The preliminary entry list for the 58th Snowball Derby stands at 52 Super Late Models with a month to go and looks exactly like you would expect it to.
It begins with defending winner Kaden Honeycutt, fresh off his appearance in the NASCAR Truck Series Championship Race on Friday at Phoenix Raceway, whom was the first to file an entry over the summer.
Honeycutt returns with the Jett Motorsports with Larry Blount No. 21 and crew chief Jc Umscheid making the important decisions. Joining Honeycutt from the Truck Series championship race is two-time Derby winner Ty Majeski.
From the NASCAR Cup Series comes Ryan Preece and two-time race winner Erik Jones. Noah Gragson is back seeking a second win in this race with his familiar Rette Jones Racing No. 30 crew.
Cup Series veteran, but now a full-time Truck Series championship owner, David Gilliland will make his second straight entry with a house built chassis that was very competitive last year in its debut.
The short track mainstays are also well represented in the form of ASA STARS champion Cole Butcher, Bubba Pollard and Stephen Nasse, all still seeking their first wins in the Super Bowl of Short Track Racing despite victories in practically everything else.
The other previous winner in the field is Derek Thorn in the Highlands Motorsports entry.
Alongside Butcher and Gavan Boschele, Wilson Motorsports has four cars coming to the race, but the other two rides have yet to list their drivers. Bryson Lopez Racing is also fielding two currently listed TBAs.
The Snowball Derby is highlighted by the 300 lap Super Late Model classic but the week long festivities also include the 100-lap Snowflake 100 for the Pro Late Models and features for numerous other weekly and regional short track cars.
The week at Five Flags Speedway runs from December 3-7 and it will be broadcast live on FloRacing.
Matt Weaver is the owner and founder of Short Track Scene. Weaver grew up in the sport, having raced himself before becoming a reporter in college at the University of South Alabama. He also has extensive experience covering NASCAR, IndyCar and Dirt Sprint Cars.
