The Snowball Derby is one of the best true-to-the-word ‘events’ available in American grassroots motorsports today. Annually held in Pensacola, Florida, this festivity is all about racing for an entire weekend.
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Drivers from multiple disciplines arrive at the Five Flags Speedway to try their luck in Super Late Models and Pro Late Models and go home with monetary prizes, not to mention the accolade of winning one of the most popular end-of-season races.
However, a worrying trend has begun lately. The number of entries for the Snowball Derby has decreased steadily over the last five years. In 2019, the list consisted of 56 cars. In 2024, it had only 45 cars.
“The days of having 80 or 90 cars for a race like this, that is in the past,” elaborated track owner Tim Bryant.
The starting lineup is set for the 57th Annual #SnowballDerby at 5 Flags Speedway.
Take a look at the 36-car lineup 👇 https://t.co/E5irBt1XEk
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) December 7, 2024
This reduction is despite the prize money for winning the main event being higher than ever at $50,000. So, why are drivers and teams shying away from the derby despite this attractive prize? Track owner Tim Bryant believes that it could be because of the huge expenses incurred in putting up an entry for the race.
“We know this is an expensive race for a lot of races but it’s expensive because they enjoy it so much and they come here for a much longer period of time than they have to,” added Bryant.
Teams have been renting the track for practice over the past few weeks in addition to the practice time already available before the main event. Perhaps this is why the event has lost key names such as Carson Hocevar, Ryan Preece, Erik Jones, and William Byron as doing so blows up costs over the $50,000 prize money amount, which you are not guaranteed to receive either.
Can the number of days spent at the track be brought down?
The derby is all about being at the Five Flags Speedway for the entire weekend and making everything about racing. Reducing the number of days with events would reduce costs. However, it would also take away from the show of the event.
While doing so is technically possible, eliminating extra practice and testing could also be a double-edged sword. Track owner Bryant believes the event will return to its original glory soon despite current circumstances. The 57th Snowball Derby finale will begin at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, December 8, 2024.
With nationwide series names such as Noah Gragson and Chandler Smith participating, one thing is for certain, the event will provide fans with fantastic racing as the green flag drops.
