Timothy Watson Wins in Wild Outlaws Finish on Five Flags Opening Night

Timothy Watson scored an incredible and improbable victory in the Faith Chapel Outlaws feature on Friday at Five Flags Speedway.

Watson jumped from third to first with three laps remaining in the race, as a battle for the lead between Carter Taylor and Logan Boyett opened the door for Watson to sneak by for the victory.

Taylor and Boyett were both negotiating through lapped traffic when they met at the bottom of the race track entering the turn three. The ensuing contact sent Taylor sliding up the race track, but also slowed Boyett's momentum and opened the door for Watson to charge alongside for the lead.

Watson admitted he likely didn't have the fastest car in Friday's 35-lap feature to open the season for the division, but was in the right place at the right time late in the race.

"I really don't know what happened," said Watson. "I guess they got together. A lapped car held them up, and I was just in the right palce at the right time.

"I wasn't the fastest car on track tonight, but we ended up in victory lane."

A two-time champion in the Outlaws at Five Flags, Watson had moved up to Super Late Model racing in recent years. However, he plans to spend more time in the Outlaw in 2025, and Friday's race shows why.

"These things are just a blast to race," said Watson. "I mean, you have good racing like that almost every week. It's hard to go run something that we can't quite afford to run all the time when these are sitting right here to race."

Taylor started on the pole thanks to a roll of five on the dice following qualifying. He led up until the contact on the 33rd lap, falling to third but ultimately getting back around Boyett to finish second.

"We had a great car tonight. We ended up qualifying fifth earlier and it wasn't as good as we planned on. All these guys had their stuff together tonight, and we went into the race, ended up rolling five on the dice so we started on the pole.

"It was going good. I hate it ended like it did, but we still got second, so that's good enough.

"We got into lapped traffic a little bit, trying to get around them, and they gave us some trouble and some stuff happened. It is what it is and now it's over with. We'll move on to the next one and see everybody in Mobile next week."

Boyett apologized for the contact with Taylor that ultimately took them both out of contention for the win.

"I wish it would have been a lot cleaner than that. When we both got to the 36 [of Keith Thorpe] there, Carter went low. I should've gone to the top, but I honestly thought he was gonna jump out there. Whenever he went to the bottom, I was already trying to turn underneath him on the bottom. The further he came down, the more I got into him. Neither of us tried to lift. I just tried to make sure I didn't turn him.

"I got him off in there a little further than I intended to. I talked to Carter about that and Josh. I'm sure Carter can talk to his dad. I can't win with a car like this, so I don't wanna do it with somebody else, not intentionally anyhow. So I apologize to that bunch for running them over. It took both of us out of the race right there."

Zachary Curtis Takes New Car to Victory Lane in Crown Stock Feature

A jetski, a new car, a side-by-side finish, and a win. All in the start of a new season for Zachary Curtis.

Curtis took the win in the Story & Bleich Roofing Crown Stock 20-lap feature, holding off Doug Thorpe in a side-by-side finish for the victory.

"Oh, man, that was a blast, running with Doug Thorpe," said Curtis in victory lane. "He drove right into the bottom of me on the restart. I think he was trying to knock my toe in. I know he's an aggressive driver. With that qualifying lap he put in, I've never seen a lap like that before. That was unbelievable, I knew he was going to be the guy to beat."

The records will show Curtis led every lap after the five-car invert, but he knows just how close the finish was. Nevertheless, it was another victory at Five Flags Speedway for Curtis, this time in a car he had just acquired.

"We got so fortunate he rolled a five, inverted us to the front," said Curtis. "I just drove eight hours to buy this car. I sold my last car that I just built. Tommy Lowry, he had this car and I traded him my damn jetski for it."

"We brought this thing out to practice and struggled with it last night. You know, I've never drove this thing before. To come out here and win again for the fourth time here at Pensacola, being here my first time, this is awesome."

The battle for the win was so intense, Thorpe did not even realize the checkered flag was waving as he pulled alongside Curtis exiting turn four.

"I was concentrating on Zach," admitted Thorpe. "I don't think either one of us knew that was the end of the race. We wanted to race another lap, man.

"It was kind of cool, great race. We was all bumping and binding, I don't know what this idiot back here is mad about, but it is what it is."

Steven Davis Earns Redemption in Pro Trucks

In December, Steven Davis was disqualified from a victory in the Snowball Derby feature for the Gulf Real Estate Group Pro Trucks. Davis got back to victory lane on Friday, dominating the 25-lap Pro Truck feature.

Davis took the lead from David Herndon on the fourth lap of the race and never looked back in the caution-free feature, winning by more than two seconds over Maddox Langham.

"I can't thank them enough for letting me drive it," Davis said of his team. "I'm very appreciative of it. Papa Sanford, thank you very much."

December's disqualification stemmed from the use of aluminum lug nuts. With the offending lug nuts replaced for Friday's race, Davis was eager to score redemption.

"We got threw out at the Derby for them. Hindsight's 20/20, I wasn't aware it was in the rules, but they got us. We come back with steel lugnuts and did the same thing."

Langham finished second, followed by David Herndon, Ray Herndon and Becca Monopoli.

Chad Robinson Continues Winning Ways in Sportsman Division

After winning the feature for the Dock of Pensacola Beach Sportsman feature last December, Chad Robinson decided there was nothing he could do to improve on his machine.

"I swear to you, I ain't done nothing to it but drain the water out of it when it got cold," said Robinson. "When the season comes around, I pour the water back in it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

It's understandable why Robinson feels that way. After winning Friday's 2025 season opener for the division, he has now won three straight Sportsman races at Five Flags Speedway, as well as five of the last six features.

The first 10 laps featured plenty of close-quarters racing, as Robinson and B.J. Leytham battled with Parker McDonald and Daryl McDonald, III. However, the McDonald brothers spun after coming together on lap nine, setting up a two-car battle for the win.

Ultimately, Robinson prevailed to continue his winning ways at Five Flags.

"I just try to drive clean," said Robinson. "I know it's the first night and we're all anxious. I was just trying to keep the tires on it. Try to go when I could. There was a little beating and banging, but it's opening night, that's all it was."

Leytham wasn't satisfied with a second-place finish, but he was still glad to see Robinson in the event and taking the win after hearing earlier in the day he might be absent from opening night.

"A real racer wants to beat the man who's winning, and that's what I wanted to do," said Leytham. "I hope he runs the whole season.

"He's really fast. I kind of moved around a little bit once he got by me. I don't know, we were probably a bit more off. We hadn't done a whole lot to it. We put a new front nose and stuff on it. Now we can go back to work."

Charles Davis finished third, followed by Ryan Logan and Jim Pokrant.

-Photo credit: Daniel Vining

Five Flags Speedway Opening Night Results

Story & Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks

Faith Chapel Outlaws

Gulf Real Estate Group Pro Trucks

Dock of Pensacola Beach Sportsman