When the NASCAR season wraps up in November, a lot of fans start their agonizing wait for the next season to start. But there’s one event that helps fill that gap and gives us the kind of racing action we love: the Snowball Derby! Held every year at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, this event attracts top drivers and short-track legends, all vying for the coveted Tom Dawson Trophy and a $50,000 prize. Sounds great, right? But here’s the kicker—only the winner gets that payday. Everyone else? No guaranteed payout.

For those who aren’t familiar, the Snowball Derby is a 300-lap Super Late Model race that’s become one of the most prestigious short-track events in the country. It’s been around for over 50 years, and over that time, it’s hosted NASCAR stars and racing icons alike. But this year, something feels different. The number of cars entering the race has dropped, and it’s no surprise why—the costs are up, and the prize money is starting to look less appealing.

Snowball Debry is expensive!

The Snowball Derby isn’t just a one-day affair. It’s a 5-day event, from Tuesday to Saturday, with qualifying, practice sessions, and heat races leading up to the big race on Sunday. Drivers go through time trials to make it into the main event, with the top 30 securing a spot. Those who don’t make the cut get another shot through a heat race, where the top 4 finishers move on.

But here’s the issue: all those practice sessions, qualifying runs, and heat races come with a hefty price tag. The cost of car maintenance, fresh tires, and general upkeep quickly adds up. Sure, the race’s winner takes home $50,000—an increase from last year’s $35,000—but as NASCAR journalist Matt Weaver pointed out on X (formerly Twitter), it’s the lack of “start money” for the other drivers that’s a real problem. “I do not disagree. FloRacing bumped the win amount from $35k to 50k this year. I wish that had been put into start money.” Weaver said.

The runners-up aren’t exactly rolling in dough either. Second place gets $25,000 (up $5,000 from last year), while third place takes home $12,500 (up from $10,000). Only the top 20 finishers get paid, and the 20th-place finisher only walks away with $2,500. That might not even cover the cost of all the tires drivers need just to qualify and practice! Sure, big teams with major sponsors don’t feel the pinch as much, but for smaller teams and independent drivers, it’s becoming too expensive to compete.

That’s probably why the number of entries this year is the lowest it’s ever been—only 44 cars, compared to 50 or more in past years. And with the Snowball Derby being as important as it is in Late Model Racing, it’s pretty disappointing that NASCAR doesn’t seem to be addressing this growing issue. Weaver on this wrote, “Record $50,000-to-win and a lot of marquee teams and drivers but this year has lost a lot of the racers that typically enter just with the goal of making the race. I hope the industry can at least have conversations about that.”

Recently even Late Model superstar, Bubba Pollard has been a huge advocate for raising the purse for the Snowball Derby, and while he’s happy about the prize increase, he agrees with Weaver’s point: the money needs to be spread out across the field, not just given to the winner. Pollard’s long been a supporter of start money, saying, “I’d like to see more spread through the field, start money because all these guys that race all spend a lot of money to come down here and race that week.”

And speaking of Pollard, the Late Model Legend in his long career has never won the Snowball Derby. But this time things are different as he has not one, but two cars in the race.

Trending

1

NASCAR’s Nearly $40 Billion Sponsor Sends Chilling Warning to the USA Over President Trump’s New Policies

2

Voices Being Raised Against FOX Broadcast as NASCAR Fans Declare ‘Rockbottom’ for Race Coverage

3

Ex- NASCAR Driver Announces Split From Wife of Over 10 Years With Exciting News for His Fans

4

Kyle Larson Sacrifices His Off-Week for His 9-YO Son as He Heads to Las Vegas for WrestleMania 41

5

Richard Childress Racing Left With a Major Exposé as Confidential Kyle Busch News Leaks Away

Can Bubba Pollard win the Snowball Derby this year?

Despite his impressive career—over 100 Late Model wins and 15 championships—he’s never won the Snowball Derby. This year, though, things are looking promising. Not only is Pollard racing, but his team, Pollard Motorsports, is also fielding a second car for NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Sammy Smith.

Pollard explained that running two cars helps gather more data and makes the team stronger. He told Floracing, “It definitely helps us being able to get the tire data and bounce the information because the cars are identical. We took Sammy testing Sunday and we took a lot of what he has done and applied it to my car. I knew the racetrack would tend tight with the rubber being left down the last couple days. We did all the adjustments the same as we did to his car and it worked. It’s good when you can take that information, it speeds that process up.”

The partnership comes with the help of Smith’s Jr Motorsports crew chief and Pollard’s cousin Philip Bell. This year will be Smith’s first Super Late Model start, though he’s no stranger to the Derby—he was the runner-up in 2022. Now he’s hoping to improve on that finish and is feeling confident about it. On this, he said, “Based off the test, I feel pretty good about the car. I think we still have to work on a couple of things but we have a great racecar and hopefully, we can qualify good and race up front all day.”

Will Pollard finally win this year? Or will another short-track star like Ty Majeski, fresh off a Truck Series championship, steal the show? Let us know who you think will take the Tom Dawson Trophy this year in the comments below!