After five consecutive years of racing at Five Flags Speedway in the early to mid 1990s, the ARCA Menards Series did not race at the paved half-mile oval for 13 years.

The return came in 2019, when Michael Self won an ARCA Menards Series race at the short track in Pensacola, Florida. The ARCA Menards Series platform has returned to the track each year since, with Sammy Smith driving to victory last season on his way to the ARCA Menards Series East crown.

For the third-straight year, the East Series will be back at Five Flags this weekend.

Then titled the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, what’s now the ARCA Menards Series East raced at Five Flags in 2013 and 2014 before its return in 2020.

The Pensacola 200 is on the ARCA Menards Series East schedule as the second race of the season. Below are more details about the track located in the westernmost city of the Florida panhandle.

TRACK PROFILE: 5 FLAGS SPEEDWAY

Five Flags Speedway, named after what’s known as the “City of Five Flags,” hosted its one and only NASCAR Cup Series race just a couple weeks after the track opened in 1953. Herb Thomas won that event driving his famous Hudson Hornet when the race was called for rain after 140 of the scheduled 200 laps.

These days, Five Flags Speedway is considered one of the top short tracks in the nation due to the close and entertaining racing that takes place at the historic half-mile oval.

Last year at Five Flags, Sammy Smith dominated the field on his way to his first of three victories during his East Series championship campaign. With significant banking and a relatively abrasive asphalt surface that’s harsh on tires, Five Flags Speedway is a challenge for drivers and race strategists alike.

As has been the case since 1968, Five Flags Speedway is the home of the famed Snowball Derby, a super late model stock car race that attracts some of the biggest names in short track racing every December.

First promoted by Tom Dawson, the Snowball Derby has evolved from the 100-lap feature it was at its inception to a 300-lap race. As Five Flags Speedway describes it, “while much of the country prepares for winter, the Florida panhandle (offers) a last retreat for those snowbirds with racing in their blood.”

The list of recent Snowball Derby winners is stuffed with drivers who are currently racing in a NASCAR national series. It includes Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Christian Eckes, Noah Gragson and 2021 winner Chandler Smith.

When Elliott won the Snowball Derby in 2011 shortly after his 16th birthday, he became the event’s youngest winner.

ARCA Menards Series Results at Five Flags Speedway