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Top 50 Snowball Derby Drivers of All-Time: 31-40

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 #31 through #40 on the all-time list.

If you haven’t viewed #41 – #50 on the all-time list, you can do so now by clicking here.

40 – Bobby Allison
Starts – 17
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 4
Top 10s – 8

It’s hard to swallow the fact that Bobby Allison never won the Snowball Derby; his numbers were impressive at times. Among his four top-five finishes in the race, he finished second in 1968. Allison also had a pole run in 1975, the year his brother Donnie won the race. Allison ran the race 17 times before his NASCAR injury in 1988.

39 – Rusty Wallace
Starts – 9
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 3
Top 10s – 4

Rusty Wallace won a lot of short track races before making his way into the NASCAR world, but he never won the Snowball Derby in Pensacola. Wallace posted three podium runs, including two runner-up finishes in 1979 and 1985. Wallace added another top 10 before he stopped running the race. His son Steve won the Snowball Derby in 2004.

38 – Scott Hansen
Starts – 9
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 5
Top 10s – 7

He may have never won the race, but Scott Hansen was always in the mix. Hansen finished in the top 10 seven times in nine starts. He logged top-five finishes on five different occasions including back-to-back podiums in 1999 and 2000. His runner-up finish in 1999 was his best career finish. Had he run a few more, a win seemed only a year or two away.

37 – Tammy Jo Kirk
Starts – 4
Wins – 1
Top Fives 1
Top 10s 2

All the stars lined up for Tammy Jo Kirk in 1994 to win the Snowball Derby. She led only eight laps that day, but made history as the first female winner of the Snowball Derby. She finished 10th the year prior to her win, marking her only top 10 runs in the December race.

[caption id="attachment_34682" align="alignleft" width="300"] The kiss that Eckes will never forget. (Speed51.com photo)[/caption]

36 – Christian Eckes
Starts – 2
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 1
Top 10s – 1

The final lap at the 2016 Snowball Derby made Christian Eckes a household name as he won the race after an epic battle with John Hunter Nemechek. Eckes led only one lap, but won the race. He joined a list of winners, including Ricky Turner, who won the race despite only leading a single lap.

 

35 – Gene Morgan
Starts – 3
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 1
Top 10s – 1

For Gene Morgan, the Snowball Derby came down to one perfect night with a perfect setup and a minor upset win. The South Carolina native visited Pensacola in 1982 and ended up in victory lane. Morgan only made one return trip and didn’t get past halfway. His win to some may be a head scratcher, but for those who raced against him it was no surprise.

[caption id="attachment_34683" align="alignleft" width="300"] Johanna Long with the Tom Dawson trophy in 2010. (Speed51.com photo)[/caption]

34 – Johanna Long
Starts – 8
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 1
Top 10s – 1

The hometown girl wowed the Pensacola crowd when she scored the win in 2010 at the Derby. She was the subject of big hype in 2009, the year she won the track championship and sat on the pole for the big race in December. It was not until the next year that she got the win. The top 10 finishes are not there, but she has four starts in the first two rows and she led 59 laps in 2014.

 

33 – Clay Rogers
Starts – 9
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 4
Top 10s – 4

Clay Rogers always seemed to be in the mix when it came to the Snowball Derby. He posted four top-five runs in his first six starts. The highlight came in 2006 when he went from third to first in the tech line, making him a Snowball Derby winner. He was third the year before, making it back-to-back podiums. He was fifth in 2007 for his final top-five finish to date.

32 – Ted Musgrave
Starts – 3
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 1
Top 10s – 2

Ted Musgrave only entered the Snowball Derby three times and he got it right on the second try by winning the 1988 running. Despite only leading 48 laps, Musgrave flashed under the checkered flag and became the only winner to date from Illinois. Musgrave outlasted Rick Crawford, who would win the the race and derail Musgrave’s attempt at two straight wins the following year.

31 – Butch Lindley
Starts – 8
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 1
Top 10s – 3

He was one of the best drivers in his day and he won the race on his final try. Lindley had two top-10 runs in the Derby before his 1984 win. He was injured badly in a crash in 1985 and would later pass away in 1990.

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.

–Text by Speed51.com Staff

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