Top 10 Upsets In Snowball Derby History
Top 10 Upsets In Snowball Derby History
A look at the top 10 upsets in Snowball Derby history at Five Flags Speedway.
The Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway is a race that has been won by some of the most recognizable names in motorsports history.
Darrell Waltrip. Donnie Allison. Kyle Busch. Chase Elliott. Those are just a few of the superstars who have won the Tom Dawson Trophy.
In addition to the big names you'd expect to see in victory lane, the race has produced a number of upsets over the course of its 56-year history.
Today, we're going to take a look at 10 of the biggest upsets in Snowball Derby history.
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1) Tammy Jo Kirk (1994)
By many accounts, the biggest upset in the history of the Snowball Derby was the year Tammy Jo Kirk was flagged the winner in 1994. It was the first year the wall was added to the track and the race was plagued by 21 caution flags.
Whether you believe it was a scoring error or not, the finishing results showed the Georgia driver at the top at the end of the race. Eddie Mercer finished second and was pretty upset about it, as he he would have to wait 11 more years before finally claiming his Tom Dawson trophy.
2) Christian Eckes (2016)
2016 was a breakout season for current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Christian Eckes, but the last three weeks of his season were magical. After winning the Myrtle Beach 400 Late Model Stock Car race and a Super Late Model race at Southern National Motorsports Park, those paying attention knew not to sleep on Eckes at the Snowball Derby. However, he still entered the race as a relatively unknown young driver.
Eckes came from 12th and charged late to zip past John Hunter Nemechek by 0.017 at the line in one of the closets Snowball Derby finishes ever. To make it even sweeter, the only lap Eckes led in that race was the final one. To many, it was an upset win, but he was in rare form the final few weeks of that season and was nearly unstoppable.
PHOTO: Christian Eckes lays on the ground in disbelief after winning the 2016 Snowball Derby.
3) Dave Mader, III (1978)
At the time of his win, Dave Mader, III winning the 1978 Snowball Derby was like the youth movement in the Late Model scene. At the time Mader was 23 years old and became the youngest winner of the race when he beat a young kid from Arkansas named Mark Martin. In the closing laps, Martin gave a tap of the back bumper to Mader but could not muster up anymore.
Since Mader’s win in 1978, three 16-year-olds have won the race along with a pair of 17-year-olds. NASCAR Cup Series star Chase Elliott remains the youngest winner at 16 years and six days.
4) Gene Morgan (1982)
There are so many factors involved in Gene Morgan's Snowball Derby win that it speaks loudly as an upset to the naked eye. However, to win you have to put yourself in a position to win and hope for the best.
The 1982 Snowball Derby was plagued by rain throughout the week and the entire racing program was run on Sunday. Late in the night, Morgan held the point as several cars pitted including Freddy Fryar. As the laps clicked off Morgan gained enough of an advantage that Fryar could not run him down. Fryar had endless laps around the Pensacola race track, while Morgan was competing in only his second Snowball Derby.
5) Ricky Turner (2002)
Ricky Turner won the 2002 Snowball Derby after charging from 34th and leading only the final lap of the race. Turner, who has gone on to also win the race as a crew chief for Chase Elliott, was good at Five Flags Speedway that season. However, the stacked field looked to have him beat after a spin early in the race forced him to come from deep in the field.
Seventeen yellow flags helped him gain track position for a late run with fresh tires. Even with the help from the cautions, he had to hold off five-time Snowball Derby winner Rich Bickle who had been the driver to beat at Five Flags in December for over a decade.
6) Travis Braden (2019)
This storybook ending had a lot of twists and turns before Braden parked his No. 26 Super Late Model in victory lane. Braden turned in the 30th fastest time to be the last car in the show during Friday's qualifying.
After the competition caution on lap 267 of Sunday's Snowball Derby feature, the race was plagued with multiple cautions. Braden even found himself spun on lap 306.
A huge crash on an ensuing restart helped moved Braden forward and he finished second at the finish line to Stephen Nasse. Later that night, Nasse was disqualified in the tech line for the use of titanium brake caps and Braden won the race without having led a single lap in the race.
PHOTO: Travis Braden celebrates his 2019 Snowball Derby win near the tech shed at Five Flags Speedway.
7) Steve Wallace (2004)
At the time, Steve Wallace was the youngest winner in the race's history and the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace became a part of history by winning the Tom Dawson Trophy. Wallace was 17 years old at the time and outran Eddie Mercer for the historic win.
Wallace led 127 laps to score the win, a first for the teenage movement. Wallace would return a year later to finish second to Mercer in the Snowball Derby.
8) Mickey Gibbs (1983)
Despite a pair of wins at Five Flags Speedway in 1983, the sun was not shining on Mickey Gibbs as a favorite when the race went green. Starting in the unlucky spot of 13th, Gibbs made the most of it.
Alton Jones and Gary Balough pitted for tires and when they returned to the track they could not chase down the front runners. Gibbs held off Jody Ridley for the Tom Dawson trophy. Freddy Fryar who missed out on a third win in 1982 saw similar fate in 1983 when he finished fourth.
9) Clay Rogers (2006)
This upset is once again not so much about the driver, but how it happened. We have seen winners get disqualified at the Snowball Derby, but this year it was the top two finishers who saw their Snowball Derby hopes squashed in post-race technical inspection.
Race winner Johnny Brazier and then second-place finisher Bobby Gill were both disqualified.
When the fireworks cooled off, Clay Rogers held the Tom Dawson Trophy in the tech line. Rogers came from 27th and led 14 laps, but was a quarter-mile behind the winner when the race finished, but he was good enough to be named the official winner of the 2006 Snowball Derby.
10) Johanna Long (2010)
Let's be very clear: Johanna Long’s “upset win” was really just an upset because of the year in which she won the race.
In 2009, Long was a heavy favorite after having won the Blizzard Series championship and the pole award for the Snowball Derby. However, Kyle Busch passed her on the first lap and she was never a factor for the victory.
One year later, Long hung around near the front of the field while other drivers took themselves out of contention. She then got to the lead late in the going and held off Donnie Wilson for one of the most popular wins in Snowball Derby history.