Five Flags Speedway Enhances Security for 2011 Snowball Derby

Pensacola, Fla. - Monday marked the unofficial start of Snowball Derby week at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. Called the most prestigious short track race in North America, the Snowball Derby attracts thousands of fans to the Florida Panhandle each year.

The race is well known for attracting some of NASCAR’s best to do battle with super late model racing’s elite. The Snowball Derby is a 150-mile, 300-lap shootout and has been won by some of the most legendary names in our business.

Unfortunately, that’s not the lasting memory for many fans who attended last year’s event, a race won by hometown hero and Truck Series rookie Johanna Long. Instead, that event was marred by a mass tire slashing in the parking lot of the speedway, something track owner and general manager Tim Bryant soon hopes to erase from fans’ memories.

The suspect slashed over 50 victims’ tires before blending into the crowd last year. Escambia County Police never made an arrest and now considers the case closed. Changes to safety and security should make the 2010 incident a distant memory.

“We’ve beefed up our security for the 2011 season and added additional security detail for this year’s race,” Bryant said. “We’ve done everything possible to make sure our fans can enjoy the racing and not have something like that happen again.”

That’s good news for Joshua Thomas, a first-time attendee in 2010 who was victimized by the slashings and had some hesitation about renewing his tickets for 2011.

“I feel better now that they’ve made these changes,” Thomas said. “As we found out last year the track was in desperate need of something.”

Thomas committed to the 2011 race weekend upon hearing of the enhancements and will now be at the track on Saturday and Sunday.

Derby week officially kicks off on Wednesday with the Green Flag party starting at 9 a.m. CST. Trailers will be moved into the track starting at 9 a.m. with tech inspection running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The party will run from 5-9 p.m. and will feature autographs, food, beverages and music.

The event is sponsored by local broadcast media partners Cat Country WYCT 98.7 and WEAR TV (ABC) 3.

The Snowball Derby is a 300-lap super late model stock car automobile race held annually at the half-mile Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. The race has been contested every year since 1968 and is always run on the first weekend in December. NASCAR Ranting and Raving has provided live coverage every year since 2009. Check back to the blog in the coming days as we will provide daily up-to-the-minute news and results from the Speedway.

Ranting and Raving Content Editor Matt Weaver is on-site in Pensacola and providing additional content on Twitter @MattWeaverSBN. Check it out!