Three drivers have a shot at two different championships over the weekend at Five Flags Speedway as both the Southern Super Series and Blizzard Series track title will be decided over a pair of Twin 100s on Friday and Saturday nights.
Both championships are important because they carry with them provisional starting spots in the 56th annual Snowball Derby in December. Specifically, the highest ranked driver in both standings to not make the field through time trials will earn the 31st and 32nd starting positions and can bypass the last chances races.
It never fails that a surprising name has to fall back on these standings each winter.
Southern Super Series championship standings
- Gio Ruggiero
2. Matt Craig -23
3. Michael Hinde -77
4. Jett Noland -87
5. Bubba Pollard -109
Blizzard Series championship standings
Jeremy Doss
Giovanni Ruggiero -28
Matt Craig -32
Hunter Robbins -37
Billy VanMeter -40
Michael Hinde -40
Casey Roderick -46
Jackson Boone -49
Jeremy Doss currently leads the standings for the Blizzard Series, holding a 28-point lead over Gio Ruggiero as well as a 32-point lead over Matthew Craig. Ruggiero is the current leader atop the Southern Super Series standings, with Craig residing 23 points behind him.
Doss feels extraordinarily confident after great runs earlier in the year in Pensacola.
“It’d be real special,” said Doss of a Blizzard Series championship. “This is our first year to run the full (Blizzard Series) program. It’s cool to be on top against the best racecar drivers (in the discipline). Plus, locking it down makes December a lot stress free.”
Ruggiero has ground to make up but a lot can change in two races and he believes the Wilson Motorsports team will get him everything he needs to cut into the deficit after 200 combined laps.
“I feel like the competition level this year has been pretty stout,” Ruggiero said. “I’m confident that our Wilson Motorsports Super Late Model will be fast this weekend. We just need to be mistake free and the points will handle themselves.”
Meanwhile, Craig is not quite as optimistic about either of his championship odds.
“To be honest with you, I would need Gio to have a bad night, or two bad nights,” Craig said of the Southern Super Series championship.
He felt the same about the Blizzard championship too.
“It’s about the same situation,” said Craig. “We’re going to have to run good both nights, and we’re going to need guys to have bad nights. That’s a hard ask with the guys we’re racing against.”
All three drivers are certainly accomplished Super Late Model racers, and as such, these championship battles are sure to keep fans and other competitors alike enthralled in all this weekend’s action.
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