---

Top 50 Snowball Derby Drivers of All-Time: 11-20

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. Today we take a look at #11 through #20 on the all-time list.

If you missed any of the previously released versions, check them out below:
21-30
31-40
41-50

Now, it’s time to take a look at the first 10 drivers who cracked the top 20.

[caption id="attachment_34728" align="alignleft" width="300"] Erik Jones holds the Tom Dawson trophy after winning the Snowball Derby in 2013. (Speed51.com Photo)[/caption]

20 – Erik Jones
Starts – 3
Wins – 2
Top Fives – 2
Top 10s – 2

Erik Jones scored a win in his first try at the Snowball Derby after battling and beating Kyle Busch in the late stages of the race in 2012. Jones returned to win in the tech line in 2013 and he was leading in 2014 with 80 laps to go when he was involved in an accident. Jones could be higher on the list with a few more starts.

19 – Steve Wallace
Starts – 7
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 4
Top 10s – 4

Wallace’s track record shows four podium runs, a pair of second-place finishes and a win in the 2004 Snowball Derby. The second-generation driver won the race his dad Rusty Wallace could never win. Strangely, he’s started 25th or worse four times and finished second twice after starting in the back.

18 – Ronnie Sanders
Starts – 22
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 2
Top 10s – 6

Sanders was the first driver from the state of Georgia to win the Snowball Derby. The 1977 winner logged six top 10s and ran the race 14 times consecutively in the 70s and 80s. Along with his win, Sanders was third in 1981. He logged top 10 runs in his final two races before switching to Pro Late Models.

17 – Dave Mader III
Starts – 25
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 2
Top 10s – 6

Dave Mader III was the youngest winner of the race for a long period of time after he won in 1978. Mader also sat on the pole in 2003 and posted a third-place run in 1985. In all, he had six top-10 runs at the Snowball Derby.

16 – Red Farmer
Starts – 32
Wins – 0
Top Fives – 1
Top 10s – 4

The ironman of the Snowball Derby Red Farmer has made more starts than any other driver. Farmer never won the race, but was leading when he wrecked during the first race in 1968. Farmer followed things up with a second-place run in 1987. That was his best effort before he ran his last in 1999.

15 – Chase Elliott
Starts – 7
Wins – 2
Top Fives – 3
Top 10s – 4

We can only hope that there is a second chapter to Chase Elliott’s legacy at the Snowball Derby, but if this is all we got then it was an amazing run. He won it twice and it could have been three times if not for a technical infraction in 2013. He led 411 laps in his seven races and had three top-five runs.

[caption id="attachment_34729" align="alignleft" width="300"] Augie Grill is no stranger to the front of the field at the Snowball Derby. (Speed51.com photo)[/caption]

14 – Augie Grill
Starts – 12
Wins – 2
Top Fives – 3
Top 10s – 4

Grill is now a Snowball veteran and his Snowball legacy began early with back-to-back wins in 2007 and 2008. He was also fourth in 2005, but he had a long stretch of bad luck before he was eighth in 2014. A few more solid runs would move him up the ladder on this list.

13 – Gary Balough
Starts – 8
Wins – 2
Top Fives – 2
Top 10s – 3

When Gary Balough was at the top of his game, he was unbeatable. The 1980 and 1986 Snowball Derby winner is a short track legend. He ran the Snowball Derby eight times, won twice and had another top-10 finish. Balough led 242 of the 450 laps in the years he won the race. He set the track record in 1980 and his lap stood for 31 years.

12 – Rick Crawford
Starts – 15
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 6
Top 10s – 6

Crawford is another local hero from across the bay in Mobile, Alabama who could have won three or four times at the Snowball Derby. His first six starts ended with results outside the top 10. From there, he was a challenger ever year. He was second in 1988 before he won it in 1989. He would again finish on the podium in 1995 and 1997 to end his career with six top-five finishes in 15 races.

11 – Jeff Purvis
Starts – 12
Wins – 1
Top Fives – 6
Top 10s – 7

If all the stars and planets lined up right then Jeff Purvis would have won about five Snowball Derby races. He was third in 1988 and had to be the bridesmaid in 1991 and 1992 after leading nearly 400 laps over those two years. He returned in 1994 and finished third and finally scored the win 1995. He would return to post a third-place finish again in 1996. His six podiums are tied for the second most with Jody Ridley and Eddie Mercer.

-Text by Speed51.com Staff

Back to News