Who Won? Official 58th Snowball Derby Results Are In
The lights at Five Flags Speedway have dimmed, but the echoes of engines still seem to hang in the humid Florida air. The 58th annual Snowball Derby has concluded, adding another chapter to the lore of Super Late Model racing’s most prestigious event. This wasn’t just another Sunday drive. It was a 300-lap test of endurance, strategy, and raw nerve that saw dreams realized and hearts broken in equal measure.
For Stephen Nasse, the night was nothing short of vindication. After years of close calls, heartbreak, and the kind of bad luck that makes a driver question everything, the man behind the wheel of the No. 51n finally stood atop the mountain. He didn’t just win, but rather survived a grueling marathon that chewed up some of the best in the business.
Stephen Nasse Finally Conquers the Tom Dawson Trophy
The headline story of this year’s Snowball Derby is undoubtedly Stephen Nasse. Crossing the line first in the 300-lap feature, Nasse held off a fierce charge from the field to secure the victory. His margin of victory was slim but decisive, finishing ahead of the pack when it mattered most.
For Nasse, this victory at the Snowball Derby is the culmination of a career defined by speed but often haunted by misfortune at this specific track. To see the No. 51n parked in victory lane is a sight his fans have agonizingly long waited to witness. He ran all 300 laps with a precision that bordered on surgical, refusing to let the pressure of the moment crack his focus.
Behind him, Dawson Sutton in the No. 26s put on a clinic of his own, finishing just 0.87 seconds behind the leader. Sutton drove a clean, hard race, keeping Nasse honest in the closing stages, but ultimately had to settle for the runner-up spot. It’s a bitter pill to swallow when you are less than a second away from immortality, but Sutton’s performance proved he belongs at the front of the Super Late Model elite.
Top 10 Finishers Survive the Attrition
The Snowball Derby is famous for being a race of attrition, and the 58th edition was no different. Only nine cars finished on the lead lap, a testament to the brutal pace set by the leaders. Jake Garcia brought the No. 35 home in third, completing the podium less than a second behind Sutton.
It was a tight grouping at the front, with the top three separated by under a second. Kasey Kleyn (No. 1) and Jake Finch (No. 51) rounded out the top five, though they fell slightly off the blistering pace of the podium finishers, ending 3.8 and 5.1 seconds back, respectively.
Matt Craig, Ty Fredrickson, Preston Peltier, and Haeden Plybon filled out positions six through nine, all managing to complete the full 300-lap distance. Derek Thorn, a driver synonymous with speed at Five Flags, rounded out the top 10 in the No. 96 but found himself one lap down at the checkered flag, a surprising result for a perennial contender, highlighting just how difficult it was to stay on the lead lap this year.
Heartbreak for High Profile Names in Racing
While Nasse celebrated, others wondered what went wrong. The Snowball Derby rarely concludes without high-profile casualties, and this year claimed its fair share. Kyle Busch, a name that strikes fear into any field he enters, struggled to find the handle on his No. 51b. The NASCAR Cup Series champion finished 19th, three laps down. It was a humbling reminder that money and fame don’t buy grip at Five Flags Speedway.
Similarly, Ty Majeski, often the man to beat in these cars, finished 23rd, five laps down in the No. 91. Perhaps the biggest shock was Bubba Pollard. A local legend and fan favorite, Pollard’s No. 26p retired early, completing only 177 laps to finish a dismal P27. For a driver who has accomplished nearly everything else in short-track racing, the Tom Dawson Trophy remains elusive.
Ryan Preece and Max Reaves had the shortest days of all, both credited with zero laps and finishing at the bottom of the sheet in P36 and P35, respectively. To prepare all year for the Snowball Derby only to be out before the first lap is completed is the cruelest form of racing luck imaginable.
58th Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway: Results
- 1. Stephen Nasse, No. 51n
- 2. Dawson Sutton, No. 26s
- 3. Jack García, No .35
- 4. Kasey Kleyn, No. 1
- 5. Jake Finch, No. 51f
- 6. Matt Craig, No. 44c
- 7. Ty Frederickson, No. 36
- 8. Preston Peltier, No. 48
- 9. Haeden Plybon, No. 55
- 10. Derek Thorn, No. 96
- 11. Michael Atwell, No. 3
- 12. David Gilliland, No. 98g
- 13. Dylan Fetcho, No. 89
- 14. Dustin Smith, No. 33
- 15. Cole Butcher, No. 28b
- 16. Gavan Boschele, No. 24
- 17. Derek Kraus, No. 9
- 18. Chase Pinsonneault. No. 14p
- 19. Kyle Busch, No. 51b
- 20. Brandon Lopez, No. 6
- 21. Derek Griffith, No. 12g
- 22. Jacob Gomes, No. 16
- 23. Ty Majeski, No. 91
- 24. Kole Raz, No. 76
- 25. Jace Hansen, No. 8
- 26. Kaden Honeycutt, No. 21
- 27. Bubba Pollard, No. 26p
- 28. Spencer Davis, No. 96d
- 29. Treyten Lapcevich, No. 30t
- 30. Buddy Shepherd, No. 22
- 31. Carson Brown, No. 81
- 32. Casey Roderick, No. 30c
- 33. Hudson Bulger No. 17
- 34. Tristan McKee, No. 5m
- 35. Max Reaves, No. 18
- 36. Ryan Preece, No. 60
The Harsh Reality of 300 laps
Looking at the official results sheet, the gap between success and failure is stark. By the time a driver gets to P25 like Jace Hansen, the field is 12 laps down. Kaden Honeycutt in P26 was 42 laps adrift. It illustrates just how quickly things go south at Pensacola. One missed setup adjustment, one loose lug nut, or one scrape with the wall is all it takes to turn a contender into a backmarker.
As the haulers pack up and the teams head home, the 58th Snowball Derby will be remembered as the year Stephen Nasse finally got the monkey off his back. For the rest, the countdown to the 59th running has already begun.
