Modifieds of Mayhem Ready to Take The Stage on Big Weekend at Five Flags

Stan Narrison knows his audience. And his drivers.

The 63-year-old Montgomery Motor Speedway promoter and jack of all trades took a call and a chance nine years ago despite his owner’s uncertainty. Narrison’s decision to schedule the Modifieds of Mayhem proved a rousing success and set the (open) wheels in motion for one of the most popular short-track divisions in the southeast.

“It all came from a telephone call from a Modifieds driver in Huntsville,” he said. “I loved the cars, but my owner wasn’t so sure. That first race 23 Modifieds rolled in and my owner’s jaw dropped.”

The Mods return to Five Flags Speedway on Saturday night for a 50-lap feature as part of the PepperJack Kennels Twin 100s weekend. The Super Late Models in the Deep South Cranes Blizzard Series will race both Friday and Saturday nights. The Faith Chapel Outlaws (30 laps) and the Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks (20) join the SLMs on Friday. The Modifieds will share Saturday’s marquee with the SLM’s second 100-lapper of the weekend, along with the Story & Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks (20). Racing gets underway at 8 p.m. both nights.

Admission each night is $20 for adults; $17 for seniors, military and students; $5 for children ages 6 to 11; and free for kids 5-and-under. A two-day general admission ticket is $30.

The SLM driver with the best average finish across the two nights will secure a prize package for the 56th annual Snowball Derby presented by Hooters in December. A free registration for the Derby, eight free pit passes for Derby week, four sets of race tires, up to 25 gallons of fuel for the race and eight all-inclusive VIP PepperJack Kennel Club credentials are all up for grabs.

The Mods also have several thousand reasons come Saturday, as one driver could leave Pensacola with a cool $3,250.

“It’s the biggest payday I’ve had yet,” Narrison said. “It’s a neat deal. It’s gonna give some guys incentive to buckle down and make this their event.”

Top prize is $2,000. The extra $1,250 reflects a bounty to knock off reigning Mods Derby champion Cody Stickler. Stickler, who has controlled the first half of the Modifieds season, must finish the 50-lapper for the bounty to be collected.

“He has been strong for a couple years,” Narrison said of Stickler. “I won’t say he’s unbeatable, but let me tell you, his team works really hard. They’re always thinking about ways to make the car faster.

“He’s not gonna give you anything out there. He keeps the fenders clean. I expect a great race this weekend with the potential for someone to go home with a bonus.”

This is the Mods second race at Five Flags this season while also competing at their home track in Montgomery, as well as Nashville and Cordele, Ga. Their season wraps up with a championship race on the Friday of Derby week.

“One thing Tim (Bryant) did for us this year was schedule us to race on Saturdays,” Narrison said. “That’s huge for my guys, who are blue-collar workers. Friday shows were very tough. This gives us a great car count and puts more eyes on the tour and open-wheel racing.”

It’s easy to see why the Mods continue to be a star attraction at Pensacola’s high banks and other short tracks.

“There’s some danger involved with open-wheel racing,” Narrison said. “The bottom line is they’re running out there at (more than) 100 mph. They’re wheel-to-wheel, but respectful racing. They’re beasts. When they roll out, you can feel them in your chest.

“Fans wanna see cars a little outta control, but also drivers that know how to save tires. That’s the key.”

-Story by: Chuck Corder/Five Flags Speedway
-Photo credit: Will Bellamy/Racing America