The capeless heroes of the NASCAR Cup Series are the best drivers in the country. But not everybody thinks so. The final event of the 2023 Snowball Derby is all set to be flagged off in a few hours. William Byron leads the Cup Series pack who have found their way into the entry list for the late model race. For the NASCAR fans who were expecting their stars to shine in the more than 50-driver grid, disappointment could be underway for they have already fallen out of favor with the betting crowd.

As it happens, with the numbers inclining towards last year’s winner at the Five Flags Speedway, Derek Thorn, the chances of Cup drivers aren’t very appealing closer to the event.

Derek Thorn overshadows some of the biggest names in the Cup Series

With entrants including Erik Jones, Noah Gragson, Ryan Preece, and Carson Hocevar, the Cup Series’ name was championed by some really good drivers at Pensacola, Florida. Jones had won the Snowball Derby on two previous occasions, in 2012 and 2013. Challenges coming their way from drivers across various racing disciplines, it was never a question that it would be a tough hill to climb. The Snowball Derby is after all one of the most prestigious stock car races.

But surprisingly, not a lot of people have the top-tier men pegged for the win. According to the numbers from the online betting site Bovada.lv, polesitter Derek Thorn is the favorite to take home the win. He currently stands at +450. The Cup Series driver closest to him would be Noah Gragson at +650, followed by Ryan Preece at a far-off +2000. Erik Jones is at +2200 and the Hendrick Motorsports star, William Byron, placed at +2500.

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Derek Thorn is a two-time K&N Pro Series West champion. Also coming on top of the Cup drivers is the current champion of NASCAR Canada, Treyton Lapcevich at +1600.

The importance of winning the 2023 Snowball Derby

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The driver who comes out ahead of the overflowing grid will receive a prize of $30,000 along with a $5000 championship ring. But that’s the least of the reasons to want to win this race. Held since 1968, the derby has gained significant traction among fans for the offseason thrill that it provides. Such has been the response to the event that even NASCAR moved its offseason calendar around to allow drivers to go run in it.

For the 2023 Championship 4 participant William Byron, the purpose is all the more clear. He said at Nashville on Thursday as per NBC Sports, “I just want to win. I just want to win that race. That’s one that’s on my bucket list.” Though the star has been a part of the Snowball Derby race thrice before now, he always fell short of getting his hands on the trophy. He will be hoping that this is finally his year.

Many Cup Series champions have conquered this Super Bowl of late-model races before, including Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott. William Byron and the others who have accompanied him will have a shot at joining this elite list on Sunday. Hopefully, they will be able to prove the numbers against them wrong. The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and Racing America will provide the coverage.

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