The long journey from Illinois to Pensacola, Florida, for the Snowball Derby is one Austin Nason has embarked on a handful of times during his career.
Nason’s arrival to Five Flags Speedway for the first time in three years brought about the usual excitement, but it also carries a bittersweet undertone. He knew that no matter what happened, it would be the last time he attempted the Snowball Derby.
Motorsports has long been synonymous with Nason’s life, from watching his father Fred accumulate numerous accolades at their home track of Rockford Speedway to earning checkered flags himself. Nason still possesses a strong passion for racing but also wants to focus on more important priorities.
“It’s time to move on with life,” Nason said. “I’ve got a business to run, the kid’s racing and doing hockey. I’m busy with a lot of other things and don’t really have the time to do all this travel stuff anymore.”
With Sunday serving as his swan song in Super Late Model racing’s most prestigious event, Nason is hoping for a bit of luck. Nason has only qualified for the Snowball Derby twice in four attempts. In his two appearances in the 300-lap main event, Nason failed to finish both times.
Despite the Snowball Derby misfortune, Nason has more than proved himself as a consistent and reliable competitor Among Nason’s accomplishments are two victories in Rockford’s National Short Track Championships, along with a triumph at the historic Milwaukee Mile in 2019.
The environment Nason finds himself in now is almost unrecognizable compared to when he first started. Rockford closed its doors in 2023, the competition is much younger, and parity is more prevalent than ever in Super Late Models, which posed plenty of challenges for Nason each time he branched out to compete nationally.
“[Super Late Models have] changed a lot,” Nason said. “Everything kind of use to be conventional, then around 2015, everyone started getting crazy with everything. If you miss [the setup] by a little bit, you’re off. That’s what happened to us this weekend. We missed something little and it kills your speed.”
As a part-time competitor with limited resources, Nason knows the best way to beat the seasoned veterans and young prospects is to get creative. The past three years have given him plenty of opportunities to experiment as he’s competed in nearly every ASA STARS National Tour event since the series’ inception in 2023.
Many names from the ASA STARS National Tour are on the entry list for the Snowball Derby, along with drivers who are from Nason’s region. The competition does not concern Nason in the slightest, though he admitted finding a cadence around Five Flags Speedway has never been easy.
In seven starts at Five Flags, Nason’s only top 10 occurred in 2023 during a warm evening in March. The temperature is expected to barely exceed 60 degrees Fahrenheit prior to the green flag Sunday, which will lead to more dependency on downforce at a track where track position is imperative.
“This place is hard, this place is difficult,” Nason said. “You have to be able to turn and find grip at the same time. Those two things usually don’t go together. It comes down to finding the right balance in your car. Hopefully we can do that.”
Unfortunately for Nason, being unable to turn with his tires has been an early hinderance to his final Snowball Derby outing.
Compounding that issue was the limited track time for Nason throughout the week, a problem shared by every other competitor at Five Flags. There has been consistent rainfall since teams first arrived at the facility, which has kept the track green and left drivers with questions about how their cars will handle in qualifying and the race.
One mistake in time trials could determine whether Nason qualifies top 10 in the Snowball Derby or has to fight his way into the race through the Last Chance Qualifier. Nason is optimistic his car can contend for the victory, though its inability to respond to most adjustments has been a frustrating process.
“We’re kind of struggling right now to find more speed in our car,” Nason said. “We’ve got really good race speed and I like the way it drives. When we put new tires on, it doesn’t go any faster, so we’re struggling with that. We kind of threw the kitchen sink at it. We tested on Monday and the other car was better, so we took everything off that and put it on this.
“It hasn’t been working the same.”
Despite the challenges, Nason is still excited to experience the enthralling atmosphere of Snowball Derby weekend once again. For such a special occasion in his career, Nason felt it was appropriate to honor his own racing heritage.
The purple colors on Nason’s No. 14 closely resemble the scheme he utilized during his early days in a Super Late Model at Rockford. For Nason, it’s a reminder of a simpler time, one he hopes to bring back this weekend, if only for a moment.
With his racing future ambiguous after this weekend, Nason finds himself proud of everything he has accomplished both on and off the track. The landscaping company Nason and his dad own is thriving, all while Nason gets to watch his eldest son Levi as he embarks on his own racing career.
The transition in Nason’s life is something that brings him peace and satisfaction, but there is still a bit of business to take care of. He wants nothing more than to find an ideal setup on his car that will put him amongst the contenders once the Snowball Derby reaches its final moments.
Nason understands that Sunday could very well be the last time he visits Five Flags as a driver. If so, he intends to deliver a farewell performance that he can reflect on positively while making the long drive home to Illinois.
“[The Snowball Derby] would be number one in my trophy box,” Nason said. “You’ve got 45 of the best Super Late [Model drivers] in the country here and it’s one race everyone tries to come to and win. It’s tough, but that’s why we’re here.
“I wanted to come to do it one last time and we’ll see what we can do come Sunday.”
(This report originally appeared on NASCAR.com)
