45th Annual Snowball Derby Finishing Results

[Dana Barlow]

Would of been outstanding if there were cars as good as that, also given to other kids at 15 to 16 years old,WOW some super $$$$$$ helped and crew make a good driver when very young,many of us would of loved that type of boost,must be some story there

[Mark Keeler]

A note on Erik Jones: that is ONE team on that front end of Pit Road that did not hire a single "professional" crew member for the Derby!

It showed as they had trouble with lugnuts in the right rear in two consecutive Pit stops and Both times the kid got them back out front.

Even local favorite Jeremy Pate (the team that helped completely clip Brian Campbell's car on Thursday night) said in my pre-race interview that they hired a cup crew for the Derby.

[egspeedway]

Nascar drivers should be allowed to compete for several reasons. They like us like to take some time away from their regular job and persue other interests. No one complains about Tony Stewart,Ken Schrader or a host of others who raced at other venues. It is good for the sport and certainly helps at the gate. Its worth the price of admission to see a Busch get his butt kicked. Nascar entries are a tradition at the Snowball and thus a part of its mystique. The Nascar drvers are given no advantage, thet sent David Pearson home because his car was to light. And once again David slew Goliath.

[ancrdave]

This race has always attracted "name" drivers over the years... Guys like Darrell Waltrip, Bobby & Donnie Allison etc. would not miss it... A chance to make a few extra bucks during the off season.
Concerning David Ragan... David is one of just three current Sprint Cup drivers who has visited the Archives here in Daytona in the three years I've been here... That's right, just three current drivers have stopped by here even though it's right next door to the Speedway credentials building (the others were Tony stewart and Ryan Newman)... David has an appreciation for the history of the sport and just loves to race... His dad Ken, a former Cup racer, is a class act too and a great friend...
Whether you like Kyle Busch or not, the guy is a RACER... he just wants to race and his "bad boy" attitude is not really unlike an early Darrell Waltrip or some of the guys from the "50s like Jack Smith who'd just as soon knock you out either on the track or in the pits after the race...
If I was a Cup owner, I'd be trying to put together a two car team that will feature Erik Jones and Kyle Larson... Talk about two kids with a big future ahead of them.

[Jane]

Sorry, I am not a Busch fan at all but I do like David Ragan and I understand that NASCAR's season is over and any and all drivers just want to get behind that wheel and race. They may have an advantage in the fact that they have more money to spend than some of the other Super Late Model drivers but I do understand why they are there. Just like some of the drivers ran the Snowflake and the Snowball and does that give them more of an advantage if they have never run at Five Flags?? Just like NASCAR, I think they need to keep the cup cars out of the Nationwide series but they don't. But it shows that some teams have more money than others so they can afford to race both.

Guess I am old fashion and still believe in rookies and pros but nowadays, that no longer applies really. You start out in a Bandolero and go to a Legend because you are a pro now and if you have the money, you go bigger and bigger. Use to be that you paid your dues in the Nationwide series and then moved up to Cup. But yes, there are only a few Super Late Model races that big names can race before their season begins and I am sure we will see some at Speedfest also.

And again, that is only my two cents on how I feel. I don't expect anyone to join my bandwagon because we all have our opinions for sure.

Merry Christmas

[tccaz]

How do you decide

How do you decide where to make the cutoff rule between the "pros" and the "amateurs" Nationwide drivers ok how about the trucks or arca but the world of outlaw drivers make their living driving race cars hell most of the guys racing super late models make their living doing something in racing. Well I guess they all are pros of some sort how many races can you run in a year and be considered a hobbyist NO ONE CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION so you have to let everyone that wants to race and if you can't win you ain't good enough.

[Jimmy McKinley]

Just to make a distinction here, there is a difference in 'bringing the stars' out to your track (which is a paid appearance to show up), and this race. The Derby doesn't (to my knowledge), pay ANYONE to show up. The Cup drivers that come, know that they are just any other racer at these shows. They aren't stars, they aren't paid to be there.... they come because it's an awesome & prestigious race to win.

Using David Ragan as an example, if he were to win the Derby, THAT fame would last far longer than anyone remembering he won at Daytona in a Cup car.

It's a race that ANY self-respecting racer would cherish in his career. It... is... HUGE in the racing world.

...which was exactly my point

When Allison, Waltrip, and them guys came to town, they knew they had beat guys like Sanders, Niedecken, Mader...they didn't get "paid" to show up.

[Jimmy McKinley]

Just a bit of history was made with Jones' victory, also.

He has become the seventh driver to win both the Snowball Derby and the Florida Governor's Cup.

The other six drivers? Two other Michigan hot shoes, Ed Howe ('72 Derby, '72, '74-'76 Governor's Cup) and Butch Miller ('85 Governor's Cup and '87 Derby); Texas' Freddy Fryar ('64 Florida State Championship, '79 Derby); and Florida's Gary "Hot Shoe" Balough ('68 Governor's Cup, '86 Derby), Wayne Anderson ('01 Derby, '99, '03, and '08 Governor's Cup) and Bobby Gill ('90-'92 Governor's Cup, '93, '97 Derby). Maybe you've heard of 'em

Quite a list to join for the kid!

[racnphotos68]

And to add a few more things to my earlier comment that I thought of during my drive back home today, this race is one of the few races that they can shake down their own car and team to make sure it is what they want before they put someone else in either as a rental situation or a development deal. And sure there are plenty of locals that want to make the race but take the Cup guys out and there were big names that still didn't make it in. Also those fans that were booing Busch rather loudly would not have missed the chance to do just that, and maybe would not have shown up to cheer a Steve Dorer, etc.
Last but not least, where do you cut it off, remember our own David Rogers ran a lot of big time NASCAR races in his day. If you start cutting out NASCAR drivers from the big three divisions you take out Johanna Long and a lot of others... Just sayin!!!
Have fun everyone.

[bigfoor]

snowball

it is great to have kyle bush in the show.. it is a perfect way for the young guns to get exsperience against the best..it willl help them get more sponsors
in the future..
i think next year augie grill will be driving his own machines,, 2 mechanical failures in both races..
Nascar should learn from this and have more 1/2 tracks.. they will fill the seats everytime

[egspeedway]

it is great to have kyle bush in the show.. it is a perfect way for the young guns to get exsperience against the best..it willl help them get more sponsors
in the future..
i think next year augie grill will be driving his own machines,, 2 mechanical failures in both races..
Nascar should learn from this and have more 1/2 tracks.. they will fill the seats everytime

Nascar has no problem with 1/2 mile tracks. They have a problem with the seating capacity.

[Mark Keeler]

There are actually 8 drivers that have won both the Derby and Governors Cup as two-time Derby winner Augie Grill took the Cup this year. Talk about an elite list of "the best" at Super Late Models. And believe me the addition of Grill and Jones to that list, along with the amount of talk circulating about the Gov Cup all over Pensacola last week, should certainly show up as the 2013 Cup gets closer.

Side note to Kyle, I am certainly not a fan and the incident with TJ was quite nauseating, but I do have to give him credit for running Jones clean, extremely hard, but clean, in that last green flag run to the checkers.