John Hunter Nemechek celebrates in victory lane after scoring the victory in last year’s Snowball Derby Sunday at 5 Flags Speedway. Photo by Matt Weaver
For the 48th year, the eyes of the racing world now turn to Pensacola, Florida, as drivers from around the country make their annual pilgrimage to 5 Flags Speedway, as they have done the first week of December for many years.
Each driver is hoping to come home with the one of the most coveted pieces of hardware – the Tom Dawson Trophy – and to add their names to the list of short track asphalt racing legends as a winner of the Snowball Derby on Sunday afternoon.
Last year, second generation driver John Hunter Nemechek, son of NASCAR Sprint Cup veteran Joe Nemechek, took the lead on a three wide move on a lap 295 restart, then survived two cautions to hold off Dalton Sargeant for the win in the Super Late Model classic.
For Nemechek, it marked his first career Super Late Model victory, and proved as a strong launching point for the 18-year-old, who went on this year to not only add to his asphalt Late Model win total, but to also score his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to win the Snowball Derby and have a bunch of our family here,” Nemechek said after the Snowball win. “I’m pretty much speechless.”
And no better race to make your first win than the legendary race won in the past by drivers such as Darrell Waltrip, Pete Hamilton, Jody Ridley, Ronnie Sanders and Kyle Busch.
Nemechek enters this year’s Derby looking to become just the fourth driver to win back-to-back races.
But there are a number of competitors who are looking to write or add to their own pages in the Snowball history books.
Chief among them is Dawsonville, GA’s, Chase Elliott. Elliott, the winner of the 2011 running of the event, is entering what may be his final Snowball Derby. Elliott, the 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, is set to take over the controls of the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – the seat just vacated by four-time series champ Jeff Gordon.
Elliott was flagged as the winner of the Snowball Derby in 2013, only to have the win taken away when his car was found to have an unapproved weight in post-race tech, giving Erik Jones his second straight win. Elliott would like one more chance to put a second win on the board once and for all.
Another strong contender for this year’s victory is Bubba Pollard. The Senoia, GA speedster has had the richest season in his career in 2015. Twice Pollard traveled to the West Cost for premier asphalt Late Model races. Both times, he took the laurels, winning in March at Kern County Raceway in Bakersfield, CA and in June at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. In all, Pollard collected $70,000 for his efforts.
Pollard added several East Coast Late Model wins to his tally as well, with victories at both 5 Flags and Mobile International Speedway in Irvington, AL. On Sunday, he’d like to add his first Snowball Derby trophy and the $22,000 payday that goes with it to his win totals.
Kannapolis, NC pilot Daniel Hemric may have a say in the outcome. Hemric has had a banner season in 2015, scoring the win in the All American 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville in Nashville, TN just ahead of Pollard back in October. Hemric can also boast two Southern Super Series victories on the year, those coming at Nashville and at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, GA.
Hemric spent most of the year focusing on his NASCAR efforts, recording four top five finishes in his first full year on the Camping World Truck Series. He will return to that series next year, driving for Brad Keselowski Racing.
Several former winners will be looking to add to their Snowball legacies as well, including two time winner Augie Grill of Hayden, AL, Johanna Long of Pensacola, FL. They’ll be joined by 2015 Southern Super Series champion Casey Smith of Austin, TX, Florida Governor’s Cup winner Ty Majeski, Lee Fields Memorial winner Donnie Wilson and Blizzard Series champion Casey Roderick.
On track activity for the race weekend kicks off on Thursday, Dec. 3, with local action from the Bomber and Sportsman division. It continues on Friday with Snowball Derby qualifying, along with local action form the Super Stock and Modified divisions.
On Saturday, the Pro Late Models take center stage for the Allen Turner Snowflake 100, along with the last chance qualifying race for the Snowball Derby. The Pro Trucks will also be in action.
On Sunday, the Super Late Models step into the spotlight for the 48th annual Snowball Derby, with the green flag set to drop on 300 laps of action at 2 pm.
For more information, visit 5FlagsSpeedway.com.
48th Annual Snowball Derby Entry List
Car No Driver Location
04. Cory Roper – Baytown, TX
04. Dalton Armstrong – New Castle, IN
07. Cory LaJoie – Concord, NC
1. Garrett Jones – Mooresville, NC
1. Tim Martin – Amite, LA
10. Steve Dorer – Lakeland, FL
11. David Rogers – Orlando, FL
11. Johanna Long – Mooresville, NC
11. Logan Boyett – Pensacola, FL
112. Augie Grill – Hayden, AL
12. Harrison Burton – Huntersville, NC
129. Spencer Davis – Dawsonville, GA
13. Cassius Clark – Farrington, me
15. Christan Eckes – Middleton, NY
17. Quin Houff – Mt. Sidney, VA
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2. D.J. Vanderley – Mobile, AL
2w. Donnie Wilson – Oklahoma City, OK
20. Cole Rouse – Fort Smith, AR
22. Josh Bragg – Mobile, AL
26. Bubba Pollard – Senoia, GA
29. Anderson Bowen – Suwanee, GA
29. Caleb Adrian – Walcott, IA
3. Kaz Grala – Westbrough, MA
30. Jesse Dutilly – Bradenton, FL
31. Kyle Grissom – Concord, NC
33. Dustin Smith – Mobile, AL
4. Kyle Plott – Marietta, GA
42. Chad Finley – Laingsburg, MI
42. Dennis Prunty – Knowles, WI
43. Dennis Schoenfeld – Van Buren, AR
43. Derek Thorn – Bakersfield, CA
47. Allen Karnes – Sharpsburg, GA
47. Brian Campbell – Wyoming, MI
47. Chris Fontaine – Lakeland, FL
48. Preston Peltier – Concord, NC
5. Daniel Hemric – Kannapolis, NC
5. Dominique Van Wieringen – Charlotte, NC
5. Jerry Artuso – Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
51. Brandon Oakley – Beavercreek, OH
51. Christopher Bell – Norman, OK
51. Michael Atwell – Naples, FL
51. Stephen Nasse – Pinellas Park, FL
53. Boris Jurkovic – Manhattan, IL
57. Cole Timm – Mooresville, NC
5S. Dalton Sargeant – Boca Raton, FL
67. Clay Jones – Goldsboro, NC
7. Casey Roderick – Lawrenceville, GA
7. John DeAngelis – Hubertus, WI
7. Paul Shafer Jr. – Portage, IN
75. Jeremy Doss – Upper Lake, CA
77. Zane Smith – Huntington Beach, CA
79. Kyle Bryant – Navarre, FL
8. D.J. Hoelzle – Palm Harbor, FL
8. John Hunter Nemechek – Mooresville, NC
811. Mason Mingus – Brentwood, TN
83. Scotty Ellis – Forsyth, GA
88. Roger Reuse – Birmingham, AL
9. Chase Elliott – Dawsonville, GA
9. Derek Kraus – Stratford, WI
9. William Byron – Charlotte, NC
91. Ty Majeski – Seymour, WI
94. Quinnton Bear – Avon, IN
98. Rico Abreu – Rutherford, CA
98. Ross Kenseth – Jenison, MI
99. Casey Smith – Austin, TX
99. J.J. Haley – Winamac, IN
99. Jr. Niedecken – Pensacola, FL
H2. Bret Holmes – Munford, AL
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