The siren over at the Dawsonville Pool Room was screaming loud Sunday night, as Georgia's Chase Elliott won the 44th annual Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway. Photo courtesy 5 Flags Speedway
It just keeps getting better.
Few thought the Snowball Derby would ever live up to the drama and excitement created in 2010.
And while the storybook ending of hometown girl Johanna Long racing to Snowball glory might never be topped, the 44th running’s finish was unparalleled Sunday at Five Flags Speedway.
Chase Elliott stood alone. Barely.
The 16-year-old racing prodigy fought door-to-door in the closing laps with Five Flags stalwart D.J. VanderLey to win the nation’s most prestigious short-track race by less than a quarter of a second.
The 0.229 margin of victory was the closest in Snowball history.
“I think I’m going to carry it forever,” Elliott said of the Tom Dawson trophy he held close to his body.
Elliott, who runs on NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series, earned the right to do whatever he wants. He outlasted VanderLey in a similar finish to the green-white-checkered theatrics last year.
VanderLey, just 19 himself, actually put his No. 4 in front of Elliott’s No. 9 for the first four laps following a late restart as the pair of teenagers raced side-by-side.
VanderLey’s problem was he was on the outside. He never managed to clear Elliott. Instead, VanderLey fell in line behind Elliott between turns 3 and 4 with an eighth of a mile remaining.
VanderLey was content on etching his name in Snowball lore another year.
“Anytime he wanted to, he could’ve turned us,” he said of Elliott. “Running with Chase was a lotta fun. No one makes the outside work.”
VanderLey nearly did.
Crews load up the remains of Derek Thorn's destroyed race car in the pits at 5 Flags Speedway. Thorn's car took a wild ride, flipping over then coming down right side up in a four car pileup in the first turn on lap 295. Thorn was uninjured int he accident. Photo by Raceweek Illustrated staff
Ross Kenseth, whose father Matt is a current NASCAR star, took third. Kenseth is 18. So you’re your top three goes 16, 19 and 18. Just a bunch of teenagers dragging Main on a Sunday.
“I’m not gonna stop coming until I win one of these things,” Kenseth said after his third appearance produced the best finish. “Chase is one heck of a wheelman. I thought I could’ve given him a run for his money.”
Instead, Elliott accomplished something his famous father never did. Bill Elliott, part of NASCAR’s Mount` Rushmore, raced two Snowballs in the early 1980s with meager results.
“Million Dollar” Bill’s boy took home close to $23,000 on Sunday.
The prize money seems only a parting gift compared to the immortality drivers deposit for winning the Snowball.
Chase Elliott broke the bank Sunday.
“This is indescribable,” he said. “It’s unreal, not only to win this thing, but to win it with Ricky Turner on as crew chief, now that’s awesome.”
Turner snatched Derby nirvana in 2002, beating five-time Derby king Rich Bickle.
He watched his young driver Sunday get back up front after recovering from an early crash. Elliott passed cars on the outside, thought to be taboo at the famed half-mile, asphalt oval.
Johnny VanDoorn was also caught up in that late race crash. Photo by Raceweek Illustrated staff
But there he was sixth by lap 163. Outside again, this time waving to Hunter Robbins as he passed him for third on 202.
Elliott humbled Casey Smith for second on lap 219 with VanderLey leading.
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The irony to Sunday was he got out front without having to pass a single car.
When a caution came out around Lap 220, the leaders decided to pit. Elliott, he with the Hendrick Motorsports pit team, enjoyed a perfect stop and beat everyone back to the speedway.
“Everybody worked so hard,” he said. “My guys did a great job.”
A great job for a great driver in a great race to create a great result.
Can it get any better?
5 Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
44th annual Snowball Derby – Dec. 4, 2011
Official Snowball Derby Results presented by Racecar Engineering:
1. Chase Elliott
2. D.J. VanderLey
3. Ross Kenseth
4. Landon Cassill
5. Heath Hindman
6. Cale Gale
7. Boris Jurkovic
8. Grant Enfinger
9. David Rogers
10. Casey Smith
11. Hunter Robbins
12. Bubba Pollard
13. Benjamin Kennedy
14. Stephen Nasse
15. Dillon Oliver
16. Donnie Wilson
17. Stephan McCurley
18. David Ragan
19. Derrick Griffin
20. Jeremy Pate
21. Jeff Fultz
22. David Odell
23. Josh Hamner
24. Johnny VanDoorn
25. Derek Thorn
26. Ken McFarland
27. Jerry Artuso
28. Dennis Prunty
29. Chris Davidson
30. Andy Loden
31. Kenzie Ruston
32. Augie Grill
33. Jeff Choquette
34. Mike Garvey
35. Steve Wallace
36. Erik Darnell
37. Johanna Long
