Getty Erik Jones (left) races at Darlington Raceway on May 9.
The NASCAR Cup Series season is over, and many drivers are enjoying the start of their offseason. Some are using the time away to compete in high-profile events. Erik Jones and Ryan Preece, in particular, will take part in the 54th Annual Snowball Derby Presented by Hooters.
Five Flag Speedway officials released the early entry list for the Snowball Derby on Monday, November 8, and listed 46 total competitors. There were several names from the ranks of ARCA, the Truck Series, and the Cup Series that will compete in the Super Late Model race. Along with Jones and Preece, the list also included Chase Purdy, Grant Enfinger, Jesse Love, Daniel Dye, Chandler Smith, and Carson Hocevar.
The 54th Annual Snowball Derby Presented by Hooters will take place on Sunday, December 5, at Five Flags Speedway. The drivers will face off on the half-mile, semi-banked asphalt oval in Pensacola, Fla.
The race will be available to watch online on Speed51.TV. The subscription costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year and includes more than 175 live races and more than 5,000 video highlights.
Jones Has Multiple Snowball Derby Victories
GettyErik Jones poses for a photo at Daytona International Speedway.
The driver of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, Jones helped boost his reputation with back-to-back victories in the Snowball Derby. He first won the high-profile event in 2012 and then captured his second in 2013.
The first victory featured Jones winning a battle with fellow Cup Series driver Kyle Busch. Jones, who was in high school at the time of the race, held off Busch during the final dash to the finish line and became just the second 16-year-old driver to capture the Derby. He also received praise from Busch after capturing the win.
“He just wanted to congratulate me and talk about the race,” Jones told Matt Weaver of Short Track Scene after his pivotal win. “He told me that he races guys the way they race him and that he would remember how clean I raced him at the end. It really meant a lot coming from him because I respect him and what he’s been able to accomplish.”
The interaction clearly made an impact as Jones joined forces with Busch the season after his win. He made five starts for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series in 2013 and won his first career race at Phoenix. He has since made another 37 starts for KBM, including one full-time season in 2015, and won a total of seven races. He ended 2015 as the Truck Series champion.
Preece Will Make His First Snowball Derby Start in More Than a Decade
A perennial contender in events outside of the NASCAR Cup Series, Preece has not actually competed in the Snowball Derby for more than a decade. His last start in the Super Late Model race took place in 2008 when he finished 14th overall. Augie Grill won the event, his second consecutive trip to Victory Lane.
Preece has shown the ability to contend in a variety of vehicles, including winning his first-ever Truck Series start. Now he will have to face off with some proven Super Late Model drivers that consistently compete in the Snowball Derby. Chief among them is Ty Majeski, who won the 2020 race.
Two other intriguing names to watch will be Smith and Hocevar. The two Truck Series drivers battled for Rookie of the Year honors during the 2021 season, and they will continue to compete during the Snowball Derby. Smith, in particular, will look to continue a successful season in which he also won a Blizzard Series race for Donnie Wilson Motorsports.
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