3/8/2023
Five Flags Speedway
Leytham-Jackson Duo Looks to Rekindle Sportsmen Magic on Friday at 5 Flags
Leytham-Jackson Duo Looks to Rekindle Sportsmen Magic on Friday at 5 Flags
By Chuck Corder
5flagsspeedway.com reporter
B.J. Leytham, 42, thought his racing days were behind him a few years ago.
But when car owner and setup specialist Darryl Jackson called—asking to put the band back together—Leytham knew he had to listen. The pair enjoyed one of the more legendary runs at Five Flags Speedway in the last decade. In seven years between two divisions, Leytham won four Snowball Derby titles with his last coming in 2019.
B.J. Leytham stepped away from full-time racing after that monumental victory four years ago, focusing on molding son Cameron Leytham’s short-track program.
After a few seasons of scattered racing with Jackson, the Mobile native returns full-time to The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen class Friday night as the 2023 season kicks off at Five Flags.
“We just wanna finish this weekend,” B.J. Leytham said. “There are no expectations. We’re just having fun. Darryl wants one more championship, get another Snowball maybe, but really just see where this season takes us.”
The Sportsmen and the Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks race Friday night at the famed half-mile asphalt oval. The two local series are part of a huge kickoff weekend, highlighted by the much-anticipated return of the ASA STARS National Tour (ASA STARS).
The 10-race schedule will feature superstar Late Model drivers from all across the country, competing for big money prizes at the premier paved short tracks in the United States. A national champion will be crowned in November and a minimum $100,000 championship point fund has been confirmed. The top-10 in the final standings get paid, including $25,000 to the series champion.
Call the track office at 850.944.8400 for advanced ticket prices. Admission at the gate Friday is $15 and $5 for children ages 11-and-under. Racing starts at 8 p.m. Friday.
Admission on Saturday is $35 and $10 for kids. The ASA STARS will qualify at 4 p.m.
Saturday. The Faith Chapel Outlaws will get their season underway with a feature at 5 p.m. and will be followed by an autograph session from 6 to 7 p.m. The ASA STARS field of 36 cars will roll off for their 200-lap feature at approximately 7:30.
Before the hype around Saturday arrives, Leytham hopes the brand-new Jackson car he will wheel sets the tone against an always stout Sportsmen field.
“I think this is the first time ever we’ve had all new equipment,” he said. “We’re looking for a little luck.”
Leytham and Jackson had a little luck, but mostly a whole lot of skill when he was dominating short-tracks along the Gulf Coast. In addition to his three Pure Stocks one Sportsmen Derby crowns, Leytham also won the 2016 Pure Stocks track championship in a season that saw him win an eye-popping 10 times at Five Flags.
There wasn’t a whole lot more to win after the Sportsmen Derby title four years ago. It was the perfect time to step away and assist young Cameron, who looked to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Cameron Leytham has enjoyed his share of success, driving a Pure Stock car for Jackson, as well. He has a handful of wins in a brief career and plenty more podiums. But no moment will top Cameron Leytham’s Derby experience from three months ago when he somehow drove his water-logged ride to a third-place finish.
“It’s a story to tell my kids forever,” Cameron Leytham said.
Leytham was headed to Pensacola for Night 1 of the Derby and the 35-lap feature last December when he realized four-year-old daughter Ava was missing her Elf on the Shelf—a growing Christmas tradition for many families. Being the doting father he is, Leytham turned around to retrieve it for his baby girl.
As he pulled onto a service road around Tillman’s Corner, Ala., with Five Flags an hour away, disaster struck. The Pure Stock car came unstrapped and descended off the trailer. Panicked, Leytham helplessly watched as the car rolled away, plowing over a stretch of fence before it took a plunge in a motel pool. That’s where it sat until police finished writing their report and Leytham pulled it out of the deep end with the help of friends.
“Everything was full of water,” Leytham said. “We pulled the drain plug, and water shot out.”
Water wasn’t the only issue. The rear-end was bent. The case to the fuel cell was smashed completely. Gauges were ruined. Leytham and his crew of buddies had to rebuild the carburetor. They used their time wisely and Leytham made sure all their hard work paid off. Despite everything, he managed to finish third—his best-ever Derby finish.
“It was super sluggish,” Leytham said. “I didn’t have any power at all, especially at the end of straightaways.”
It was a feat that stunned his dear old dad.
“He’s my hero,” B.J. Leytham said. “It’s not supposed to work like that. I didn’t think it was feasible. I could not believe it.
“I’m a planner. If it ain’t ready Wednesday, we don’t bring it. (Cameron) does it on his own.”
While Cameron Leytham sits out these early months to save up money and return to Pure Stocks racing this year, he will be in there Friday night rooting for his father to once again ascend the mountaintop.
“As long as Darryl wants do it, I’m gonna do it,” B.J. Leytham said.
Article Credit: Chuck Corder
Submitted By: Dave Pavlock
