PENSACOLA, Fla. — Spencer Davis’ quest to bring Bond Suss Racing the Tom Dawson Trophy got off to a quick start, but turned sour Friday afternoon at Five Flags Speedway after a motor issue in final practice.
Davis was making his mock qualifying run when the engine in his No. 55 seized and prevented him from finishing his final lap.
Prior to the issue, Davis had posted the 14th-fastest lap among the 52 cars that had taken time during the session.
“Man, it’s really frustrating,” Davis said. “On our money lap on our mock (qualifying) run, I was coming off turn four and the motor started locking up. I didn’t want to risk it, so I just shut it off.”
“It’s something internal. The guys are changing it now … and we should be fine for qualifying; it’s just unfortunate that we have to go through this process this late in the day. Better late than never, though, I suppose … at least it wasn’t during qualifying or the race. We’ll rebound and hopefully be okay.”
The Dawsonville, Ga. native has made three prior Snowball Derby features, with a best finish of 15th last year.
Now, if he wants to better that mark, Davis will have a longer road to traverse, starting with Pole Night at 6 p.m. CT.
“We wanted to get a few laps on it before qualifying if we could have, but obviously you want to make sure things are done right too. It’s a bummer … like a replay of last year with things getting us at the wrong time. We’re not giving up though. Hopefully things turn around here for us and we’re better when it counts.”
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network, as well as a periodic contributor to SPEED SPORT Magazine.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 23-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
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