11/21/2017
Five Flags Speedway
Top 50 Snowball Derby Drivers of All-Time: 41-50
As we approach the 50th Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway, it only makes sense to put together a list of the top 50 drivers who have helped shape the history of the prestigious race. We start today with a look at #41 through #50 on the all-time list.
50 – Bubba Pollard
Starts – 9
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 2
Top 10s – 2
Bubba Pollard has started from the front row twice in the Snowball Derby, but he has yet to score a Tom Dawson trophy. He’s led the race four times and posted a pair of top-five runs. He’s set to make his 10th start in the race this year in Pensacola. More good finishes, especially a victory, would move him up the ladder.
49 – Jerry Lawley
Starts – 12
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 3
Top 10s – 4
This list is not just for the winners, but the drivers with longevity. Jerry Lawley was a Derby regular for a dozen seasons. He was second in 1969 and 1981. If that wasn’t enough, his final Derby was a third-place run in 1983. Lawley is one of two drivers to finish second more than once without winning the race.
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Ty Majeski has a pole and a pair of podium finishes in the Snowball Derby. (Speed51.com photo)[/caption]
48 – Ty Majeski
Starts – 3
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 2
Top 10s – 2
In his short three-race stint at the Snowball Derby, Ty Majeski has sat on the pole and finished on the podium twice in third place. He’s led at least 50 laps in the last two Snowball Derby races. Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Purvis and Jody Ridley all finished third before winning the Derby.
47 – Scott Carlson
Starts – 16
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 2
Top 10s – 6
The local favorite was a terror in the 90’s and early 2000’s. He won half a dozen Blizzard races, but never could get the Snowball Derby. He was the 2001 polesitter and he finished fifth that day. He logged two top-five runs and six top-10 finishes over 16 races.
46 – Darrell Brown
Starts – 16
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 2
Top 10s – 9
One of the diamonds in the rough that many might overlook, but Brown was a contender at the Derby. The 1996 Snowball Derby runner-up finished in the top 10 nine times including five times in six seasons. In all, he made 16 starts before his final try in 2003. Brown passed away in 2011 after a construction accident.
45 – Mark Martin
Starts – 9
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 3
Top 10s – 3
As a young driver in 1978, Mark Martin got beat out by Alabama native Dave Mader III. For Martin, it was the closest he ever got to victory in Pensacola. He started on the front row three times and had three top-five runs. He was always fast, but just not enough to be called a Derby winner.
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Grant Enfinger has enjoyed success in the Snowball Derby. (Speed51.com photo)[/caption]
44 – Grant Enfinger
Starts – 12
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 3
Top 10s – 7
What a streak Enfinger has going at the Snowball Derby. The Alabama driver has completed every lap in his last five Snowball Derby runs. The 2008 pole sitter has led 100 laps at the Derby and was second in 2008. He backed that up with another runner-up finish in 2013. He has finished eight Snowball Derby’s on the lead lap and has seven top-10 runs.
43 – Freddie Query
Starts – 10
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 3
Top 10s – 3
It’s not an honor to be proud of, but Freddie Query has led the most laps of any driver without winning the Snowball Derby. His total of 398 laps led is more than a full race and is good for sixth on the overall list of lap leaders. Query finished third on two occasions in 1998 and 2001. He had three top-five runs.
42 – Junior Niedecken
Starts – 28
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 3
Top 10s – 11
The second-generation driver has been a staple at the Snowball Derby and his starts and top 10 runs are among the best in the race’s history. He was second in 1990 and never got any closer. That second-place finish was his sixth top 10 in eight race run to cap off the 80’s. He’s one of the few people who can say he’s been at every Snowball Derby.
41 – David Rogers
Starts – 31
Wins – 0
Top Fives 1
Top 10s 8
When the sun comes up on the Snowball Derby week, there is one thing you can count on: Orlando, Florida’s David Rogers will be on hand for the race. He has 31 starts, which is one off the record, and has logged eight top 10s over the years. His best finish was a fourth in 1979.
Did you enjoy this list? Be sure to stay tuned to Speed51.com as we break down the remainder of the top 50 in the days leading up to the 50th Annual Snowball Derby.
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