PENSACOLA, FL :: The Southern Super Series returns this weekend for a doubleheader at its two most familiar venues, Pensacola Five Flags Speedway and Mobile International Speedway for rounds three and four of the popular Super Late Model tour.
The format is one of the most challenging in short track racing with the roster competing in a standard 125-lap event on Friday at Pensacola and immediately moving 60 miles across Mobile Bay for another 125-lap feature at Mobile.
Currently eighth in the Southern Super Series standings, former full-time ARCA driver Justin South says he expects this weekend to be one of the most difficult of his career.
“The doubleheaders are the most grueling thing that we do,” South said. “A single race at either Mobile or Pensacola is tough enough and we stack them on top of each other. It’s intense. You have to to be so careful on Friday to make sure you don’t lose your car before Saturday.
“But you have to go for it too because every race matters. But those are the kind of challenges that make this place where I wanted to race this season.”
Out of the 16 events on the second-year Southern Super Series schedule, doubleheaders at the two Gulf Coast tracks make up half of them, four stops each during the course of the summer. As a result, success in the championship runs parallel to success at the two Deep South venues, something that Hunter Robbins knows especially well.
“Most of the time teams only have one car so making it through Friday night is essential to be able to run the following day at Mobile — and if you don’t run both races, you’re not running for the championship,” Robbins said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Several expected championship contenders need to survive both races this weekend, notably Bubba Pollard who is ninth in the standings despite more wins at both tracks than anyone else entered into the field.
Anderson Bowen enters the twin races as the SSS championship leader by 11 points over Kyle Grissom. Season-opening Rattler 150 race winner Casey Roderick is third, followed by Casey Smith and Augie Grill.
Johanna Long, John Hunter Nemechek and Nashville race winner Donnie Wilson are also included on the entry list for at least Pensacola. Race 22 reporter Matt Weaver will be on-site all weekend and will be posting updates to his Twitter account, @MattWeaverSBN.
