Chaotic Baby Rattler 125; same result with Jake Finch in Victory Lane

A lot happened in this one but the end result remained the same with Jake Finch and the Ronnie Sanders Racing No. 18 going back-to-back in the Baby Rattler 125 on Friday night at South Alabama Speedway.

While most of the race was a three-way duel between Finch, Casey Roderick and Jett Noland — with all three trading the lead at various points of the Pro Late Model race — only the winner was around to see the finish.

Roderick, just eight laps away in winning his first race since a violent crash in the Snowflake 100 last December, was spun out by Noland behind him in Turn 1. Race control sent Noland to the rear for contact and Roderick was there too due to his involvement.

That is how Finch re-inherited the lead but it still took several more restarts to ultimately prevail.

“I messed up on a restart and gave the lead away; that was a mistake on my end, obviously,” Finch said. “I knew (Roderick and Noland) were going to race hard and just kept myself in position and it worked out in my favor — sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t.

“Tonight it did. I got tested a lot on those restarts at the did a good enough job to get to Victory Lane at the end.”

Like Finch said, he did not bat 1.000 on restarts and said South Alabama Speedway is especially tricky for the leader.

“It’s hard because you have different (restart zones) for every track you go,” Finch said. “The second place car always seems to feel like they have a right to go whenever they want, I guess. These Pro Late Models are very momentum based and more unforgiving than the Supers.

“The Supers, tire spin is an issue, but you have enough power to get what you need back. I felt like I had a few bad restarts but fortunate my best restarts came when it mattered the most.”

What happened between Roderick and Noland? Apparently, it goes far beyond their decisive incident.

“It all started when I got to second,” Roderick said. “I was on the outside of him for like two or three restarts, whatever, and would get doored up the race track. He’s ahead of me, running up the race track. If your left front tire is there behind his right front tire, you can’t turn into the car to keep him down. Anyone who’s raced long enough knows you can’t do that.

“They’re saying I doored them every restart and that’s not true. I sat there and watched him play games with everyone that started next to him back when I was fifth, sixth, I could see everything that transpired up there and he ran them the same way.”

Roderick said he just needed a couple of laps to get away from Noland.

“Spotter said inside and I was ready to give it to him but we didn’t quite make it to the corner before I’m getting turned sideways. I don’t know.”

Noland struck an indignant tone over the matter.

“I don’t need to talk about my side of the story,” Noland said. “He’s going to think he was right and I’m going to think I’m right. … I had it happen to me by the same person that I did it to. Obviously, he believes he was right and I believe I was right and nothing more needs to be said.”

Stephen Nasse, who did not have a race winning car and also spun from sixth trying to avoid the Roderick, Noland incident, somehow finished second by the end of the night. Before that, he was a caution for driving off the hill in Turn 1.

“I didn’t think we’d be able to come back through the field honestly,” Nasse said. “We knew the car wasn’t going to be the same so we came up with a game plan. We were able to work on it. We weren’t sure if we made it better because we ended up in that wreck shortly after,

It was a long race and if you’d ask me after the wreck and the next couple of runs, I’d say there was no way I’d end up near the front. I just love working with these guys and nothing against anyone else, but there’s just no quit in this team. I’m happy to have brough it home second. I feel like if the last restart wasn’t so crazy, I told Jake I was prepared to give him the bumper because he got this one last year. It would have been an exciting race.

“But the way this race went, and all the adversity we faced, I am thrilled with a second place.”

Nasse was referencing the contact ahead of him on the final restart that allowed Finch to get away.

The most notable incident occurred early in the race when Rafe Slate caught fire and the safety ATV flipped arriving on the scene.

Saturday night is the scheduled Rattler 250 Super Late Model race but a tornado outbreak is likely for the area so monitor UARA and South Alabama Speedway social channels for the latest schedule.

Baby Rattler 125
South Alabama Speedway
March 14 2025

1. Jake Finch
2. Stephen Nasse
3. Colin Allman
4. Jason Vail
5. Michael Hinde
6. Jett Noland
7. Jim Wall
8. Garrett Smith
9. Brandon Lopez
10. Cody Brinson
11. Blaise Rutherford
12. Zack Dixon
13. Aidan Potter
14. Casey Roderick
15. T.J. DeCaire
16. Kendrick Kreyer
17. Justin South
18. Tristan McKee
19. Korey Ruble
20. Steve Dorer
21. Trent Williams
22. Rafe Slate
23. Brian Reeves
24. Cody Martell
25. Chase McLemore