Time and again, Ty Majeski had been in the thick of the fight for a Snowball Derby win, only to see the Tom Dawson Trophy slip through his fingers.
Saturday was finally his time to shine at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.
The Seymour, Wisconsin driver led the race on the final restart with Derek Thorn on his outside. Thorn, the Derby polesitter for the second consecutive year, had the dominant car on the day, having led a record 252 of 302 laps.
The pair were beating and banging on each other for most of the final five laps, but Majeski made the final pass for the lead on lap 299 and held Thorn off for the final three laps to earn his first career Snowball Derby victory.
Thorn finished in second place. NASCAR Cup Series reigning champion Chase Elliott of Dawsonville, Georgia – a two-time Snowball Derby winner – finished third.
“This is the one everybody wants, and we’ve given a couple away, so it means a lot,” said Majeski, who is competes in both Super Late Models and in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. “It means a lot. We’ve had the dominant racecar in the past but couldn’t close it out. We weren’t great today, but we were when it counted. We made the right adjustments all day.”
Majeski’s big move came on lap 277. After Thorn slammed the door on a few pass attempts, Majeski finally got around him just before the competition caution, which proved pivotal.
Competition cautions occur after 75 consecutive green flag laps. There were three total Sunday and the last meant Majeski had position on Thorn for the final 25 laps.
“Derek had a ton of speed,” Majeski said. “We had a great setup for short runs at the beginning of the race and it paid dividends with the caution there at the end.
“This is why we come back every year. We wanted to win this thing after the ways we lost it the last couple of years.”
Majeski felt a little bit snakebitten in the Florida Panhandle. He lost the lead 26 laps shy of the checkered flag in his 2018 second-place finish. Four years ago, Majeski lost the lead on lap 287 and finished third for the second year in a row.
A winner of 107 SLM races, Majeski couldn’t contain his excitement for Sunday’s win. Satisfaction was written all over his face. Even more, considering the caliber of drivers he beat.
The Derby had another Cup Series champion in addition to Elliott. Kyle Busch, the 2015 and 2019 Cup champ and another two-time Derby winner, threatened early with a top-five appearance but finished seventh.
Bubba Pollard had a miserable day and he ended it just 109 laps in when he pulled it into the infield. A 34th place finish ties his worst career Derby performance. Stephen Nasse, still reeling from a controversial ruling that cost him the Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 for Pro Late Models on Saturday, had mechanical issues after a promising start and finished 29th.
“This was the deepest field I’ve been a part of,” Majeski said. “It was crazy how tight the field was.
“I was a little nervous after that first run. We fell back to 11th or 12th, but we made good adjustments all day to put ourselves in position at the end.”
Elliott and fourth-place Chandler Smith were the moving men Sunday after starting 31st and 34th, respectively. Each earned their way into the show during a tense Saturday in which Elliott won the last-chance race and Smith finished fourth then, as well.
Smith’s fourth is his best career Derby finish on a glowing resume. The 18-year-old from Talking Rock, Georgia has finished no worse than seventh in five consecutive and career starts.
Kaden Honeycutt finished in fifth place.
Cole Butcher, Busch, Grant Enfinger, Derek Griffith and Kyle Plott rounded out the top 10.
Five Flags Speedway – Pensacola, FL
Snowflake Derby – December 6, 2020
1. Ty Majeski Seymour, WI #91
2. Derek Thorn Lakeport, CA #43T
3. Chase Elliott Dawsonville, GA #9E
4. Chandler Smith Talking Rock, GA #26S
5. Kaden Honeycutt Bridge City, TX #2
6. Cole Butcher Porters Lake, NS #53B
7. Kyle Busch Las Vegas, NV #51B
8. Grant Enfinger Kannapolis, NC #32
9. Derek Griffith Hudson, NH #12G
10. Kyle Plott Marietta, GA #4
11. Corey Heim Marietta, GA #78
12. Jeremy Doss Upper Lake, CA #75
13. Travis Braden Wheeling, WV #14B
14. Daniel Dye Deland, FL #43
15. Derek Kraus Stratford, WI #9D
16. Cayden Lapcevich #16
17. Jeremy Pate Pensacola, FL #21
18. John DeAngelis Hubertus, WI #7D
19. Matt Craig Kannapolis, NC #54C
20. Kyle Sieg Buford, GA #39
21. Paul Shafer, Jr. Portage, IN #7S
22. Augie Grill Hayden, AL #112
23. Ross Kenseth Defuniak Springs, FL #3
24. Jake Garcia Monroe, GA #35
25. Boris Jurkovic Joliet, IL #53
26. Dan Fredrickson Lakeville, MN #36F
27. Jesse Dutilly Bradenton, FL #30
28. Casey Roderick Lawrenceville, GA #25
29. Stephen Nasse Pinellas Park, FL #51
30. Michael Atwell Naples, FL #51A
31. Hunter Robbins Mt.Juliet, NC #18
32. Chris Davidson Pearland, TX #14
33. Preston Peltier Brighton, CO #54
34. Bubba Pollard Senoia, GA #71
35. Logan Boyett Pensacola, FL #11
36. Mason Diaz Manassas, VA #24
