By Zach Evans / Racing America
The Sunshine State 200 weekend kicked off Friday night with practice for the ASA STARS National Tour Super Late Model competitors, with plenty of familiar names topping the charts during the two rounds of the evening.
Matt Craig paced the first practice of the evening, while Casey Roderick was fastest in the second and final round of practice Friday. Roderick’s time of 16.625 seconds was the quickest of the night.
Roderick, a three-time Blizzard Series champion, is coming off a strong showing at New Smyrna Speedway’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing where he won the Super Late Model championship.
Fellow multi-time Blizzard Series champion Bubba Pollard was second-fastest, followed by 2017 Snowball Derby polesitter Preston Peltier, defending Snowball Derby champion Derek Thorn and 2022 Five Flags Speedway Outlaws champion Timothy Watson.
The evening was largely uneventful, but the first round of practice did close with Billy VanMeter collecting the outside wall in turn three.
“I caught a slow car in the wrong place, got in the marbles,” said VanMeter. “I was on new tires, I don’t think I was fully aired up pressure-wise. It went straight in the fence. I tried to hit the brake and slow it down.
“It was a mistake on my part. I should have let him go, backed out of it more.”
VanMeter unloaded a backup car and took part in the second round of practice.
The ASA STARS National Tour kicks off from Five Flags Speedway with a 200-lap feature for Super Late Models Saturday night. The event will also feature Five Flags Speedway’s Faith Chapel Outlaws. The Sunshine State 200 is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM CT / 8:30 PM ET.
ASA STARS NATIONAL TOUR SUNSHINE STATE 200
FINAL PRACTICE RESULTS
1. Casey Roderick – 16.625
2. Bubba Pollard – 16.629
3. Preston Peltier – 16.758
4. Derek Thorn – 16.784
5. Timothy Watson – 16.827
6. Austin Nason – 16.838
7. Hunter Robbins – 16.839
8. Carson Hocevar – 16.900
9. Ryan Luza – 16.909
10. Matthew Craig – 16.910
11. Jeremy Doss – 16.919
12. Jacob Gomes – 16.920
13. Jett Noland – 16.946
14. Stephen Nasse – 16.947
15. Blaine Rocha – 16.966
16. Cole Butcher – 16.986
17. Dan Fredrickson – 16.987
18. Michael Hinde – 16.989
19. Ryan Moore – 17.003
20. Gabe Sommers – 17.007
21. Dustin Smith – 17.009
22. Boris Jurkovic – 17.012
23. Jake Finch – 17.045
24. Connor Okrzesik – 17.052
25. Grant Enfinger – 17.055
26. Ty Majeski – 17.066
27. Billy VanMeter – 17.103
28. John Bolen – 17.123
29. Giovanni Ruggiero – 17.126
30. Dakota Stroup – 17.150
31. Albert Francis – 17.221
32. Derek Kraus – 17.235
33. Tony Elrod – 17.235
34. Clint Folsom – 20.577
