I apologize for the delay in getting this post up. We had some Internet connectivity issues last night that prevented me from posting. Thanks!
There are some drivers out there, who no matter what they drive, always seem to not get enough racing. A name that comes to mind is a guy like Ken Schrader. He would race in the Cup Series on a Saturday night, fly somewhere and maybe race an ARCA race on Sunday, fly somewhere else and race a dirt latemodel race on Monday. It doesn’t matter what it is, Schrader just wants to race.
We saw a few more examples of drivers like Schrader this weekend. The 42nd Annual Snowball Derby took place at Five Flags Speedway down in Pensacola, FL. The Derby is a four day long event which concludes with a 300 lap super latemodel race on Sunday that draws drivers and cars from all over. This year’s entry list for the Sunday race was around 60 cars.
And if you watched any NASCAR coverage this year, you’ll recognize some of the entrants: Kyle Busch, Brian Ickler, David Stremme, Steve Wallace, Ryan Seig, Shane Sieg, Brian Scott, Cale Gale, and James Buescher.
The racing also featured some young up and comers like Johanna Long, Ross Kenseth, and Chase Elliott.
In the end, Kyle Busch triumphed for his first Snowball win, but from what I understand it wasn’t easy. The entire field was only separated by a few tenths in qualifying and some bigger names, like James Buescher, went home.
With the NASCAR schedule being so grueling, from February to November, you’d think most drivers would want a break from being at the race track. But not these guys. Less then two weeks have passed since the end of the season, and these guys have already found their way to a race track.
Regardless of what you think of a driver, you almost have to automatically have respect for guys like this. To them, it isn’t about the money, the big sponsors, or the TV time. All they want to do is get in a car and go door to door with the best in the country. It’s about the racing and being able to compete.
And I think, as long as there are always guys like this in the top tiers of NASCAR, the future will be very bright.
*For more coverage on the 42nd Snowball Derby, stop by Speed51.com
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on Dec 7th, 2009 at 10:11 am
This was my 5th Snowball weekend and though cold, it was one of the best! Kyle did NOT have it easy, former champs “Fast” Eddie Mercer just about had him and Steven Wallace and Bobby Gill were breathing down their necks. Unfortunately fave Augie Grill wrecked earlier, he would’ve been in the mix had he not. Was very pleased to see Johanna Long win the pole, though her race didn’t go as wished. Chase Elliott made a strong showing, as did Ross Kenseth. Also, kudos to Kyle for coming on his own dime, and funding 2 other cars as well. When he won the Winchester earlier this year, then didn’t make the Cup Chase, I kind of got the feeling he was going to be on a mission to win this race. To that end, he got some great people, his SLM CC Suss was just dying to get this win, having tried before so congrats to him too. I think it very much pleases Kyle to be able to deliver wins for his team guys, no matter what series he’s racing.
on Dec 7th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
The Snowball Derby is one of the best of the off-season races. I wish SPEED would cut a deal to show it each season.
on Dec 8th, 2009 at 5:55 am
..speaking of snowballs….
She may not have a snowballs chance in hell of winning a race, but if we must see a NASCAR driver in a bikini, I would rather see Danica Patrick “skimpied out” than Mark Martin…not to go too far off topic, but it will be todays news.
on Dec 8th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I think Kyle can drive anything and win just about any race anywhere, anytime. He’s another Ken Schrader, only better