Long before Daniel Hemric and Bubba Pollard went head-to-head for the inaugural Southern Super Series championship, Joe Nemechek and Rick Crawford dueled for the All Pro Series title in a battle that was decided at that year’s Snowball Derby.
Snowball Derby Moment (1989): Rick Crawford wins first Derby prior to long NASCAR career
With the Snowball Derby right around the corner, SB Nation will relive the most famous moments of the event, leading up to the race itself which takes place on Sunday, Dec. 8 this year.
Todd Warshaw
Crawford entered the race trailing Nemechek in the standings and needed a win to have any hope at the championship -- as if winning the Snowball Derby wasn’t prestigious enough by itself.
In the highlights video below, you’ll find a retro-looking Five Flags Speedway, without walls or a pit road playing host to one of the most dramatic races in Snowball Derby history. Crawford successfully won the race, utilizing a late pit stop for tires and passed Rich Bickle Jr. and Bobby Dotter for his only career victory in the event.
However, it was not enough to eclipse Nemechek for the season championship, as he took seventh in the Derby and the penultimate All-Pro championship by five points. The Super Series Tour was folded into the NASCAR Southeastern Tour following the 1990 season.
Crawford eventually translated his late model success into a NASCAR career where he gained popularity in the Camping World Truck Series, winning five times and starting 336 races -- best for second in series history, recently beat by Ron Hornaday Jr.
He was 31 at the time of his Snowball Derby triumph and was just a few seasons removed from winning track championships at both Pensacola and his hometown Mobile International Speedway -- a track he promoted from 2011-12.
The complete 1989 Snowball Derby Results (and the video clip) can be found below.
Continuing coverage of the Snowball Derby can be found on the Ranting and Raving short track blog. Visit our Facebook page for all the updates and links to our stories leading up to the Super Bowl of Short Track Racing.
The 46th Annual Snowball Derby is set for Sunday Dec. 8, 2013 with the green flag dropping at approximately 3 p.m. EST.
1989 Snowball Derby results
- Rick Crawford
- Rich Bickle
- Bobby Dotter
- Scott Hansen
- Junior Niedecken
- Darrell Brown
- Joe Nemechek
- Keith Waid
- Clay Brown
- Bob Senneker
- Ron Young
- Jack Cook
- Randy Couch
- David Rogers
- Ray Skillman
- Scotty Lovelady
- Charles Skipper
- Billy Bigley, Jr.
- Daniel Keene
- Kenny Thorpe
- Jeff Purvis
- Tony Raines
- Harry Gant
- Mike Love
- Ted Musgrave
- Gerald Wilkerson
- Ken Smith
- Scott Sutherland
- Stanley Smith
- Rege Hellett
- Eddie Mercer
- Eddie Hanks
- Red Farmer
- Bobby Gill
- David Green
- Wayne Willard
- Dave Mader, III
- Jody Ridley
- Gary Wade Finley
- Gary Bradberry
- Jeff Dawkins
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