Noah Gragson is one of the many NASCAR drivers scheduled to race at the 58th Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, this weekend. He has regularly participated in the event over the past decade and even won it in 2018. He loves the outing and believes that short-track racing is far from being done yet.
Advertisement
The frenzy around grassroots-level short-track racing has fluctuated greatly in modern times. TV streaming services have significantly impacted fan attendance at local tracks, leading to a substantial decline in ticket sales at such events nationwide. The COVID-19 pandemic, too, did not do any favors for the waning fan support and the loss of promoters.
Under these dark clouds, the Snowball Derby serves as a beacon of light for those still in love with the discipline.
Gragson said in an interview with Short Track Scene, “It reminds me almost of a ’90s Cup race in a sense, just because in 2018, we won this race and I knew it was a big deal. But I didn’t really realize, it didn’t fully sink in how big a deal it was until we came back here in 2020.”
“I missed the race my next time here, and I had to park all the way down by the McDonald’s. We got here like two, three hours before the race, and we walked two miles down the road just to get here. It’s pretty special how many people come out to this race and support short track racing.”
The Front Row Motorsports driver echoed the sentiments of countless staff members, fans, and drivers through his words.
Gragson’s big challenge in the Derby
Since winning the Snowball Derby in 2018, Gragson has either missed starting or failed to finish higher than 20th. Last season alone, he finished in 19th place. The 27-year-old said about his poor run in the race, “It’s definitely been a challenging place, no matter who or what you are. 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. Super Late Models are 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 also made a note of the struggle that drivers encounter when a car misses its mark. He returns to the venue with the clear intent to reach Victory Lane. Hopefully, he will turn things around this time and get a second title on his hands.
