Elliott Sets All Time Track Record With Snowball Pole

If Chase Elliott woke up one morning and decided to take a severe detour in career paths from budding NASCAR phenom to entertainer, it’s undeniable where fate would steer him.

The 18 year old would still be a headliner. Still be a main attraction. Still be the superstar fans flocked from far and wide just to get a glimpse of.

Elliott seems destined for greatness no matter where he’s embedded.

Thankfully, racing fans can rest assured in knowing Elliott future lies behind the comfort of a steering wheel.

Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL, home to so many of Elliott’s most memorable achievements in recent years, was once again the backdrop for the Dawsonville, GA native’s unyielding talents Friday night.

The 2011 winner of the Snowball Derby for Super Late Models and a two-time winner of the Snowflake 100 for Pro Late Models, Elliott penned another chapter in his memoirs Friday at the famed half-mile asphalt oval during 102.7 WXBM Pole Night Qualifying.

The last of 58 cars to qualify, Elliott’s blistering and eye-popping mark of 16.133 seconds not only helped assure him of his first career Derby pole for Sunday’s 46th running of the Snowball, but it also set the all-time track record for Super Late Models in Pensacola.

“We had a good lap,” Elliott understated. “I thought it was decent, but I didn’t know how good it was. I’m excited for this weekend, but the focus now turns to (Saturday) and Sunday.”
He topped previous marks set by Bubba Pollard, who qualified second for Sunday’s race. Two years ago Pollard’s 16.290-second time was tops in Derby history.

Earlier this season, during qualifying for a Buddy’s home Furnishings Blizzard Series race, Pollard came home in 16.145 to establish the overall SLM track record.

Elliott shattered both of those marks much to the chagrin of Pollard.

“Ah, it don’t matter,” the easygoing Pollard said. “The race is all that matters.”

And the Senoia, GA driver figures to be in perfect position to hoist his first career Tom Dawson trophy come Sunday evening.

One of the final 10 drivers out Friday, Pollard’s 16.245-second turn was a new Derby record. Albeit very briefly.

“We were able to put up a good lap,” he said. “At least we’re in a good starting spot.”
That will be on the outside of row 1 alongside Elliott.

The biggest news to come out of qualifying for most of the night were the disappointments drivers experienced.

Reigning Blizzard Series track champion and the inaugural winner of the Southern Super Series Daniel Hemric was first out Friday and his 16.313-second time immediately set the bar for his rivals.

That number held up, as one by one drivers failed to even come close to Hemric’s time. Most of the field was stuck in neutral and rarely put up a formidable challenge, as they hovered around the mid-16.4s and 16.5s.

Johanna Long, the 2010 champion and local she-ro, qualified a mediocre 23rd. NASCAR driver Landon Cassill, who Long beat in 2010 sits 29th.

Another NASCAR regular David Ragan, who sat on the pole at last year’s Snowball, was one of the few that followed Hemric to put up a respectable effort. He qualified eighth.

Two-time Snowball winner Augie Grill, whose car directly followed Pollard out of stop-and-go, put himself in great position Sunday and will start fifth. Ross Kenseth, son of Sprint Cup star Matt, is 11th.

Ben Kennedy, the grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France and son of International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa Kennedy, won the K&N Pro Series East race at Five Flags earlier this year. He qualified 16th.

Reigning Snowball champion Erik Jones, whose duel with NASCAR bad boy Kyle Busch last year impressed the Sprint Cup star so much he hired Jones to drive for him, timed in at 12th.

The top 30 made it into Sunday’s field, which means some notable names will compete for four spots in this afternoon’s last-chance race. Donnie Wilson, who finished second to Long, will be joined by Jeff Fultz, David Rogers, 2010 pole sitter Cale Gale, Junior Niedecken, Josh Hamner and D.J. VanderLey, who famously finished second to Elliott in 2011.

They’re all chasing Chase, though. And the featured act has plenty left for an encore.

Super Stocks

A pair of wire-to-wire winners on opening night at Five Flags Speedway on Thursday got the 46th edition of the Snowball Derby off to an inauspicious start.

Short-track racing’s most dramatic weekend was minus some of its traditional suspense.

Not any longer. The Super Stocks 50-lap Derby feature changed all that Friday.

Bubba Winslow’s white-flag misfortunes were Okie Mason’s fortunes, as the triumphant 52 year old won his first career Super Stocks Derby title.

“I’ve for to thank God because without him, I couldn’t do this,” Mason said. “The good Lord had his hand on it. I just started to put pressure on him.”

The Eight Mile, AL, resident led the final eight of a mile after passing Winslow, who got tangled with the lapped car of Thumper Grice on the back stretch.

“(Winslow) tried to go under (Grice) and drove right into him,” Mason said.

Mason had a catbird’s seat to the mess, on Winslow’s bumper as the pair approached Grice.

A relative newcomer to the famed half-mile oval, Grice’s uncertainty on which groove to choose put the onus on Winslow to determine his line.

Grice’s indecision proved costly as Winslow went low and the No. 86 smacked directly into the No. 7 and the pair went careening down the back stretch.

Winslow wound up against the outside backstretch retaining wall.

Mason escaped unscathed on the high side and easily cruised to the checkered flag, whipping in the wins.

“(Crew chief) Mike Williamson set this car up and told us what to do,” Mason said. “Sometimes I can be hard-headed, but I did what I was supposed to tonight.

“They told me to wait and it would be there. I did. I listened. When you get to be as old as I am, you might wanna listen.”

Winslow might not want to hear this, but at 24, he’ll have another shot at Derby glory.

Still, it was a heartbreaking end for a championship season for Winslow. The Cantonment native won four features in the regular season en route to the Super Stocks track title.

On Friday, Winslow’s good luck continued early as he captured the pole.

And throughout Friday, he maintained the positive karma despite all hell breaking loose behind him.

There were three cautions in the first four laps and then a little while later another yellow flew for a 10-car pileup directly under the flagstand.

The packed grandstands flooded the front railing just behind the catch fence to see the carnage.
The narrow space around Pensacola’s high banks makes life tough on the most-seasoned of drivers.

“It’s the Derby ain’t it,” said Paul Jean, a longtime veteran who was involved in Five Flags’ version of the “big one”. “It’s not the way wanna wind up, but we’ll be back.”

So will Winslow. So will Mason.

Only the next time, Mason, at 52, will return as the reigning Derby champion.

Modifieds

Donnie Hamrac wasn’t about to let a little rain spoil his thunder.

As the night’s first sprinkles finally began to fall, Hamrac’s beaming smile shone brighter than the grandstands lights of Five Flags Speedway.

After winning back-to-back Modifieds track championships in Pensacola the last two years, all that was missing was for the 40-year-old Semmes, AL, resident was a 50-lap Mods Snowball Derby title.

No more.

Hamrac passed defending Derby champion Billy Melvin on the restart to lap 35 before holding off the pesky Melvin as the pair came out of turn 4 on the final lap.

Hamrac crossed the finish line sideways, edging Melvin by a nose.

“What a way to top the season off,” an elated Hamrac exclaimed. “I gotta thank Billy for not taking us out. I hope it was a good race for the fans.”

Indeed it was.

The storyline within the race Friday was the precarious race to beat the scattered showers that were circling the racetrack.

The nail-biting proved for naught, however.

The only delays throughout the final feature of the night were for a myriad of cautions. Melvin had been great most of the night, but on the final one, Hamrac pounced.

He just flat-out wrestled away the lead from Melvin.

“We worked really hard this week,” Hamrac said. “The car wasn’t good a few weeks ago when we practiced. And it wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty decent.”

Melvin knew as much.
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A patient of two spinal fusions in the last two years, Melvin’s first appearance at Five Flags since his Derby victory a year ago was nearly well worth the wait.

“We gave that race everything we had,” he said. “We raced him clean.”

Bubba Gale, father to NASCAR driver and former Snowball Derby pole sitter Cale Gale, sat on the Mods pole with a blistering time.

But Bubba Gale had immediate problems from the drop of the opening green and his night ended rather abruptly when a fire ignited in the engine compartment.

Melvin took advantage and built a full straightaway lead in the early going with Hamrac running a distant second.

The cautions allowed Hamrac to eventually make up the ground on Melvin, who dominated much of the race by running in another area code.

Thankfully for Hamrac, it was only a matter of time before he chased Melvin down.

“David Jones just gives such a good car,” Hamrac said of his Alabama Pipe and Supply car owner. “We had a hellacious setup under the hood that got us the victory.

“We had a big gap there, saved our tires and it worked out.”

Action continues Saturday with the Pro Late Model Allen Turner Snowflake 100, along with the last chance qualifying races for Sunday’s Snowball Derby and the 50 lap Pro Truck feature.

Visit 5flagsspeedway.com for more information.

46th Annual Snowball Derby
5 Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Starting Lineup (Unofficial) – Dec. 6, 2013

1. 9 Chase Elliott
2. 26 Bubba Pollard
3. 8 John Hunter Nemechek
4. 98 Daniel Hemric
5. 112 Augie Grill
6. 99 Casey Smith
7. 29 Austin Theriault
8. 77 David Ragan
9. 91 Zak Hausler
10. 90 Grant Enfinger
11. 25 Ross Kenseth
12. 51 Erik Jones
13. 51 Stephen Nasse
14. 71 Kyle Benjamin
15. 7 Paul Shafer, Jr.
16. 96 Ben Kennedy
17. 42 Chad Finley
18. 41 T.J. Reaid
19. 74 Preston Peltier
20. 18 Hunter Robbins
21. 15 Mason Massey
22. 12 Derek Thorn
23. 10 Johanna Long
24. 129 Spencer Davis
25. 53 Boris Jurkovic
26. 22 Jeremy Pate
27. 1 Mike Garvey
28. 11 Logan Boyett
29. 29 Landon Cassill
30. 29 Anderson Bowen
31. TBD Last Chance Race #1
32. TBD Last Chance Race #2
33. TBD Last Chance Race #3
34. TBD Last Chance Race #4
35. 41 Chris Davidson
36. 2 Donnie Wilson
37. 45 Clay Rogers

Super Stocks (Unofficial Results)
1. 14 Okie Mason
2. 42 Randy Thompson
3. 00 Jeff Belt
4. 57 J.R.Skipper
5. 56 Darryl Rudd
6. 30 Bobby Baria
7. 84 Joe Mahuron
8. 94 Jason Johnson
9. 86 Bubba Winslow
10. 7 Thumper Grice
11. 92 Roger Cain
12. 7H Cameron Henderson
13. 0 John Shuffler
14. 13 Jeremy Tassin
15. 71 Shannon Jackson
16. 60 Bill Campbell
17. 45 Ted Helmes
18. 5P Jason Prayer
19. 6 Mike Ledlow
20. 7 Mike Austin
21. 9 Todd Jones
22. R18 Jessie Reid
23. 5X Gary David
24. 2R Darin Matthews
25. 93 Paul Jean
DNS: 01 Jason Ward
DNS: 80 Allen Alexander

Modifieds (Unofficial Results)
1. 8 Donnie Hamrac
2. 145 Billy Melvin
3. 5 Donald Crocker
4. 79 Joe Aramendia
5. 131 Jeff Letson
6. 07 Bubba Pollard
7. 80 Brandon Morris
8. 96 John Heil
9. 46 Doug Moff
10. 66 Heath Mills
11. 17 Chris Cotto
12. 72 Johnny Walker
13. 8 D.J. Hoelzle
14. 10 Nathan Ingersoll
15. 131 Parker Pugh
16. 01 Darrell Bryson
17. 33 Jason Morman
18. 00 Brandon Curran
19. 13 Ian Webster
20. 117 Michael House
21. 71 Scooter Grice
22. 51 Zachary Knowles
23. 14 Mike Maddox
24. 18 Kevin Peel
25. 71 L.B. Skaggs
26. 88 John Sarppraicone, Jr.
27. 91 Jim Walls
28. 10 Danny Bagwell
29. 13 Jake Moore
30. 112 Rocky Rogers
31. 77 Jason Stanley
32. 83 Bubba Gale