year-old Oklahoman currently sits 12th, but trails Kyle Benjamin and Hunter Robbins, tied for 10th, by just 16 points.

The runner-up to hometown girl Johanna Long at the 44th annual Derby running, Wilson hasn’t been able to rekindle that same magic from 2010.

“I can’t explain it,� he said. “The biggest thing is we have to run better. I don’t wanna race on a provisional anyway. We need to figure it out. I’ll be coming down Thursday morning to test because we’ve put a lotta effort in to run better.�

Wilson, unlike some of his rivals, has some cushion to break his fall. Sitting eighth in the Southern Super Series standings, Wilson has another resource to earn his way into the Derby.

The Buddy’s Home Furnishings Blizzard Series runs in conjunction with Southern Super Series, a SLMs’ touring series in its first year that graces the southeast’s most-decorated short tracks.

Carlson is a stark contrast to Wilson, Hemric and the other SSS regulars.

The owner of Fast Eddies Fun Center, Carlson stays local and only competes in Pensacola. The whole discussion of earning a provisional has weighed heavy on his mind and provided plenty of anxiety.

“You’ve gotta be pretty consistent in those four races to stay in the top 10,� Carlson said. “There are some teams that will be here that normally wouldn’t run the Blizzard series. But with it being the last race before the Derby, they’ll all be here to get a tune-up.

“Unfortunately, you can only race what shows up out there.�
After a rough beginning to start the season in May, in which a wreck ruined his night, Carlson bounced back with 10th- and 11th-place finishes.

He’s hoping his comeback trail guides him closer to the podium once Friday rolls around.

“We’ve raced hard for everything we’ve got,� Carlson said. “I was hoping for better results, but I guess it could be a lot worse. We’re trying to get it better. All I can hope for right now is to make it with a provisional.�

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