The Deep South Crane 150 at Five Flags Speedway on Saturday night is the final event for the 2015 Southern Super Series season but also the last Super Late Model race at Pensacola prior to Snowball Derby festivities in December.

In short, this race is likely the last real chance to find speed and tune-up on the Gulf Coast prior to the most prestigious event in independent short track racing. As a result, it has attracted a vast entry list of drivers from all over the country, including Zane Smith, Harrison Burton and Johanna Long.

Texas driver Casey Smith will be looking to close out on both a Super Series championship and Pensacola track championship on Saturday night but is also working on a notebook to bring back with him in December.

Smith has been a threat to win the Derby several times over the years but this has been his best season to date — providing him optimism for finding the missing the link over the course of 150 laps in the season finale.

“It gives you a baseline but it’s still warm out here,” Smith said. “We tested two weeks before the Derby last year and were two-tenths faster than the eventual pole time. But we struggled on race week, the track changed, so all we can do is set a loose baseline this weekend.”

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On the other hand, former World Crown 300 and Rattler 250 winner Casey Smith says the track doesn’t change that much, making Saturday night an ideal opportunity to get set for the biggest race of the season.

“I want to be good for (Saturday) night because we always come out with the goal to win,” Roderick said. “And really, doing that will help us prepare for the Derby. The great thing about a track like Pensacola is that it doesn’t really change throughout the year.

“Maybe it’s the temperature or the condition of the pavement but I feel like we’ve got a good handle on it. We were able to turn some practice laps on it during the day and night so I feel like we’re going to leave here with a lot of useable information.”

Garrett Jones will wrap up SSS Rookie of the Year honors on Saturday night and is in the camp that believes ambient temperature will limit the information one can acquire in September. On the other hand, Jones has been really competitive since joining Tracy Goodson Racing over the summer and believes Saturday is all about gaining momentum.

“This race is certainly important as it is the last one at Pensacola before the Derby,” Jones said. “But at the same time, it is 90 degrees out today. This track is tough. I can bet the week of the Snowball, the temps won’t be in the 90’s, so it’ll be a lot different.

“Turning laps here under race conditions and being competitive is always important though. Really our focus this weekend is to just go out there and win this race.”

The Southern Super Series Championship Race is set for Saturday night at Five Flags Speedway. It will be the main event on the card that also features local racing. The entire event will be broadcast for FREE by Speed51.com.

The entry list for the Deep South Crane 150 Southern Super Series race at Five Flags Speedway can be found below.

  • Donnie Wilson
  • Hunter Robbins
  • Casey Smith
  • Zane Smith
  • Tyler Dippel
  • Bret Holmes
  • Bubba Pollard
  • Garrett Jones
  • Harrison Burton
  • Anderson Bowen
  • Preston Peltier
  • Kyle Grissom
  • Scotty Ellis
  • David Rogers
  • John Robicheaux
  • Brandon Carlson
  • Dennis Schoenfeld
  • Tim Martin
  • Kyle Bryant
  • Casey Roderick
  • Logan Boyett
  • Allen Karnes
  • Ronald McDonald