Davis Triumphs in Thrilling Five Flags Showdown as Points Leader Lowe Fades Late

Pensacola, FL — The Bootleg Racing League’s Late Model Invitational Series rolled into Five Flags Speedway on Saturday, December 13, 2025, for the penultimate round of Season 32. While the championship picture was largely settled in favor of points leader James Lowe, the 100-lap feature delivered a night of sharp elbows, strategic gambles, and a dramatic late-race reversal that saw Chris Davis charge to his second win of the season.

The event unfolded under freshly updated iRacing track conditions, with increased rubber buildup and aggressive tire degradation reshaping the racing surface lap by lap. Those changes placed tire management squarely at the center of the story and punished anyone who leaned too hard on their equipment too early.

An inverted grid for the top baker’s dozen put Tom Hilbert on the pole alongside Chris Haizlip, but the early spotlight quickly shifted to Kyle Feimster, the rookie who started third and wasted no time making noise. Feimster powered to the lead and looked every bit like a seasoned veteran, pacing the field for the opening 22 laps and establishing himself as a legitimate contender.

James Lowe, rolling off 10th, began his familiar march forward, but trouble struck around the 20-lap mark. Going three-wide with Brennan Myers, Lowe made contact and spun the No. 99, bringing out the race’s first caution. Though he avoided terminal damage and rejoined the fight, the incident left Lowe with a wounded nose and a long night ahead. Still, the reigning champion clawed his way back toward the front, refusing to fade quietly.

As Feimster and Myers traded blows up front, the most compelling story developed deeper in the pack. Chris Davis, the hard-charging driver of the No. 7 and aptly nicknamed “Mr. Aggressive,” began carving through the field. Starting well back, Davis leaned on the higher groove, newly viable thanks to the updated track model, and advanced relentlessly. By the three-quarter mark, he had gained 14 positions and laid down the fastest lap of the race, a blistering 17.283 seconds, signaling his intent loud and clear.

At halfway, the race crystallized into a tense three-car fight between Myers, Lowe, and Davis. Myers, in the No. 11, was in command through the middle stages and ultimately led 65 laps, but the creeping effects of tire wear were impossible to ignore as the laps ticked away.

The turning point came when Davis muscled past Lowe for second, exposing just how far Lowe’s tires had fallen off. What had looked like another late-race charge instead unraveled into a stunning fade. Lowe slipped backward rapidly in the closing laps, eventually finishing 14th.

With Lowe out of the equation, the battle for the win became a duel between Myers and Davis. Davis applied relentless pressure, driving the car, as the broadcast commentator colorfully put it, “tighter than a scuba suit on a fat man.” Myers, who had been strongest on the middle-to-high line in Turns 3 and 4, struggled to fend off the charge as his tires surrendered their grip.

With 11 laps remaining, Davis finally forced the issue, nosing ahead of Myers to seize the lead. From there, he stretched the gap to two car lengths with six to go and never looked back, crossing the line to secure a hard-fought and well-earned victory.

Davis’ march from deep in the field to victory lane capped one of the standout performances of the season. Myers settled for second, later admitting his tires “completely fell off really hard the last like eight laps or so,” leaving him defenseless at the end. Feimster rounded out the podium in third, an impressive result after leading early, though he acknowledged that his tire-saving approach didn’t translate to late speed under the new build.

Just off the podium, Ryan Senneker delivered one of the drives of the night. Starting in 18th, the VGN broadcast team member stormed forward 14 positions to finish fourth, narrowly missing out on a podium finish. Tre Blohm also impressed with a late charge, starting from pit road and climbing to sixth. Meanwhile, the Hilbert brothers endured a rough finish, with Tom and Steve Hilbert fading to 19th and 18th after running near the front early.

In victory lane, Davis emphasized that patience was the key ingredient, noting he had to show “a lot of restraint” to make the move stick. He also praised the new track model, saying the added realism and rubber buildup had him “loving what iRacing is doing here,” a sentiment echoed by a field that learned, the hard way, just how unforgiving Five Flags can be when tires run out of mercy.