Christian Eckes (15) edges out John Hunter Nemechek (8) at the checkered flag to win Tuesday night’s rain delayed Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway. Photo by Eddie Richie/Turn One Photos/Loxley, AL
After two days of waiting, the 49th annual running of the Snowball Derby came down to a last lap battle.
It was a fight between two teenage aces on the high banks of 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, as Christian Eckes and John Hunter Nemechek swapped the lead back and fourth some four times over the course of the final two laps.
Coming to the checkered flag, it was 16-year-old Eckes nipping Nemechek by a matter of inches at the finish line to score the biggest asphalt Super Late Model win of his career and take home the coveted Tom Dawson trophy.
“Wow. Can’t believe this one,” Eckes said via Twitter. “2016 Snowball Derby Champs!”
Nemechek, the 2014 Snowball Derby winner, had taken the lead from Ty Majeski with less than 15 laps to go, but Eckes was able to close the gap on the leader as the laps wound down. With three to go, the Middletown, New York native got a run on the inside of Nemechek, and the fight for the win was on.
“Dang that was close,” Nemechek said via Twitter. “Coming to line finished 2nd. Disappointing coming that close and not taking home the trophy.”
Both drivers had laid low for most of the race, while Michigan native Chad Finley led the most laps. But mechanical issues robbed the underdog driver of a chance to fight for the win, as he faded with 18 laps left in the race.
NASCAR driver William Byron brought the field to green from the pole, but saw his night go south with 40 laps to go. While racing on the inside of Stephen Nasse for second place, the two made contact, sending Nasse’s car around and into the fourth turn wall.
But the excitement didn’t end there.
As the field came by under caution, Nasse drove hard into the side of Byron’s car, leaving both cars heavily damaged. Nasse climbed from his car and headed for Byron’s car on pit road, but was intercepted by track Chief Technical Inspector Ricky Brooks, who walked him away from pit road.
Majeski finished in third, with 2016 Southern Super Series champion Donnie Wilson in fourth and Jasper, Georgia’s Chandler Smith in fifth.
Lawrenceville, Georgia’s Casey Roderick came back from a crash that left him with heavy right side damage to finish in sixth. Grant Enfinger, Zane Smith, Noah Gragson and Raphael Lessard rounded out the top ten.
The race had originally been slated to run Sunday afternoon, but two days worth of rain in the Pensacola area pushed the event back to Tuesday night, the first time it had not run on Sunday since 2004.
5 Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Snowball Derby – Dec. 6, 2016
1. 15 Christian Eckes
2. 8 John Hunter Nemechek
3. 91 Ty Majeski
4. 2W Donnie Wilson
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6. 7 Casey Roderick
7. 82 Grant Enfinger
8. 77 Zane Smith
9. 5G Noah Gragson
10. 99L Raphael Lessard
11. 26 Bubba Pollard
12. 43T Derek Thorn
13. 14C Connor Okrzesik
14. 99 Casey Smith
15. 29 Spencer Davis
16. 07 Corey LaJoie
17. 4D Dalton Armstrong
18. 55 Dalton Sargeant
19. 01 Derek Scott, Jr.
20. 42 Chad Finley
21. 51N Stephen Nasse
22. 9B William Byron
23. 98 Daniel Hemric
24. 3 Kaz Grala
25. 9K Derek Kraus
26. 97 Cole Anderson
27. 112 Augie Grill
28. 5 Jerry Artuso
29. 9C Jeff Choquette
30. 83 Scotty Ellis
31. 14 Chris Davidson
32. 51 Christopher Bell
33. 11 David Rogers
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36. 16 Brandon McReynolds
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