After Each Race this season we are going to spend time unpacking the additional information that comes after the checkered flag drops.
The streak continues after Connor Jones sets fast time at New Smyrna Speedway for the Clyde Hart Memorial 200. Jones’ pole now marks 14 straight races with 14 different pole winners in the ASA Southern Super Series. This streak dates back to the 2022 season.
This is the first race of three points-paying races that will be combo events with the ASA STARS National Tour. The next race at Five Flags Speedway will be on Sunday, March 24th. The Sunshine State 200 will be an afternoon show in Pensacola, Florida.
It’s a shame that the defending series champion Gio Ruggiero is not making a run at a second championship. After two races he has been fifth in both races. While that may not be what he’s accustomed to, it’s a very solid start to come out of the gates with two top fives in these deep fields.
Bubba Pollard picked up his 36th ASA Southern Super Series win at New Smyrna Speedway. It was his first SSS win at New Smyrna, Pollard has now won at eight of the 14 races that the series has run at.
While Ty Majeski didn’t finish in the top 10, he did leave a benchmark for lap leader stats. Majeski led 105 laps to push his ASA STARS National Tour total to over 800 laps. He also pushed his ASA Southern Super Series lap total to over 1000 becoming only the fifth driver to do so behind Bubba Pollard, Augie Grill, Stephen Nasse, and Donnie Wilson.
This was the fourth trip for the ASA Southern Super Series to New Smyrna. The 200-lap event drew over 50 pre-race entries with 32 making the main event.
We are sure if you asked Matt Craig what he thought of his day he would tell you it was awful. Craig still managed to come from 31st to finish 14th on the lead lap. The saving grace here is that Craig was a top-five car at the Snowball Derby last year, so he will be eager for the next race.
It may be a little early to think about points, but Casey Roderick via the stage breaks and time trials is only five points behind Bubba Pollard after two races. Roderick is a two-time series champion with the Southern Super Series and he’s looking to be the first driver to win three titles.
How about Canadian driver Kyle Steckly who qualified 31st and raced his way into the show via the last chance race? After that, he climbed in the field to post an eighth-place finish, his first with the ASA Southern Super Series. Steckly was the hard charger for the race.
The last time the ASA Southern Super Series saw Bubba Pollard win the first two races of the season was 2013. Pollard lost the overall championship that year by a single point. Pollard had nine poles and 10 top-five runs in 13 starts that season despite coming up short for the championship.
(Ultimate Lap Photo)
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