Choquette Runs Away with So. Super Series Win at Mobile
Mobile, Ala. — Mobile International Speedway hosted its first of only two races on the 2017 Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco circuit Saturday evening. At the end of the 95-lap feature, it was Jeff Choquette who prevailed, besting 17 other competitors with a superior green flag run.
Choquette took over the lead from young gun Chase Purdy just under a quarter of the way through the race, never looking back.
“We struggled yesterday over at Pensacola, but it’s good to come back here and rebound,” Choquette said. “We knew we had a good car when we unloaded and we tweaked on it a little bit more.”
While the majority of drivers were wishing for a caution, Choquette was running circles around them. At the end of the race, only four cars had evaded Choquette long enough to stay on the lead lap.
“We put a little too much gear to it for qualifying but it ended up paying off in the race,” the West Palm Beach native said. “I can’t thank these guys enough for sticking it out for two hot days. Hopefully, we can keep this momentum going.”
Choquette adds this win to a lengthy résumé that includes a Pro Late Model championship from this year’s World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway (FL). In nine nights of racing, Choquette won five races in three different divisions.
“I can’t thank the whole Jett family enough for what they do,” Choquette stated. “To be getting in a car that they put underneath me is a true privilege.”
Stephen Nasse stared at the back of the Choquette’s machine until it faded out of view. Despite working his way up from eighth to second, the No. 9 machine was too strong to reel in.
“I was able to get up front pretty early and I had a really fast piece,” Nasse said. “When I was able to get to second, there was a little over a half a straightaway ahead of me.”
Strategy was the name of the game, and Nasse knew that the leader would be conserving as much of their tires as possible.
“I didn’t want to burn my stuff up trying to catch [Choquette],” Nasse explained. “I knew if I was able to catch him, it would be harder to get by him. He’d be saving his stuff.”
Third-place finisher Chandler Smith had little idea what to expect when the green flag flew. Smith had never visited the Alabama half-mile before. With limited experience, a spot on the podium was nothing short of a victory for the 14-year-old racer.
“I’m speechless right now,” Smith said. “This is like a win for us. We’ve been working our tails off trying to get our Super program pretty good. This is the first time I’ve been to the race track and I’m really loving it. I’m looking forward to coming back for the next race.”
Donnie Wilson and Chase Purdy rounded out the top-five finishers. Wilson’s fourth-place finish, coupled with a runner-up effort Friday at Five Flags Speedway (FL), earned him the $1,000 bonus for the best average finish for the Gulf Coast weekend.
Next up for the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco is a trip to Bristol Motor Speedway (TN) for the inaugural Short Track U.S. Nationals. The next race at Mobile International Speedway takes place on August 19.
For more information on the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco, head to www.southernsuperseries.com. Also be sure to follow the Southern Super Series on Twitter, @SoSuperSeries, and give us a like on Facebook by heading to www.Facebook.com/SouthernSuperSeries.
Southern Super Series KSJ 95 Results
Mobile International Speedway (AL) – April 29, 2017
Pos # Driver
1 9 Jeff Choquette
2 51 Stephen Nasse
3 26S Chandler Smith
4 2W Donnie Wilson
5 97 Chase Purdy
6 98 Paul Kelley
7 83 Scotty Ellis
8 19 Kyle Plott
9 26 Bubba Pollard
10 88 Garrett Jones
11 14D Chris Davidson
12 99 Casey Smith
13 14 Connor Okrzesik
14 15 Austin Thaxton
15 17 Kurt Guillott
16 5 Jerry Artuso
17 43 Dennis Schoenfeld
18 47 Allen Karnes
Sources: 51 Sports.Southern Super Series PR