2024 ASA Race #2: Return to Pensacola, Florida
Action shot from last year’s winner - 2023, the ACR #18 of Casey Roderick
March 24th, 2024
Introduction
After a debut/return season for a ‘National’ Touring Series under the ASA banner in 2023 which featured growing pains, but also succeeded in being the highest level touring series in all of Pro/Super Late Model (asphalt/template-bodied) racing, we were ready for round #2. Last year, this race served as the debut race. Taking place at the famous Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, home of the Snowball Derby, there was great cause for excitement. Last year featured intense door-to-door battling between vets like Bubba Pollard and Preston Peltier, Ty Majeski having his hood completely block his view while running top-3, only to battle 3-wide, blind, and maintain track position waiting for a caution, still finishing on the podium after this, and a controversial finish and confrontation that saw Casey Roderick spin Pollard on the final turn. Expectations going into this year were once again high, as they always are at 5 Flags.
The Field
The race featured no shortage of star-power, up-and-comers, and both alike:
Battle of the Titans: Wilson Motorsports vs Anthony Campi Racing
The Donnie Wilson team and the ACR team should be expected to compete for the win at every race they show up in. In this race, representing the Wilson side we had the #28 Cole Butcher, and the #22 Gio Ruggiero, both well adjusted to their current teams, and we had the #26 Casey Roderick, and #51 Stephen Nasse, also both well adjusted to their current teams, with the #24 of Colby Howard being a first time driver for the team. Howard, making a return to late model racing at a young age with little experience to start with in this type of racing, showed tremendous potential in 2019 with Anthony Campi Racing, in a Pro Late Model.
Battle of the other Titans: Majeski vs Pollard
With #91 Ty Majeski who won last year’s ASA STARS National Tour Championship (2023), and won ASA Race #1 this season not participating in an ASA race for the first time in it’s current era, it narrowed the opening for a non-Wilson or ACR prepared car to challenge for the win. This does invite mention of the sheer strength of the #26, though, with #26 Bubba Pollard, Roderick, and #26 Dawson Sutton, a new-comer racing for Willie Allen, who is showing tremendous potential.
The Race
In the first stage, the Wilson Motorsports team would employ a strategy of staying out, whilst just about every other car pitted for right-side tires in the late stages of the first stage. This move gave Butcher the track position to restart first, after slowly climbing his way up into the top-10 before the caution, but he was also able to hold-onto his position, and drive away from early-leader Roderick on the re-start, with Roderick being behind the 3 Donnie Wilson cars who stayed out. While the move paid off for Butcher, it seemed Ruggiero’s fall off was more significant. #2 Kyle Steckly, the teenager out of Ontario in his second ASA start has shown that racing his way into the debut race via the LCQ, and earning a top-10 finish from the rear was no fluke. Steckly, who qualified right around the top-10, maintained a strong top-10 position. Butcher taking off from those who pitted late in the stage begged the question, was Butcher this good, even with older tires, or was he just good enough, that hopping the stage, and still letting the driver with older tires lead would be okay. This mixture of off-set strategies, and question marks is part of what makes a great race.
#14 Connor Okreszik was ready to remind us that just because he’s young, and hasn’t been racing every big race in the Southeast, doesn’t mean he hasn’t beaten Bubba and Kyle Busch in a Super. Okreszik would finish 4th in stage 1. Pollard seemed to be doing Pollard things, looking like one of the best cars, and playing things smart, finishing stage 1 in 5th. And Nasse stood out as very well handling, and perhaps conserving while also inching into the top-5. #2 John Bolen, and #13 Sean Hignorani found themselves towards the 20th position at this stage, and also off of the lead lap before they knew it.
Going into the second stage, it seemed clear that Ruggiero’s adjustments were well suited, as he and team mate Butcher sliced through the field. Sutton, who finished stage 1 in 3rd place, and was coming on strong towards Roderick at the 75 laps completed mark, had an unfortunate mechanical issue remove him from the race early into stage 2. The #32 Caden Kvapil ran into issues at a similar time, after seemingly having made some great adjustments in the pits, and was looking strong.
Bolen, after earning a lap back, proceeded to get himself up towards the top-5 before getting into the rear of a much slower Roderick at the time, in the centre of turns 3/4, bringing out the caution, with just a few laps left in the stage. I suspect the race director may have signalled for the yellow slightly prematurely on this one, but the cautious choice was made, and it was a spin (with recovery at a slower speed) close to oncoming traffic navigating a double-apex turn.
To finish the stage, it seemed Steckly and the #16 Jacob Gomes made contact, and perhaps something broke in the #30 car, as he pulled to the pit to retire early.
Attrition and battles/Stage 3 - by the end of Stage 2, we saw different drivers coming and going, falling off at different points. But in Stage 3, while we saw Butcher & Gio using each other up a bit, and clamping each other down a bit, racing competitively for the lead, we saw some skirmishes between, let’s call them “familiar foes” in Pollard & Nasse, two of the best to do it, who inevitably end up clashing over the years. I once recall Pollard making a comment about Brembo Brakes’, a sponsor Nasse proudly announces, after a Snowball Derby room-of-doom tech shed situation, where it seemed Pollard suggested Nasse deserved his Tom Dawson Trophy.
The Southeast Hydra The US Southeast is the best region in this type of racing, and the 3-headed monster who are showing signs of being ‘lifers’ in this discipline, are Nasse, Roderick, and Pollard. It is no surprise all 3 have had their run-ins, and now, Nasse and Roderick run together under the same ACR banner.
California Star I hope no one forgets how good top-Californian late model drivers can navigate 5 flags speedway. Derek Thorn arguably showed us the most dominant 3-year-streak of anyone ever, there. While not in the race, Gomes was, and he played a very smart race. Slowly getting better all race long, ultimately finishing in 4th place.
By the end, 14 cars would finish on the lead-lap, and 15 cars would finish the race.
Takeaways
The best man won. Butcher, I think secured 94 points, and had the mix of strategy, car, conversation, and driver all day. His closest danger may have been racing hard with his team-mate on a late restart, until he re-assessed, and ducked to the inside, and tried an approach getting under/inside of team mate Gio. Finally, Butcher who seemed very destined to break-through with a win at 5 Flags Speedway, was able to do so in strong fashion tonight.
#54 Matt Craig - who ran a good race, seemed to fight his car on-and-off during the day, after starting on the pole, but ultimately held out for a quiet, and impressive top-5 finish in 5th spot.
#69 Michael Hinde - outlasted some competition, and stayed competitive at the same time, taking home a strong 6th place effort.
Butcher & Bond, Race #3 at Hickory - If Butcher and crew chief Bond Suss, along with everyone else involved are properly keyed in for the Hickory race, it could represent a big problem for the rest of the field, and likely places Butcher as the favourite for the win.
