Stock car drivers from a variety of different disciplines, including NASCAR and the various short track tours, will converge upon the Florida Gulf Coast in three weeks to chase after the most sought after prize in Super Late Model racing -- a victory in the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway.
Preliminary Snowball Derby entry list released and includes NASCAR drivers
The preliminary Snowball Derby entry list was released on Friday and contains 66 participants, including David Ragan, Chase Elliott, Landon Cassill and Erik Jones. The list will continue to grow in advance of the Dec. 8 event.
Tom Pennington
While entries will continue to pour in for the Dec. 8 event in Pensacola, Fla., a healthy contingent of drivers including Sprint Cup Series veteran and Late Model advocate David Ragan has already filed his entry.
Beyond Ragan, the defending polesitter of the race, a variable who’s who of talent has filed their intent to compete including former winners Johanna Long (2010), Chase Elliott (2011), and defending race winner Erik Jones, who will be driving the same Kyle Busch Motorsports Camry that he defeated in the race one year ago.
The race is well-known for drawing a diverse field and with only 37 spots available for the Derby itself, the qualifying session and last chance races will continue to feature unparalleled drama and intensity. It was just a year ago that long-time Derby contender and Sprint Cup driver Landon Cassill missed the due to a horrendous qualifying effort and last chance race.
Cassill will also be back this year, driving for the powerful Adrian Carriers No. 29 team in his fourth attempt to win a race that he still feels was denied to him by Long in 2010.
“We have the cream of the crop of short-track racers,” said Tim Bryant, general manager and co-owner of Five Flags Speedway. “Our total number of entries is ahead of where we were last year. We always see a few drivers drop off just due to attrition but I do think we could see over 50 for both our Super Late and Pro Late Model races that weekend.”
Snowball Derby week starts on Dec. 4 with the annual Green Flag Party at the track. Local divisions race Dec. 5 with pole qualifying for the Snowball Derby and the popular Southern Modified race set to occur on Friday, Dec. 6. The Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model race and last chance race for the Derby is set for Saturday, Dec. 7.
The complete entry list (66 teams as of Nov. 26) has been provided below. More entries will be added as the Snowball Derby gets ever closer. Follow the Ranting and Raving short track blog on Facebook to continue receiving updates on entries as they continue to pour in.
- Cody Coughlin
- Mike Garvey
- Tim Martin
- Stephan McCurley
- Brady Boswell
- Donnie Wilson
- DJ VanderLey
- Nathan Davis
- Dakoda Armstrong
- Jerry Artuso
- Paul Shafer Jr.
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Chase Elliott
- Mark Kraus
- Johanna Long
- Steve Dorer
- David Rogers
- Logan Boyett
- Derek Thorn
- Chris Davidson
- Mason Massey
- Hunter Robbins
- Lonnie Sommerville
- Cale Gale
- Jeremy Pate
- Dalton Grindle
- Ross Kenseth
- Bubba Pollard
- Anderson Bowen
- Austin Theriault
- Landon Cassill
- Spencer Davis
- Kyle Grissom
- Alex Labbe
- Grant Enfinger
- T.J. Reaid
- Chad Finley
- Dennis Schoenfeld
- Clay Rogers
- Dwayne Buggay
- Allen Karnes
- Josh Hamner
- Erik Jones
- Stephen Nasse
- Chris Wimmer
- Boris Jurkovic
- D.J. Shaw
- Steve Wallace
- Jeff Fultz
- Kyle Benjamin
- Cole Powell
- Preston Peltier
- David Ragan
- Kyle Bryant
- Scott Mulkern
- Justin South
- Zachary Hausler
- Ben Kennedy
- John Fleming
- Mason Mingus
- Daniel Hemric
- Casey Smith
- Jr. Niedecken
- Augie Grill
- Tyler Miles
See More:
