Wet weather washed out Sunday’s running of the 49th annual Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.
The race is now scheduled to go green late Monday afternoon with a 5 pm (CST) start slated for the 300-lap asphalt Super Late Model race.
It’s the first time since 2004 that the prestigious event has not been run on its usual Sunday afternoon date.
Rains moved into the area late Sunday morning, setting back the scheduled starting time for the event. When a break in the showers came early in the afternoon, track officials began working to get the track surface ready for racing. With track drying underway, including the use of a jet dryer from Darlington Raceway, plans were made to run the race Sunday night. In the meantime, teams moved their cars through final pre-race technical inspection, and everything seemed on par to get the race in on its advertised date.
But the rains returned late in the afternoon, drenching the track and the pits. Race officials met with the drivers, who voted to postpone the race to Monday.
Unfortunately, things may not get much better for racing on Monday. Forecasts for the Pensacola area call for an 80% chance of rain, with thunderstorms likely. Conditions for Tuesday look more promising, with only a 10% chance of showers.
When the green flag finally drops on the 49th running of the Snowball Derby, NASCAR standout William Byron will lead the field, with Ty Majeski starting in second.
Dawsonville, Georgia’s Spencer Davis set to roll off third, with Senoia, Georgia’s Bubba Pollard starting fourth and Marietta, Georgia’s Kyle Plott starting from the fifth position.
For more information and further updates, visit 5FlagsSpeedway.com.
5 Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Snowball Derby – Dec. 5, 2016
Monday’s Starting Lineup
1. 9B William Byron – Charlotte, NC
2. 91 Ty Majeski – Seymour, WI
3. 29 Spencer Davis – Dawsonville, GA
4. 26 Bubba Pollard – Senoia, GA
5. 4 Kyle Plott – Marietta, GA
6. 51 Christopher Bell – Norman, OK
7. 5G Noah Gragson – Las Vegas, NV
8. 7 Casey Roderick – Lawrenceville, GA
9. 07 Corey Lajoie – Cornelius, NC
10. 97 Cole Anderson – Northfield, MN
11. 3 Kaz Grala – Westbrough, MA
12. 15 Christian Eckes – Cornelius, NC
13. 9 Jeff Choquette – West Palm Beach, FL
14. 14 Chris Davidson – Pearland, TX
15. 67 Clay Jones – Mooresville, NC
16. 16 Brandon McReynolds – Mooresville, NC
17. 12 Harrison Burton – Huntersville, NC
18. 43T Derek Thorn – Bakersfield, CA
19. 5 Jerry Artuso – Sault Ste Marie, ONT
20. 8 John Hunter Nemechek – Mooresville, NC
21. 98 Daniel Hemric – Mooresville, NC
22. 42 Chad Finley – Dewitt, MI
23. 2W Donnie Wilson – Oklahoma City, OK
24. 83 Scotty Ellis – Forsyth, GA
25. 77 Zane Smith – Huntington Beach, CA
26. 26S Chandler Smith – Jasper, GA
27. 99 Casey Smith – Austin, TX
28. 82 Grant Enfinger – Montrose, AL
29. 112 Augie Grill – Hayden, AL
30. 01 Derek Scott – Franklin, TX
31. 11 David Rogers – Ocala, FL*
32. 99 Stephen Nasse – Pinellas Park, FL^
33. 55 Dalton Sargeant – Boca Raton, FL^^
34. 99L Raphael Lessard -, St. Joseph, Quebec^^
35. 9DK Derek Kraus – Stratford, WI^^
36. 14 Connor Okrzesik – Grand Bay, AL^^
* – earned Blizzard Series provisional
^ – won Derby Last Chance Race
^^ – finished in top-5 of Derby Last Chance Race
