Big O Classic Winner Chase Pinsonneault Ready for Trip to Five Flags on Friday

Coming off a win in the Big O Classic 100 at Owosso Speedway, Chase Pinsonnault has set his sights on this weekend’s Allen Turner Pro Late Model Series event at Five Flags Speedway.

Pinsonneault joined Five Flags Speedway’s “In The Groove” on Tuesday evening, discussing his season so far with Carson Hocevar Racing and racing at Five Flags. The young Canadian driver has put a point of emphasis on this season’s Allen Turner races to prepare for the Allen Turner Snowflake 100.

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From the first time he saw the half-mile in Pensacola, Florida, Pinsonneault was in love.

“When I first rolled in to test at Five Flags, I had never experienced anything like it,” said Pinsonneault. “I rolled out for my first lap, we were half a second off, and I thought we were flat to the floor. You just carry so much speed around the facility. And the tire wear, after about 10 laps, you feel like you’re wrecking about everywhere.”

“It’s an awesome facility. I’ve never raced anywhere cooler, in my opinion. It’s absolutely my favorite track.”

Pinsonneault sees Five Flags Speedway as the perfect test of driver and car, a track that requires a perfectly-tuned machine as well as pinpoint precision behind the wheel.

“Being able to save your tires is really big there,” explained Pinsonneault. “You’ve got to have a perfect setup. It can’t just be good for those opening seven laps. You’ve got to be good for all 100. You’ve got to have your head right, too.

“If you blink, you can be in that inside wall in turn one you get so close to. You can be in the outside wall overcorrecting a little bit. Loose entry is really big. There’s a lot of different ways things can go wrong. If you’re not 100 percent in the right mindset and don’t have a good piece, you’ll learn real quick.”

Pinsonneault enters this weekend’s race following a win in the Big O Classic 100 for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour at Owosso Speedway. Pinsonneault has been fast throughout the year in his Carson Hocevar Racing No. 14, but put all the pieces together for the $10,000 win on Saturday.

“We ran really good. We were fast in practice, qualified top of the board, new track record and led quite a few laps. It was pretty close at the end. Me and Evan Shotko ran really close, but I came out on top.

“The JEGS Tour has been really good this year,” added Pinsonneault. “There’s been a lot of tight competition, more so than last year, for sure. It’s been a pleasure. It’s been tough, of course. We’ve shown pretty good speed but made little mistakes and haven’t been able to capitalize until a few nights ago.”

Earlier this year, Pinsonneault finished ninth in the Allen Turner Pro Late Model Series opener at Five Flags. He plans on running all of the Allen Turner Pro Late Model Series events, building a notebook for the Snowflake 100 on Saturday, December 7.

“We’re strictly focused on the Allen Turner deal to rack up laps and to get a better hold on Pensacola. As you know, it’s a super tough facility to learn as the driver and a super tough facility for the crew to build a proper setup for.

“We’re trying to rack laps, build experience at the most prestigious, probably in the world, for short track racing, to work towards the Snowflake 100 at the end of the year.”

Whether it is the Snowflake 100 or the Snowball Derby down the road, Pinsonneault’s ultimate goal is to win one of the marquee Late Model events at Five Flags Speedway in December.

“The last time I went to the Snowball was 2021. I walked into that facility, saw Derek Thorn go into turn one, and that’s when I knew that was the race on my bucket list.

“Either of those wins would be an absolute benchmark milestone for me. Those have been my dream since I set foot on that property. It would be really cool, because it is the most prestigious Pro Late Model and Super Late Model race in the country.”

Gates open at 5 p.m. CT for Friday's Allen Turner Pro Late Model Series event at Five Flags Speedway. The Gulf Real Estate Pro Trucks, Story & Bleich Crown Stocks and Lloyd's Glass Pure Stocks will also be in action. Opening ceremonies begin at 7:45 p.m. CT, with racing at 8 p.m. CT.

Fans can also watch the event live with a subscription to RacingAmerica.TV.

-Photo credit: Will Bellamy, Racing America