From Pensacola to Pocono, Byron Ready For Busy Weekend of Racing

Before William Byron pilots the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Pocono Raceway this weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series, he’s taking a detour to Pensacola, Florida to compete in Friday night’s ASA Southern Super Series event at Five Flags Speedway.

Friday’s race is part of the PepperJack Kennels Twin 100s at Five Flags, the second and third rounds of the track’s Deep South Crane Blizzard Series championship for Super Late Models. The Blizzard Series races serve as a build-up to the Snowball Derby every December, which means Friday’s race is a valuable opportunity for Byron to get on track at the Florida half-mile.

“I’m looking forward to Pensacola this weekend,” said Byron. “We just decided to run that race because Pensacola, being the Snowball Derby at the end of the year, we’re trying to get some extra reps for that race.”

Byron has also enjoyed taking part in more Super Late Model races over the past two years. Friday’s race joins a summer schedule that already included competing with the ASA STARS National Tour at both North Wilkesboro Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway, making the trip north to Wisconsin’s Slinger Speedway for the Slinger Nationals, and an upcoming trip to Berlin Raceway.

“I’m just trying to race as much as I can in the summertime. It gets to be a tough schedule, but it’s nice to get more laps and try to get around the country to race at different places.”

Competing at Five Flags will make for a busy weekend for Byron, but not an impossible one. On-track activity for the Cup Series begins Saturday at Pocono with practice and qualifying, which means Byron can focus entirely on his Super Late Model Friday before going to Pennsylvania.

“Certainly, the challenge going back and forth between Pocono will be tough. Fortunately, we get to race at Pensacola Friday, and then practice isn’t until Saturday at Pocono. We’ve got a good schedule that works out.”

There wouldn’t seem to be many similarities between Five Flags and the 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle” of Pocono. However, Byron believes the two tracks complement each other well for the weekend.

“Honestly, the two tracks have some similarities. Both are really flat, and both are really fast-paced. Hopefully, the laps will be good and we can have a great weekend.”

While Byron will not be part of Saturday's racing at Five Flags Speedway, the PepperJack Kennels Twin 100s weekend will be a big one for Super Late Model teams. Each night will pay $10,000 to win, and the driver with the best average finish across the two nights of racing will win an unprecedented prize package towards the 56th Annual Snowball Derby presented by Hooters.

Currently, 26 teams are entered for the PepperJack Kennels Twin 100s. Those unable to attend the race will be able to watch live with a subscription to RacingAmerica.TV.

-Photo credit: Will Bellamy/Racing America