The Snowball Derby remains one of the most anticipated events on the racing calendar, drawing competitors from every corner of the stock car and late model worlds. The 2025 edition, scheduled for Dec. 4–7 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, has already prompted heavy anticipation among fans. This year’s field brings an added spark, as two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch returns to the Derby for the first time in five years. He will join a mix of Cup Series names, including Noah Gragson.
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While Busch has made five Snowball Derby starts since 2002, Gragson is far from a newcomer to the event as well. Gragson won the 2018 Snowball Derby title in his fourth attempt, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Since that win, the event has not been as kind to him. Gragson either missed the field or failed to finish better than 20th in his subsequent four starts, except for last season, when he salvaged a 19th-place run.
The Front Row Motorsports driver enjoyed working with his car last year, yet still fell short of contending for the win. In 2023, he again found himself in the mix, but a poor restart while running fourth with fewer than 20 laps remaining triggered a major crash that ended his day. Reflecting on the nature of the event, Gragson said, “It’s been definitely a challenging place, no matter who or what you are.”
He added that success requires precision across the entire weekend. “To be able to go down there and execute a good weekend, it’s really challenging. So, track position’s key, but it’s not everything there… Super Late Models is it’s not impossible to pass. If you nail the balance right and you nail the stagger, just everything is flowing good, it makes it a lot of fun because you’re passing cars.”
Gragson acknowledged the other side of the coin as well. When a car misses the mark, struggles to rotate, and chews through its tires, the frustration becomes obvious.
If a driver is on the backside of things, and the car’s not driving well, and the driver is slipping and sliding off the corner, burning the tires up, the other guys are going past, and the driver almost has the parachute hanging out, it’s not too fun.
Even with those challenges, Gragson emphasized his confidence in his group. He said the team has consistently managed to drive forward over the past few years and make the show. This December, Gragson and his crew return with a clear intent to enjoy the experience, embrace the moment, and ultimately position themselves to chase the trophy once again.
