| Venue | Five Flags Speedway |
|---|---|
| Location | Pensacola, Florida |
| First race | 1968 |
| Distance | 150 Miles |
| Laps | 300 |
| Most wins (driver) | Rich Bickle (5) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.5 mi (0.80 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
TheSnowball Derby is a 300-lapsuper late modelstock car race held annually at theFive Flags Speedway, a half-mile paved oval track inPensacola,Florida,United States.
The race has been contested every year since 1968 and is typically run on the first Sunday in December, although in some years it has been run on the second Sunday.
Stephen Nasse is the defending winner, having won it in 2025.
The Snowball Derby has a reputation for attracting some of the bigger names inshort track racing, including top seriesNASCAR drivers. For example, the 2009 event was won by NASCAR driverKyle Busch, and also featuredSteve Wallace,Bobby Gill,Chase Elliott,Matt Kenseth's sonRoss Kenseth,David Stremme, andCale Gale.[1] The popularity of the race forced NASCAR to move their annual national series prizegiving banquet in 2017 to a date as to not conflict with the Snowball Derby.
Because of the "all-star" nature of the race, the Snowball Derby is considered by many to be the most prestigious race in super late model racing.[2] Though most drivers entering the race are from nearby states, some drivers travel across the United States to compete, mainly because of the posted awards and super late model rules, which are very similar to each other regardless of track or tours (the United Super Late Model Rules Alliance).[3]
The Snowball Derby has been won by past and future stars of NASCAR, including five national series champions (oneCup Series, two who won both a Cup andXfinity Series championship, twoTruck Series, total ten national championships), five Cup Series, two Xfinity Series, and seven Truck Series race winners.Tammy Jo Kirk became the first female winner of the race in 1994 which led to her becoming a future NASCAR competitor.Johanna Long would become the second female driver to win the Snowball Derby in 2010. From 2011 until 2014, the Snowball was won by teenage drivers who have since won in NASCAR's national series. In the 2010s, only two drivers (2015, 2019) were in their 20's and one driver (2017) was in their 30's.
Over the years, the race format has varied between 100 laps, 200 laps, and a unique 300 laps plus additional laps equalling the number of runnings of this race. The format has settled into a straight 300 lap event, though a late yellow flag can create agreen-white-checkered finish that extends the race beyond 300 laps.
The Snowball Derby is an independent event, meaning that it is not officially sanctioned (for a fee) by a racing organization. However, it is associated with both the United Super Late Model Rules Alliance and the Southern Super Series, a series of Super Late Model races in the region including Five Flags Speedway, with officials from that series, most notably Ricky Brooks as chief steward, officiating the race. Most Super Late Model races are run with the USLMRA package, regardless of tracks or regional series (although the track requiresContinental AG tires, while some tracks may use American Racer or Goodyear), various series will encourage drivers to attend the event (PASS North and South, Southern Super Series, ARCA JEG'S/CRA, Spears Southwest). In the past the Snowball was sanctioned by Bob Harmon's All Pro organization, and for one year by NASCAR when it acquired All Pro.
The Allen Turner Snowflake 125 is a 125-lap pro late model race held the Saturday before the Snowball Derby. Held since 1999, notable winners include multi-year winnersKyle Busch,Erik Jones, andChase Elliott. Other notable NASCAR winners areDarrell Waltrip,Donnie Allison,Noah Gragson andJohn Hunter Nemechek. Originally 100 laps, the race went to 100 green flag laps in 2007 (eliminating all safety car laps from the count), and increased to 125 laps in 2025.
Keelan Harvick, son ofKevin Harvick, is the youngest winner of the event and the latest winner of the event, having won it in 2025.
The Snowball Derby 75 is a 75-lapmodified race held since 2018.
| Year | Date | Driver | Race Distance | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles | ||||
| 1968 | December 15 | Wayne Niedecken Sr. | 300 | 150 (241.4 km) | [4] |
| 1969 | December 14 | Friday Hassler | — | ||
| 1970 | December 6 | Wayne Niedecken Sr. (2) | |||
| 1971 | December 5 | Dickie Davis | |||
| 1972 | December 3 | Ed Howe | |||
| 1973 | December 2 | Dickie Davis (2) | |||
| 1974 | December 8 | Pete Hamilton | |||
| 1975 | December 7 | Donnie Allison | |||
| 1976 | December 5 | Darrell Waltrip | |||
| 1977 | December 4 | Ronnie Sanders | |||
| 1978 | December 3 | Dave Mader III | |||
| 1979 | December 2 | Freddy Fryar | |||
| 1980 | December 7 | Gary Balough | |||
| 1981 | December 6 | Freddy Fryar (2) | |||
| 1982 | December 5 | Gene Morgan | |||
| 1983 | December 14 | Mickey Gibbs | |||
| 1984 | December 9 | Butch Lindley | |||
| 1985 | December 8 | Jody Ridley | |||
| 1986 | December 7 | Gary Balough | |||
| 1987 | December 6 | Butch Miller | |||
| 1988 | December 4 | Ted Musgrave | |||
| 1989 | December 3 | Rick Crawford | |||
| 1990 | December 2 | Rich Bickle | |||
| 1991 | December 8 | Rich Bickle (2) | |||
| 1992 | December 6 | Gary St. Amant | [5] | ||
| 1993 | December 5 | Bobby Gill | [6] | ||
| 1994 | December 4 | Tammy Jo Kirk | [7] | ||
| 1995 | December 3 | Jeff Purvis | [8] | ||
| 1996 | December 8 | Rich Bickle (3) | [9] | ||
| 1997 | December 7 | Bobby Gill | [10] | ||
| 1998 | December 6 | Rich Bickle (4) | [11] | ||
| 1999 | December 5 | Rich Bickle (5) | [12] | ||
| 2000 | December 3 | Gary St. Amant (2) | [13] | ||
| 2001 | December 2 | Wayne Anderson | [14] | ||
| 2002 | December 8 | Ricky Turner | [15] | ||
| 2003 | December 7 | Charlie Bradberry | [16] | ||
| 2004 | December 11 | Steve Wallace | [17] | ||
| 2005 | December 4 | Eddie Mercer | [18] | ||
| 2006 | December 3 | Johnny Brazier | [19] | ||
| 2007 | December 2 | Augie Grill | [20] | ||
| 2008 | December 7 | Augie Grill (2) | [5] | ||
| 2009 | December 6 | Kyle Busch | [21] | ||
| 2010 | December 5 | Johanna Long | [22] | ||
| 2011 | December 4 | Chase Elliott | [23] | ||
| 2012 | December 2 | Erik Jones | [24] | ||
| 2013 | December 8 | Erik Jones (2) | [25] | ||
| 2014 | December 7 | John Hunter Nemechek | [26] | ||
| 2015 | December 6 | Chase Elliott (2) | [27] | ||
| 2016 | December 6 | Christian Eckes | [28] | ||
| 2017 | December 3 | Kyle Busch (2) | [29] | ||
| 2018 | December 2 | Noah Gragson | [30] | ||
| 2019 | December 9 | Travis Braden | [31] | ||
| 2020 | December 6 | Ty Majeski | [32] | ||
| 2021 | December 5 | Chandler Smith | [33] | ||
| 2022 | December 4 | Derek Thorn | [34] | ||
| 2023 | December 3 | Ty Majeski (2) | [35] | ||
| 2024 | December 8 | Kaden Honeycutt | [36] | ||
| 2025 | December 7 (raced on December 8) | Stephen Nasse | — | ||
| # Wins | Driver | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Rich Bickle | 1990, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 |
| 2 | Wayne Niedecken | 1968, 1970 |
| Freddy Fryar | 1979, 1981 | |
| Augie Grill | 2007, 2008 | |
| Chase Elliott | 2011, 2015 | |
| Kyle Busch | 2009, 2017 | |
| Dickie Davis | 1971, 1973 | |
| Erik Jones | 2012, 2013 | |
| Bobby Gill | 1993, 1997 | |
| Gary St. Amant | 1992, 2000 | |
| Gary Balough | 1980, 1986 | |
| Ty Majeski | 2020, 2023 |