By Tom Gianinni

(PENSACOLA, FL)  Congratulations to Justin Blackdeer. Blackdeer finished his impressive season last night with a win. It was a two for one in victory lane as the driver celebrated both a race win and his first ASRS Championship win. Coming into the event at Five Flags Speedway, Blackdeer had already clinched the championship. He had a lead of 23 points over Allan Young, a gap that proved to be insurmountable with less than 21 cars (16 in total) starting the event. The championship leader kicked off the night in style when he sat atop the practice sheet and later claimed the pole for the night’s event. Rex Hoyle qualified 2nd followed by AJ McCall, Jim Foose and Tim Knott.

The action started early on lap 2 when contact sent Jim Foose’s #42 Chevy spinning in front of the field collecting Lee Staples. The action would calm down from there as the rest of the race would only see two more cautions for minor incidents. Blackdeer dominated the race leading all but one lap. That lap would be led by Zac Coyer under a caution flag. Blackdeer reassumed the lead when the 31 came down pit road but his dominance on the field was never in question. He coasted to victory from there, his 5th win on the season. Second place in points Allan Young finished second on the night. Tim Knott came in third, Rex Hoyle 4th and Zac Coyer rounded out the top 5. The final points standings saw Justin Blackdeer claim the championship by 29 points over Allan Young. The championship came on the heels of 3 wins and a series leading 5 poles. Allan Young finished the season with two wins and one pole.

Jim Foose stumbled across the finish line in third after matching Justin Blackdeer step-for-step for most of the season. His late season struggles would relegate him to third place in the standings, 59 markers out of first. Tim Knott had a strong season, a season that would include the driver’s first win in ASRS competition. He finished 4th, 62 points out of 4th. Tom Giannini was a model of consistency. The driver of the #33 would not win one race or pole but when the smoke cleared on the season, he would find himself with a top 5 points finish.

We would like to congratulate all competitors on a terrific Super Late Model Season. There was a lot of action, a lot of hard racing, a lot of thrilling wins and a lot of tough luck heartbreaks. Although this season has come to an end, ASRS competition on Wednesday nights will not end. The drivers will exchange their asphalt cars for some mud slingers as the summer dirt series will be in full swing. Make sure to tune in for that, it’s sure to be a wild show!