2013 Snowball Derby: Modified race could be Danny Bagwell’s last

PENSACOLA, Fla -- Danny Bagwell most notably cut his teeth in the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series, which later became the International Sport Compact Auto Racing Series (ISCARS), but has been a fixture at the Snowball Derby in recent years. This year he brings out his Modified for Friday night’s 50 lap feature, but this could possibly be the last time he climbs into a race car.

“I’m 53, have grand-kids, and a kid in college, so this could be my last time,” noted Bagwell.

Bagwell has made one Snowball Derby start, a 20th place finish in 2009, and has failed to make the show on a few other occasions including 2012. This year he brings the Modified out of the cobwebs to see what it can do.

“This is the first time we’ve had it out in three years, but it should be good,” said Bagwell prior to qualifying. “We had to work on it a bit. We probably won’t be first, but we won’t be last.”

Over thirty cars are on hand for perhaps the southeast’s biggest open wheel Modified race of the season. It’s a race where drivers need to be on their toes, but not overly patient.

“We want to stay out of trouble the first 40 laps at least and then see what happens,” predicted Bagwell.

Many fans may remember Bagwell from his scary 1999 crash at Daytona International Speedway, but the veteran driver racked up 58 career wins in the four-to-six cylinder sub-compact racing series throughout over twenty years. In recent seasons, he increasingly won on that circuit but also dabbled with Super Late Model and Modified competition in the Southeast with mixed results. Bagwell even made three career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts.

“We’ve had fun and enjoyed it,” Bagwell remarks about his extensive career.

Bagwell will start 22nd in Friday night’s race.

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.