NASCAR Ranting and Raving - For NASCAR Fans

Ranting and Raving's Top Picks for the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby

by MattHaggard on Nov 29, 2010 11:44 PM EST

Kyle Busch picked up his first victory at last year's Snowball Derby on Dec. 6, 2009. (Photo: CloseFinishes.com)

After hyping the race last week, we'll now look at who has the inside shot at actually winning Sunday afternoon's Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla.

2009 race-winner Kyle Busch is likely unable to attend the 2010 race, meaning we could easily have a new champion crowned on Sunday. In looking at possible contenders, we'll separate the most likely winners into two categories.

The first is composed of long-time local entrants who have raced at Five Flags for at least three years. Several members of this group have even raced at the speedway for several decades. The second group consists of drivers with large enough financial backings, giving them a shot at overcoming even the most experienced of local drivers. We'll start with the latter group:

Kyle Busch Motorsports: Team-owner Kyle will be attending the Cup Series Championship banquet on Friday and has an outside shot of driving the no. 51 Toyota Camry on Sunday. KBM has two entries with T.J. Reaid expected to race the second car. KBM has competed in the Snowball for half a decade and has brought powerful machines, capable of winning, each season. Busch, Reaid or any other combination of KBM drivers will lead this group on Sunday.

David Stremme: This is only Stremme's second Snowball Derby after competing in last season's event. Stremme lacks the experience that most other divers have but has an engine built by two-time Snowball winning team Augie and Frankie Grill. The Grills helped build both cars and has been successful at Five Flags in the past. Keep an eye out for Stremme in 2010's event.

Ross Kenseth: Kenseth, the son of former NASCAR Cup Series champion Matt, qualified on the outside pole for the 2009 Snowball Derby and has an excellent shot at the front row again on Friday. Kenseth struggled with a ill-handling machine and avoided several accidents to finish 12th. The Wisconsin State Champion expects this year's race to end much differently.

Chase Elliott: The 15-year old prodigal son of former NASCAR Cup Series Champion Bill Elliott has turned a lot of heads in the world of late model racing, having secured several top wins across the country. At 14-years old, Chase turned even more heads at last year's Snowball Derby, securing seventh place in that race. Elliott is also the youngest winner of a race at Lanier Speedway and is the youngest winner in the Georgia Asphalt Series, having also won their Season Championship and Rookie of the Year honors. If you think that Elliott is done breaking records, think again. Elliott just might be poised to become the youngest Snowball Derby Champion ever.

The local drivers' chances can be found after the jump!

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Jamie and Christy McMurray have baby boy!

Welcome to Carter Scott McMurray!!

about 16 hours ago 4ever3 0 comments

Petty Back In The Driver's Seat at RPM

This is good to hear. Really good.

about 16 hours ago 4ever3 3 comments

Promotional Video for the 43rd Snowball Derby

1 day ago MattHaggard 0 comments

David Ragan Likes Five Flag Speedway's Track Surface

NASCAR driver David Ragan tested Five Flags Speedway for the first time Monday.

Fresh off his 20th place finish in Sunday's Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Ragan flew into Pensacola to test a car for the Dec. 5 Snowball Derby.

"It's a neat track. It's fast. It's worn out, which is great," he said. "A track that has new pavement is kinda boring to me. I like a track that's worn out and has some character."

2 days ago MattHaggard 0 comments

43rd Annual Snowball Derby Attracting Top NASCAR Talent

by MattHaggard on Nov 28, 2010 2:23 AM EST in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

The NASCAR season ended on Sunday but that doesn't mean that the racing has to. In fact, some of the better independent short track races take place after the season. Thus allowing some of NASCAR's best to take place.

One such race is the Snowball Derby.

It's considered by many to be the most prestigious short track race in America. And with previous winners named Allison, Wallace, Waltrip and Busch, why shouldn't it be?

The event has been won by two NASCAR Cup Series champions, five Sprint Cup Series and four Camping World Truck Series race winners.

The 43rd Annual Snowball Derby features Kyle Busch Motorsports (TBA), Steve Wallace, Bobby Gill, Chase Elliott, Ross Kenseth, David Stremme, David Ragan, Landon Cassill and Nationwide Series newcomer Johanna Long.

These drivers and more will compete at Five Flags Speedway, a half-mile oval located in Pensacola, Fla. that has been home to NASCAR, ASA, and USCS sprint car racing.

The track is best known for it's Bristol-like bumper-car action and high-banked (15°) turns. The straightaways are also banked to the tune of 9°, creating an exciting on-track product.

Kyle Busch won the race last season but is unable to defend his crown for the Dec. 5 event. That's because he'll be in Las Vegas attending the Sprint Cup Series Championship banquet. He's there by virtue of finishing third in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings.

Instead Busch will be represented by two Super Late Model entries with T.J. Reaid as the driver of one car.

Three other former Snowball Derby winners are entered, including two-time race winner Augie Grill, Eddie Mercer and Dave Mader III, who last won the event in 1978.

NASCAR Ranting and Raving will attend Five Flags Speedway all week providing video, images and sound. A raceday open thread will be posted on Sunday Dec. 5 for all interested parties.

Beneath the fold is a list of past winners and the entry list for this week's events.

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New crew chiefs for Gordon, Martin & Earnhardt Jr.

Hendrick Motorsports has made personnel adjustments in preparation for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. being teamed with new crew chiefs. Below are the driver-crew chief pairings for each Hendrick Motorsports car, effective immediately:
#5 Chevy, driver: Mark Martin, Crew Chief: Lance McGrew
#24 Chevy, driver: Jeff Gordon; Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
#48 Chevy, driver: Jimmie Johnson; Crew Chief: Chad Knaus
#88 Chevy, driver: Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Crew Chief: Steve Letarte
The cars of Martin and four-time Sprint Cup champion Gordon will be fielded out of the same facility, now known as the 5/24 shop. Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevys will be prepared out of the renamed 48/88 shop alongside those of five-time and defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. "This will improve us as an organization, across the board," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "We had a championship season (in 2010), but we weren't where we wanted and needed to be with all four teams. We've made the right adjustments, and I'm excited to go racing with this lineup."

6 days ago MattHaggard 6 comments