The two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch had yet another disappointing season in the NASCAR Cup Series this year. But now in the offseason, he has a chance to rain some good fortune upon himself. The Richard Childress Superstar will be a part of the field that races for the 58th Snowball Derby title at the Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, on Sunday.
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Busch started on the pole of the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) and ended up finishing first. He will be finding ways to gain track position in the main event, as he will start from the tail of the field. He told the press, “Gotta stay on the lead. That’s gonna be how we progress at the start of the race tomorrow.” He went on to talk about how technically nuanced Super Late Model racing has gotten lately.
“These guys got all kinds of gizmos and gadgets and everything,” he quipped. “Figuring out how these things scale out. Bump loads and all of this crazy stuff. Way over my head.”
He also underlined that gaining track position was going to be a harder task than gaining those positions and keeping them. This is because he will have to pass his competitors on the track and can’t depend on pit stops.
Kyle Busch wins the Snowball Derby LCQ and will start the main event tomorrow pic.twitter.com/m8caBSZcr7
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) December 7, 2025
He added, “Obviously, starting as deep as we are, you kind of want to ride and save your stuff, but you also gotta know that behind you, the leaders are coming. They can put you a lap down pretty quick and mess up your day in a hurry.”
Busch views the 25-lap LCQ as race practice and a key advantage that he got over the others. He believes that it will benefit him during the race.
Who will lead the Snowball Derby?
Preston Peltier will lead the field at the green flag in what will be the final Snowball Derby start of his career. It is his second pole start ever, and he will be joined by Ty Majeski on the front row. He’d earned the top spot with a time record of 16.240 after Majeski had dominated most of the session.
Rookie driver Hudson Bulger secured third place on the grid Jake Finch secured fourth spot. Spencer Davis finished fifth to round off the top-5. Notably, Noah Gragson was hit with mechanical issues and couldn’t get his car up to speed. His Rette Jones Racing team attempted to get the car down to pit road and resolve the issue, but it persisted even on a second attempt.
Ryan Preece will be starting from 27th place, and Erik Jones will start at 41st. Fans can watch the race live on FloRacing.
