4/7/2026
Five Flags Speedway
Race for the Million Winged Sprints Battling for Big Bucks at 5 Flags on Friday
By Chuck Corder
5flagsspeedway.com reporter
All eyes of the racing world will be lasered on Five Flags Speedway this Friday.
That’s when more than 50 winged pavement sprint car drivers began a quest for the richest purse in the sport’s long history.
The Race for the Million is a four-track, five-race series comprised of 410 winged sprints blistering asphalt at speeds well beyond 100 mph. It is the brainchild of 91-year-old Richard Fieler, an Ohio native who hopped in a sprints cars at the tender age of 5 and it was love at first sight.
“(Fieler) is one of our current car owners and he wanted to give back to the (racing) community,” said Todd Hayes, Race for the Million Vice President of Marketing. “He wanted to put together something that had meaning to it, all the way down to trophies and a championship ring.”
The Race for the Million debuts at Five Flags live on FloRacing with qualifying set for 6:05 p.m. Friday. The 50-plus field will take their shot at topping the track record of 13.046 seconds set a dozen years ago at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.
“There’s a good chance for one of our drivers will break the track record,” Hayes said. “We race on Hoosier tires, and they tend to be quicker than others.”
A fireworks celebration follows at 6:40 p.m. Friday before the first of six heat races get underway at 7:20. The top three from each heat go to the A Main; all others will continue to B and C Mains to determine the rest of the 24-car A field. The A Main will award $30,000 to the winner, $15,000 to second, $9,000 to third and pay out the rest of the 24-car Main feature field. Even the drivers that don’t qualify for the Main get a check for fuel.
“Everyone that participates in Race for the Million gets some money,” Hayes said.
“Fieler has done well in life. He’s at a point in life where this is his passion, what he loves to do and is always out at the racetrack participating.”
The stop at Pensacola’s high banks was chosen for this unique series after a mutual friend connected Hayes with Five Flags General Manager Tim Bryant.
Five Flags was always one of a handful of tracks Race for the Million organizers had circled during early discussions.
“Obviously, the Snowball Derby is wildly popular and Tim puts on a helluva event,” Hayes said. “He’s not scared to try something new. This race will have a different look and feel in the overall look of the program, and Tim has taken it all in with open arms.”
After debuting at Five Flags, the unsanctioned series heads to the Midwest in the summer where it will race in Michigan and hit Owosso Speedway in June and a twin feature in July at Berlin Raceway where a $50,000 bonus will be on the line to any driver who can win both features. It closes at Colorado National Speedway in August.
Fieler cast of wide net to lure big fish by ensuring rules were acceptable for everybody and entry fees remained low, so no winged 410 sprints driver would be priced out.
“These cars are lightning fast,” Hayes said. “We’re anticipating one heckuva show.”
Article Credit: Chuck Corder