NOTEBOOK: Bubba Pollard, Jake Finch and Gio Ruggiero pulling double-duty at Five Flags Speedway

A busy weekend of racing awaits a handful of ARCA Menards Series East competitors at Five Flags Speedway.

In addition to participating in Saturday’s season-opening Pensacola 150 for the East Series, Bubba Pollard, Jake Finch and Gio Ruggiero have also filed entries for the ASA STARS National Tour Sunshine State 200.

Pollard, who is also competing in the Crown Stock feature Saturday, is the most experienced of the trio with a Super Late Model resume that includes victories in the All American 400, Florida Governor’s Cup and Oxford 250. Yet he only has a handful of laps behind the wheel of an ARCA car.

Throughout his storied career, Pollard has made five appearances on the ARCA platform, scoring a best finish of 11^thtwice. He was set to make his ARCA Menards Series East debut at Five Flags in 2020 but withdrew when the event was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite this, Pollard carries plenty of momentum into Five Flags. He’s already won three marquee events this year: SpeedFest at Georgia’s Crisp Motorsports Park, the Clyde Hart Memorial ASA STARS National Tour opener at New Smyrna Speedway and the Rattler 250 at South Alabama Speedway.

Should Pollard sweep all three features he’s competing in this weekend, he’ll earn a bonus for a lucky fan. Any fan who attended those events and brings their ticket stub to the gate on Sunday can register to win $1,000 should Pollard complete the trifecta and win the ASA STARS National Tour event.

“I am going to have to bring me three rolls of tape to leave marks on the wall so I know when to lift,” Pollard said. “Racing three different cars in the same day will be a challenge, but I like a good challenge. I can’t imagine many people have ever gotten to do something like this.”

There will be plenty of talented young drivers standing Pollard’s way Saturday, including the Venturini Motorsports duo of Finch and Ruggiero.

Finch is fresh off the best performance of his career in the ARCA Menards Series; he led a race-high 65 laps at Daytona International Speedway last month. A potential victory evaporated for Finch after a crash on the final lap on the backstretch, relegating him to 11^th in the final running order.

Seeking his second win on the ARCA platform after breaking through at Dover Motor Speedway in the East Series last year, Finch will be going up against family to obtain that milestone. Pollard on Saturday will drive No. 1 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet owned by Finch’s dad, NASCAR Cup Series race-winning team owner James Finch.

Like Finch, Ruggiero is also looking to build off a strong start to 2024. Ruggiero had one of the strongest cars during the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway, leading 49 laps before finishing second behind winner William Sawalich.

Pollard, Ruggiero and Finch will also be racing for a little extra cash this weekend at Five Flags. Thanks to the Family-Funeral & Cremation $5k Double Down bonus, if any of them manage to sweep the ARCA Menards Series East and ASA STARS National Tour events, they’ll earn an extra $5,000.

The Pensacola 150 gets underway at 7:30 p.m. CT / 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday evening with live coverage available on FloRacing.

William Sawalich prepares to defend East Series title

Last year’s Pensacola 200 at Five Flags Speedway set the tone for William Sawalich in his rookie ARCA Menards Series East season with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Nobody could pass Sawalich all evening as he cruised to a wire-to-wire victory from the pole. Sawalich parlayed the momentum from his Five Flags triumph into three more wins and a third consecutive title for the No. 18 team in the East Series.

Sawalich’s efficiency was not limited to his East Series championship run. He scored two standalone victories in the ARCA Menards Series national division and claimed a checkered flag in the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West finale at Phoenix Raceway.

With Sawalich only two weeks removed from obtaining another Phoenix checkered flag, everything is aligning for him to be the favorite for another East Series title while embarking on a busy schedule that will include his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut later this year.

The title defense for Sawalich begins where it all started for him last year, as he looks to put together another flawless outing at Five Flags and control the East Series standings from the onset.

World Series Pro Late Model champion Hunter Wright set for ARCA debut

Tennessee-based MAN Motorsports is teaming up with another Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway mainstay for Saturday’s ARCA Menards Series East opener at Five Flags Speedway.

Having previously fielded entries for Tanner Arms and Dylan Fetcho, who both hail from the Nashville metropolitan area, MAN Motorsports will bring Gladeville, Tennessee native Hunter Wright to the ARCA platform.

Wright proved to be the class of the field in the Pro Late Model division for this year’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway. In seven races, Wright never finished outside the top 10 and earned one victory, which allowed him to claim the division championship by 28 points ahead of Dawson Sutton.

Saturday is one of two tentative opportunities for Wright to carry over that consistency in the East Series. He and MAN Motorsports later this year will also race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, where Wright has been a frontrunner in the track’s Pro Late Model division since joining it at the turn of the decade.

Wright has some experience to rely upon at Five Flags, but he will look for a stronger outing after he was eliminated in a crash on lap five during his Super Late Model debut at the facility last July.

NOTES:

Presley Sorah is set for his ARCA Menards Series debut at Five Flags Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 12 Toyota for Fast Track Racing. An avid member of the iRacing platform, Sorah has gradually gained more oval experience in the last year and also participated in the Daytona pre-race practice this year driving for Wayne Peterson.
After failing to qualify in the first two ARCA Menards Series events this year, Cody Dennison will finally have a chance to race on Saturday evening with Peterson’s operation. This weekend will be Dennison’s first start on the ARCA platform after previously competing at short tracks around the Southeast.
The Scofield family is back with the ARCA platform after successfully qualifying in their debut race at Daytona International Speedway. Tyler Scofield will be behind the wheel of the No. 07 Chevrolet at Five Flags Speedway and will look to improve upon their Daytona showing after a crash eliminated his father, Jeff, on Lap 6.