Chase Elliott with Snowball and Miss Snowball Derby after winning the Snowflake 100.

Chase Elliott has won on many occasions at Five Flags Speedway including the 2011 Snowball Derby and the 2010 Snowflake 100, but the Dawsonville, Georgia teenager proved once again that he is wise beyond his years in Saturday night’s running of arguably the biggest pro late model race of the year.

Elliott and fellow young gun Kyle Benjamin from Easley, South Carolina ran identical lap times in qualifying; however, it was underfunded Alabama competitor Justin South who surprised many by setting the fast time for the 100 green flag lap event.  South himself was not surprised, remarking that “we expect nothing less.”  He proved this was the case as he shot into the lead from the start and pulled away from the field for the first 23 laps.

Elliott bided his time, which was the focus for the race.  “We got to be there when it counts and go get this thing,” Chase said over the radio to his team prior to the green flag.  Elliott began his move to the front following a brief caution and cleared South for the lead a quarter way through the race.  South was not finished yet and took the lead back two laps later and led past the halfway point.

At this point in the race, South’s machine began to free up allowing Elliott to move back to the lead in turn three.  Benjamin followed to second.  Another caution would fly shortly thereafter, but Elliott proved that he is a master at restarts in these cars.  Throughout a longer green flag run towards the closing laps, Ben Kennedy was moving swiftly through the field.  Kennedy started seventh, but slipped back a few positions before making his run to the front later on.  Closing in on the ten lap to go mark, Kennedy had driven past Benjamin for second and set his sights on the leader.

Things would change at lap 91, when during a caution Kennedy was forced down pit road with an oil leak.  A series of cautions and restarts then culminated in a nine car pileup in turn two forcing a red flag period.  South caught a part of the wreck and was relegated to a 17th place finish.  Following the race, South recapped that “it was a matter of time before they would get us.  We felt we could be there for all 100 laps, but we weren’t.”

After a brief break in the action the race resumed and despite another caution period, Elliott continued to get the jump on the competition.  Five Flags Speedway pro late model champion Mike Garvey ran in the top five the entire race, but didn’t make his move for second until the closing laps.  Benjamin settled for third.

It was once again Elliott’s night though:  “I knew the late caution would come out…that never fails.  I knew to be prepared for multiple restarts and we were able to hold on.”  Most importantly, the over 100 laps on the track will prepare Elliott once again for a possible Snowball Derby repeat and could result in him being the first driver to win both Sunday’s prestigious race and the Snowflake 100 in the same weekend.

The blog is a place where me and my occasional photographer Aaron Creed post niche racing content. For example, the post below this is a recap of last night’s Snowball Derby Southern Modifieds feature.

So check that out if you feel particularly inspired.

Meanwhile, Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model qualifying just wrapped-up with Justin South winning the pole for Saturday night’s main event. Chase Elliott, Kyle Benjamin, Mike Garvey and Austin Luedtke complete the starting top-5.

Elliott, Benjamin and Garvey are amongst those looking to win both Saturday’s Snowflake 100 and Sunday’s Snowball Derby.

Here’s the qualifying results for the Snowflake 100:

1 43 Justin South 16.905
2 9 Chase Elliott 16.978
3 71 Kyle Benjamin 16.978
4 1 Mike Garvey 17.030
5 6 Austin Luedtke 17.106
6 22 Augie Grill 17.152
7 96 Ben Kennedy 17.164
8 29 Spencer Davis 17.181
9 12 Brandon McReynolds 17.204
10 83 Scotty Ellis 17.208
11 3 Brandon Kelley 17.211
1211Johanna Long17.220
1314Corey Deuser17.230
1466Korey Ruble17.235
15O2Matt Smith17.242
161CCody Coughlin17.253
174JErik Jones17.260
1864David Jones17.280
1929BAnderson Bowen17.295
2054Daniel Hemric17.328
214Donald Long17.365
2277Bryan Silas17.368
23121Joseph Meyer17.372
244PKyle Plott17.381
2536Rodney Benefield17.418
2645Dwayne Buggay17.444
2781Brandon Odom17.452
2891Zak Hausler17.480
2988Garrett Jones17.480
3029TAustin Theriault17.490
3198Russell Fleeman17.492
32112Kenzie Ruston17.498
335Chase Miller17.505
3433Wes Griffith, Jr.17.525
3541Chris Davidson17.543
3656Gus Dean17.544
3799Wayne Niedecken, Jr.17.595
3824Kyle Wolosek17.596
3979Kyle Bryant17.707
4089Bobby Reuse17.840
414MElliott Massey18.040
4230Rusty Sanford18.254
4310Matt MontineriNT
44O7Kevin DonahueNT
4516Terry ClarkNT

Also here’s a the staring lineup for Saturday’s 50-lap Snowball Derby Last Chance Race:

1 20 Brian Campbell
2 10 Paul Kelley
3 29 Austin Theriault
4 83 Landon Cassill
5 47 Allen Karnes
6 1 Stephen McCurley
7 42 Dennis Prunty
8 56 A.J. Frank
9 29 Anderson Bowen
10 10 Danny Bagwell
11 23 Dalton Grindle
12 67 Jeff Fultz
13 31 Kyle Grissom
14 73 Cole Powell
15 43 Dennis Schoenfeld
16 99 Jr. Niedecken
17 29 Spencer Davis
18 21 Scott Carlson
19 02 Matt Smith
20 1 Tim Martin
21 39 Kenzie Ruston
22 88 Roger Reuse
23 7 Erik Darnell
24 9 Brandon Watson
25 8 11Mason Mingus
26 17 Chuck Tuck
27 92 Ron McDonald

Follow me on Twitter @MattWeaverSBN for complete on-site coverage.

Modified race winner Billy Melvin in victory lane with track mascot Snowball and Miss Snowball Derby.

It certainly did not look like Billy Melvin’s race to win until the first turn of the last restart during Friday night’s edition of the Snowball Derby weekend featuring the IMCA type open wheel modifieds.  The Trussville, Alabama veteran driver started towards the front, but did not reach the five until close to halfway through the 50 green flag lap event.

Central Florida resident John Sappraicone Jr. claimed the pole position, but it was another Alabama native Jeff Letson who grabbed the lead from the outside.  The green flag racing would not last long when a multiple car wreck towards the rear of the field caused the red flag to be displayed for cleanup to occur in turn two.

When the race restarted, Letson and Sappraicone battled side by side with Sappraicone maintaining the high line.  As the laps started going by Letson pulled ahead and Snowball Derby driver this weekend Bubba Pollard slipped into second.  Pollard began to pressure Letson and took the lead on lap 16; however, a caution reset the field to the previous lap’s order.

A lap into the restart, triple duty driver Augie Grill’s tire went down and his notable #112 went into the turn one wall with several drivers plowing into the turn trying to check-up initiating another red flag.

Sappraicone had another head of steam and took the lead prior to halfway as Letson’s car appeared to fade, but as the race went on Pollard powered to the inside of the start-finish line to grab the lead.  Another driver climbing through the field was 16 year old Texas native Bayley Curry, who moved into second in the closing laps.  It looked like it would be all Pollard and Curry, but a caution slowed the field with only three laps remaining.

On the controversial start, Curry showed the advantage coming to the start-finish line, while Melvin drove past Pollard as well and dove under Curry for the lead and the win into turn one.  This was Melvin’s second win this season during a high-level short track racing weekend, as he claimed the rain-shortened victory at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville during All American 400 weekend.

Pollard recovered to claim second, but when asked about the final restart he simply replied “the leader is supposed to start the race.”  Curry maintained third, and although he was somewhat dejected about not coming away with the victory it was an impressive run for the young Texan.

It was certainly an emotional night for Melvin, who was racing with a collapsed lung.  To add to that after sitting on the pole and leading laps in years past, he was able to bring home the Snowball Derby trophy that has eluded him until now.

Track action in the 1989 Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway Photo Credit: ESPN Speedworld Clip

The Snowball Derby begins in just a little under a week. With that in mind, the countdown is on to the most prestigious race in short track late model racing. We’re going to spend the next few weeks here at Racing Observer Online reliving some of the most famous moments, all leading to Snowball Derby week which begins on Nov. 28 and lasts through Dec. 2 and the 45^th Running of the Super Bowl of Short Track Late Model Racing.

This isn’t so much a Snowball Derby moment as much as a cool internet discovery.

There are a lot of classic racing gems on the internet if you’re willing to dig deep enough to find them. The following video is one such example and includes clips of Ray Evernham and Martin Truex Sr. competing in the Thanksgiving Turkey Derby Super Modified race as well as clips of some promising open wheel prospect by the name of Jeff Gordon.

Video embedding has been disabled by request but you can watch the clip by clicking here.

But we’re going to focus on the portion of the clip starting around the 2:20 mark. There you’ll see a retro-looking Five Flags Speedway, without a pit road, playing host to the 1989 Snowball Derby. Rick Crawford won that race after making a late pit stop for tires and passing Rich Bickle Jr. and Bobby Dotter – his only career victory in the event.

Joe Nemechek finished seventh in that event, good enough to clinch the All-Pro Series championship by just five points over Crawford.

Crawford eventually translated his late model success into a NASCAR career where he gained popularity in the Camping World Truck Series, winning five times and starting 336 races – a Series record, all after turning 38 years old.

He was 31 at the time of his Snowball Derby breakthrough and was just a few seasons removed from winning track championships at both Pensacola and his hometown Mobile International Speedway – a track he promoted from 2011 to 2012.

The complete 1989 Snowball Derby Results can be found after the jump.

The 45^th Annual Snowball Derby is set for Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 with the green flag dropping at approximately 2 p.m. CST.

1989 Snowball Derby Race Results

1. Rick Crawford

2. Rich Bickle Jr.

3. Bobby Dotter

4. Scott Hansen

5. Junior Niedecken

6. Darrell Brown

7. Joe Nemechek

8. Keith Ward

9. Clay Brown

10. Bob Senneker

11. Ron Young

12. Jack Cook

13. Randy Couch

14. David Rogers

15. Ray Skillman

16. Scotty Lovelady

17. Charlie Skipper

18. Billy Bigley Jr.

19. Daniel Keene

20. Kenny Thorpe

21. Jeff Purvis

22. Tony Raines

23. Harry Gant

24. Mike Love

25. Ted Musgrave

26. Gerald Wilkerson

27. Ken Smith

28. Scott Sutherland

29. Stanley Smith

30. Rege Hellett

31. Eddie Mercer

32. Eddie Hanks

33. Red Farmer

34, Bobby Gill

35. David Green Jr.

36. Wayne Willard

37. Dave Mader III

38. Jody Ridley

39. Gary Wade Finley

40. Gary Bradberry

41. Jeff Dawkins

Pole Eddie Mercer 16.950

The Pro All-Stars Super Late Model Series (PASS) announced a deal earlier this week to provide play-by-play coverage of this weekend’s Mason Dixon Meltdown 200 at Concord Speedway – the culmination of the PASS National and PASS South Championship season.

This comes after PASS officials defended their no social media policy amongst attending reporters, a stance that was met with harsh resistance by fans hungry for a play-by-play service. PASS decided to provide the service itself after securing a partner in NCRaceParts.com and will provide flag-to-flag updates of the race via the Cover It Live platform.

“We have so many fans in New England and with Northwest Champion Garrett Evans making the 3,000-plus mile trip from Washington State, we are getting a lot of interest in this race from fans from all over the country,” PASS President Tom Mayberry said. “So we feel that this event would be a great way to bring the excitement to fans that can’t make the trip to Concord,”

The PASS National Championship is down to just two drivers in Ben Rowe and Jay Fogleman.

Fogleman took the championship lead from Rowe two weekends ago at Caraway Speedway by winning the race and capitalizing on a frustrating day for Rowe that included an accident with Jordan Anderson and a 16^th place finish.

Fogleman enters the final race of the season with just a 15 point lead, meaning anything can and probably will happen on Saturday afternoon at Concord.

Live! coverage will begin at 8AM on Saturday November 24^th and will continue until the completion of the Mason Dixon Meltdown. Visit www.proallstarsseries.com or www.passracinglive.com to enjoy the Live! broadcast.

PASS Announces 2013 Schedule

PASS also announced its extensive 2013 schedule on Thursday, a campaign highlighted by races in Auburndale Speedway (FL), Oxford Plains Speedway (ME), South Boston Speedway (VA) and three races in Canada.

“We are very pleased to have our 2013 schedules out for the PASS North and PASS South Super Late Models at such an early date,” PASS President Tom Mayberry said.  “It is my hope that our teams of talented racers and mechanics around the country can start making plans for next year and hopefully this schedule release will help out in their search for sponsors.

“I think the PASS fans will enjoy the tracks we are going to in 2013 and will have the chance to see some really great racing at some outstanding venues.”

Noticeably missing from the preliminary schedule is the All-American 400 from Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. The Sanctioning Body is quick to announce that more races could be added. So stay tuned.

The complete press release can be found after the jump.

PASS To Sanction $25,000 to win Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway – PASS South Returns To Southern National Raceway Park

NAPLES, ME (November 23) – Pro All Stars Series (PASS) officials released the 2013 schedules today for both the PASS North Super Late Models and PASS South Super Late Models.  In its 13^th year of operation, PASS will sanction over 30 Super Late Model races across North America in 2013, including the previously announced PASS Northwest races at Wenatchee Valley Super Oval in Washington and the PASS National opener at Florida’s Auburndale Speedway on February 9^th.

The PASS North schedule consists of 13 confirmed dates with races in Maine, New Hampshire, and the Canadian province of Quebec.  PASS South has 14 confirmed dates with races in the Carolinas and Virginia.  Both schedules could see up to two more additional dates to be added by January.

“We are very pleased to have our 2013 schedules out for the PASS North and PASS South Super Late Models at such an early date,” said PASS President Tom Mayberry.  “It is my hope that our teams of talented racers and mechanics around the country can start making plans for next year and hopefully this schedule release will help out in their search for sponsors.  I think the PASS fans will enjoy the tracks we are going to in 2013 and will have the chance to see some really great racing at some outstanding venues.”

The PASS North Super Late Model season will be anchored by Maine’s legendary Oxford Plains Speedway.  The PASS North season will open at Oxford on April 21^st and the champion will be crowned there in the season finale on September 28^th.  The series will also visit Oxford on July 21^st for the return of Super Late Models to the prestigious Oxford 250, a race that will pay $25,000 to the winner.

The PASS North Super Late Models will also be featured in the Autobus La Quebecoise Triple Crown at Autodrome Chaudiere in Quebec .  Racers who compete in all three events “North Of The Border” will be eligible for an additional $30,000 bonus point fund.  Highlighting the three PASS North events at Autodrome Chaudiere will be a midweek show featuring a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver in competition on August 6^th and a 200 lapper paying $6,000 to win plus $20,000 in additional lap money on September 7^th.

In addition, the PASS North Super Late Models will return to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Maine three times next year, including the prestigious PASS 400 weekend on September 14^th-15^th.  The Granite State of New Hampshire will also be well represented with three trips to White Mountain Motorsports Park and a single visit to Canaan Fair Speedway on June 29^th.

The PASS South Super Late Model season will kick off with two big races in the Palmetto State, the South Carolina Clash at Dillon Motor Speedway on March 9^th and PASS’s first ever visit to the historic Myrtle Beach Speedway on March 16^th.  One of the Spring’s biggest Super Late Model races, the Easter Bunny 150 at Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway will roll off on March 30^th.

On April 13^th, fans and racers alike will be excited for PASS South’s return to the fast, high banked Southern National Motorsports Park in Kenly, NC for the first time since 2009.  Fans will get to see PASS South in action four times in 2013 at Southern National, marking the only times Super Late Models will be in action at the popular eastern North Carolina track.  The PASS South champion will also be crowned at Southern National as the prestigious Mason Dixon Meltdown moves there for the first time in its eight year history on November 23^rd.

South Boston Speedway in Virginia returns to the schedule for three events in 2013.  Each event will once again feature the PASS South Super Late Models racing for 150 laps, plus Twin 75’s for the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model Stocks.

The Independence Day holiday will get a jump start with the mid-week Firecracker 150 at Anderson Motor Speedway in South Carolina.  And, PASS South returns once again to the Caraway Speedway in North Carolina for the North South Shootout on November 9^th.

The new PASS Pro Late Model division will race as a support division at most PASS South Super Late Model events in 2013.  PASS Modifieds and PASS Sportsman will also be back in action as support divisions for the PASS North Super Late Models.  Schedules for all of those divisions will be released in the coming weeks.

The Pro All Stars Series is recognized as the nation’s premier sanctioning body for asphalt Super Late Models with events throughout the United States and Canada.  For technical information regarding any PASS division please contact Scott Reed at 207-625-3230 or scottreedpass@yahoo.com.  For media or marketing questions, please contact Alan Dietz at 704-231-2039 or alandietzpass@live.com.  Please visit ProAllStarsSeries.com for more information and don’t forget to “Like” the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook to keep up with breaking news as it happens.

2013 PASS North Super Late Model Schedule

April 21            Oxford Plains Speedway – Oxford, ME                                150 laps

May 4              Beech Ridge Motor Speedway – Scarborough, ME              150 laps

May 18            Autodrome Chaudiere – Valley Junction, QC                        150 laps

May 25            White Mountain Motorsports Park – North Woodstock, NH  150 laps

June 29           Canaan Fair Speedway – Canaan, NH                                  150 laps

July 6              Beech Ridge Motor Speedway – Scarborough, ME              150 laps

July 21                        Oxford Plains Speedway – Oxford, ME                                250 laps

August 4          White Mountain Motorsports Park – North Woodstock, NH  150 laps

August 6          Autodrome Chaudiere – Valley Junction, QC                        150 laps

August 31        White Mountain Motorsports Park – North Woodstock, NH  150 laps

September 7   Autodrome Chaudiere – Valley Junction, QC                        200 laps

September 15 Beech Ridge Motor Speedway – Scarborough, ME              300 laps

September 28 Oxford Plains Speedway – Oxford, ME                                150 laps

****Additional dates could be announced

2013 PASS South Super Late Model Tenative Schedule

March 9           Dillon Motor Speedway – Dillon, SC                                      150 laps

March 16         Myrtle Beach Speedway – Myrtle Beach, SC                       TBD

March 30         Hickory Motor Speedway – Hickory, NC                              150 laps

April 13            Southern National Motorsports Park – Kenly, NC                 150 laps

May 11            South Boston Speedway – South Boston, VA                       150 laps

June 8             South Boston Speedway – South Boston, VA                       150 laps

June 22           Southern National Motorsports Park – Kenly, NC                 150 laps

July 3              Anderson Motor Speedway – Anderson, SC                         150 laps

August 3          Southern National Motorsports Park – Kenly, NC                 150 laps

August 17        South Boston Speedway – South Boston, VA                       150 laps

September 21 Hickory Motor Speedway – Hickory, NC                              150 laps

October 5        Dillon Motor Speedway – Dillon, SC                                      150 laps

November 9    Caraway Speedway – Asheboro, NC                                                TBD

November 23  Southern National Motorsports Park                                      200 laps

****Additional dates could be announced

First, during qualifying Sadler drove into the dog leg way too hard and couldn’t make it stick. He pounded the wall and needed to go to a backup. He would start at the rear of the field.

Meanwhile, Stenhouse qualified near the front and competed for the win for most of the evening even Sadler worked his way near the top-10. It was an admirable effort for a driver in a backup car and Sadler should have been happy to take a 10-point deficit into the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend.

Instead, Sadler was again overanxious in the closing laps, getting into the back of Cole Whitt and collected Brendan Gaughan in a violent three-car accident in turn three — the same spot where a crash dashed his championship hopes last season.

The accident resulted in a 10-minute red flag period and set-up a green-white-checkered finish that saw the race resume without Sadler, saw Logano win and saw Stenhouse finish third and take a demanding championship lead with only one race remaining.

Sadler and Stenhouse entered the penultimate race of the season tied, and Sadler was running only 10 points back at the time of his gaffe. His accident resulted in a 23rd place finish and a 20-point deficit — and he’s taking full responsibility.

“I just got loose. It’s hard to put this into words,” Sadler said. “It’s been a long, great season and my guys deserve a better effort from me than wrecking the car on the last lap… It was 100 percent my fault. I should have done a better job for these guys and I just apologize to them for putting them in this position heading into Homestead. We don’t have a dog in the fight, but I definitely dug ourselves a hole.”

This sets up the following clinch scenarios for Stenhouse:

Stenhouse needs to finish 16th or better at Homestead to become the sixth driver in Nationwide history to win consecutive titles. If he leads a lap, he’ll need to finish just 17th or better — a safe bet given that roughly 10 cars start and park each race in 2012.

That said, we’ve seen a lot of wacky things as race fans and both Sadler and Austin Dillon (-25) have mathematical shots entering the final race. In a campaign of 33 races, that’s all Stenhouse, Sadler and Dillon can ask for.

Well…

Probably not so much for Sadler.

The aforementioned Logano won the race, followed by Brian Vickers and Stenhouse to complete the podium. Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon, Michael Annett, Brian Scott, Brad Keselowski and Danica Patrick rounded-out the top-10. Complete results and video can be found after the jump.

# = Rookie, Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Average Speed: 98.077 MPH Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 04 Mins, 48 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.668 Seconds
Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers Cautions: 10 for 40 laps Attendance: 42,000

2011 Snowball Derby champion Chase Elliott will compete in tonight’s K&N Pro Series West race from Phoenix. Photo Credit: Matt Weaver

Forget the Nationwide Series; the most fascinating enhancement race of the weekend might be the Pro Series West season finale, which is live on SPEED at 7 p.m. EST tonight.

First, there’s a dramatic championship battle at stake with young prospect Dylan Kwasniewski leading defending champion Greg Pursley by just two points. Both drivers compete for Gene Price Motorsports, leading two the two looking evenly matched all year.

The incumbent Pursley has won four times and the 17-year-old Kwasniewski has won three times. We could easily see the closest championship battle in Pro Series history end up in a victory-deciding tie once the checkered flag drops.

If qualifying is any indication, tonight’s race should produce similar parity. Kwasniewski qualified fourth with Purlsey qualifying 11^th. Cale Conley won the Coors Light 21 Means 21 pole – an ironic title considering the number of teenagers in the tonight’s field.

Then there’s the All-Star nature of tonight’s Casino Arizona 50. Thirty cars will take the green flag for tonight’s race – a more than healthy field especially by Pro Series standards. That’s due in large part to the number of Pro Series East invaders entered into tonight’s race, including pole-sitter Cale Conley, Chase Elliott, Ben Kennedy and Bryan Ortiz.

Kennedy is the great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and Elliott is the son of 1988 Sprint Cup Series champion, Bill Elliott. In other words, racing royalty is stopping by Phoenix for tonight’s race – a pleasant subplot when you toss in the competitive championship battle.

Back to qualifying: Conley is on the pole, looking to win his first West Series race after capturing a few East Series trophies in a part-time role for JTG Daugherty Racing. Michael Self, a winner of two West races this season, was second quickest. He was followed by Derek Thorn, Dylan Kwasniewski and Brett Thompson. Completing the top 10 were Bryan Ortiz, Chase Elliott, Johnny Borneman, Cameron Hayley and Ben Kennedy.

The complete starting lineup can be found after the jump.

The future is here and it is on display in the Pro Series West, but will you be watching?

Casino Arizona 50 Starting Lineup

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West

1. Cale Conley, Vienna, W. Va.
2. Michael Self, Park City, Utah
3. Derek Thorn, Lakeport, Calif.
4. Dylan Kwasniewski, Las Vegas, Nev.
5. Brett Thompson, Jerome, Idaho
6. Bryan Ortiz, Bayamon, Puerto Rico
7. Chase Elliott, Dawsonville, Ga.
8. Johnny Borneman, Ramona, Calif.
9. Cameron Hayley, Calgary, Alberta
10. Ben Kennedy, Daytona Beach, Fla.
11. Greg Pursley, Newhall, Calif.
12. Ryan Philpott, Tracy, Calif.
13. Braeden Havens, Spokane, Wash.
14. Kelly Admiraal, Edmonton, Alberta
15. Austin Dyne, Malibu, Calif.
16. Brian Wong, Newport Beach, Calif.
17. Jonathon Gomez, Twin Falls, Idaho
18. Dallas Montes, Bakersfield, Calif.
19. Cassie Gannis, Phoenix, Ariz.
20. David Mayhew, Atascadero, Calif.
21. Anthony Giannone, Colorado Sprgs, Colo.
22. Taylor Cuzick, Tolleson, Ariz.
23. Tommy Regan, Tracy, Calif.
24. Daryl Harr, Edmonton, Alberta
25. Travis Milburn, Eagle, Idaho
26. Billy Kann, Tempe, Ariz.
27. Eric Holmes, Escalon, Calif.
28. Carl Harr, Edmonton, Alberta
29. John Wood, Eagle, Idaho
30. Griffin Steinfeld, Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Photo Credit: Matt Weaver

The Camping World Truck Series promises to have an exciting championship conclusion next weekend at Homestead due in large part to what happened on Friday night in the penultimate race of the season at Phoenix.

In short, Brian Scott won just his second-career Truck Series race but an accident involving James Buescher will make it a four-team battle to decide the championship once racing resumes next weekend. Buescher will enter the finale leading by just 11 points over Timothy Peters and 12 over Ty Dillion.

Even Joey Coulter has an outside shot now as he faces a 29-point margin at Homestead. Once there, anything can happen, especially judging from what happened at Phoenix.

Parker Kligerman’s championship hopes were all but dashed in an accident on lap 54, getting loose off turn one and crashing into two other trucks. He entered the race third in point but finished 27^th. He’s now fourth in the standings — virtually eliminated from the championship.

And then there’s Ty Dillon who was caught up in an accident between German Quiroga and Brendan Gaughan on lap 110. The accident was so severe that it brought out the red flag for 10 minutes, giving Dillon and his crew ample time to diagnose the problem.  And once the caution resumed, they were able to keep Dillon on the lead lap. He finished 15^th and was the primary benefactor of the Buescher accident — title leader finished in 17^th.

The race was marred by nine cautions for 46 laps with the final yellow on lap 148 making the difference in the battle for the lead. Fresh off his K&N Pro Series East championship, Kyle Larson was pulling away from Scott in the closing laps until the final caution, for Buescher, set up a green-white-checkered finish.

Scott benefitted from the front row restart and pulled away from Larson to win by just over a half of second. Scott apparently learned from a restart with Ty Dillon earlier in the race and credits the championship contender for helping beat Larson.

“I probably have to give a dozen roses to Ty Dillon,” Scott said, “because he was able to get by me on a restart earlier by holding me down and driving in deep through the corner and just keeping position on me — and I learned from it.

“Luckily I was able to come back and have the opportunity to do the same thing to somebody else, somebody that probably wasn’t expecting it. Fortunately for us, I was able to apply something I learned earlier in the race. I just went into the corner really hard, held him down and got him a little loose.”

Joey Coulter, Timothy Peters and Ryan Blaney completed the top five.

Now back to the championship battle. The final race of the season can be summed up like this. Buescher needs to finish seventh or better without leading a lap, eighth with one lap led or ninth while leading the most laps. If he cannot then it is up to Peters, Dillon and Coulter to try and capitalize.

Sounds like a lot of fun. The complete race results and a box score can be found on the other side of the jump.

Race Results

Lucas Oil 150

1. (3) Brian Scott(i), Toyota, 153, $35675.

2. (6) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 153, $25590.

3. (17) Joey Coulter, Chevrolet, 153, $18285.

4. (8) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 153, $14100.

5. (2) Ryan Blaney, RAM, 153, $15325.

6. (14) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 153, $11425.

7. (4) Cale Gale #, Chevrolet, 153, $12375.

8. (1) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, 153, $13625.

9. (11) Ryan Truex(i), Chevrolet, 153, $9025.

10. (22) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 153, $12475.

11. (23) Matt Merrell, Chevrolet, 153, $8775.

12. (13) David Mayhew(i), RAM, 153, $10900.

13. (27) John Wes Townley #, Toyota, 153, $10850.

14. (15) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 152, $10775.

15. (21) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 152, $11800.

16. (32) Bryan Silas #, Ford, 152, $10650.

17. (9) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 152, $10600.

18. (33) Todd Peck, Chevrolet, 149, $10550.

19. (34) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 148, $10500.

20. (5) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 144, $11075.

21. (26) Jason White, Ford, Accident, 136, $10375.

22. (10) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 111, $10325.

23. (19) Brendan Gaughan(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 109, $8975.

24. (18) German Quiroga, Toyota, Accident, 109, $7875.

25. (16) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 104, $9925.

26. (30) Brian Weber, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 95, $7675.

27. (7) Parker Kligerman, Toyota, Accident, 78, $7550.

28. (12) Todd Bodine, Toyota, Accident, 48, $7450.

29. (36) John King, Ford, Accident, 43, $7350.

30. (20) Jeff Choquette, Chevrolet, Accident, 34, $7750.

31. (24) Stephen Leicht(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 22, $7200.

32. (31) Dennis Setzer, Chevrolet, Brakes, 8, $7175.

33. (25) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, Ignition, 7, $7150.

34. (35) Chris Fontaine, Chevrolet, Brakes, 6, $7125.

35. (28) Chris Jones, Chevrolet, Ignition, 4, $7090.

36. (29) Blake Koch(i), Ford, Suspension, 2, $7054.

RACE STATISTICS

Average Speed of Race Winner: 87.581 mph.

Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 44 Mins, 49 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.666 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 9 for 46 laps.

Lead Changes: 8 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders: N. Piquet Jr. 1-8; B. Scott(i) 9-53; T. Dillon # 54-74; B. Scott(i) 75; R. Truex(i) 76-97; J. Lofton 98-105; T. Peters 106-108; K. Larson 109-151; B. Scott(i) 152-153.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): B. Scott(i) 3 times for 48 laps; K. Larson 1 time for 43 laps; R. Truex(i) 1 time for 22 laps; T. Dillon # 1 time for 21 laps; N. Piquet Jr. 1 time for 8 laps; J. Lofton 1 time for 8 laps; T. Peters 1 time for 3 laps.

Top 10 in Points: J. Buescher – 777; T. Peters – 766; T. Dillon # – 765; J. Coulter – 748; P. Kligerman – 740; M. Crafton – 727; N. Piquet Jr. – 706; J. Lofton – 675; J. Sauter – 639; M. Paludo – 629.

Snowball Derby head technical director Ricky Brooks at his tech station at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacol, Fla.        Photo Credit: Matt Weaver

The Snowball Derby begins in just a little over two weeks. With that in mind, the countdown is on to the most prestigious race in short track late model racing. We’re going to spend the next few weeks here at Racing Observer Online reliving some of the most famous moments, all leading to Snowball Derby week which begins on Nov. 28 and lasts through Dec. 2 and the 45^th Running of the Super Bowl of Short Track Late Model Racing.

In 2007 Stephen Wallace and Kyle Busch were disqualified and banned from the track after failing post qualifying technical inspection.

Both drivers had made it into the field but Busch was tossed after failing to meet the minimum height requirement on his race car. Wallace’s car was found to be underweight when crossing the scales and Speedway officials allowed Wallace a second pass-through. He only made his predicament worse when during his second attempt, he was found to have stuffed his pockets with sockets, leading to an immediate dismissal from the Speedway.

This was notable because it further legitimized the policy of head tech-man Ricky Brooks. Disqualifying Busch and Wallace, two NASCAR drivers, showed the racing world that popularity would not earn you a free pass at Five Flags Speedway.

Ironically, Busch was overheard telling officials that he would never come back. But he did, in 2009, where he won the race and silenced the critics once and for all. Both he and 2004 race winner Wallace will be back in 2012, hoping to add another Tom Dawson trophy to their collection.

The 45^th Annual Snowball Derby is set for Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 with the green flag dropping at approximately 2 p.m. CST.

That’s because PASS doesn’t allow their media contingent to provide live updates during their races. Instead, they want to be the sole content provider, opting to direct everyone to go to their Facebook page and receive updates there.

This is problematic on several fronts. First not everyone has a Facebook account, especially PASS’ admittedly older demographic of middle-aged men and their families.

This weekend’s PASS North/South Challenge from Caraway Speedway is taking place but you won’t hear much about it. And how do I know that?

These are the same antics that plagued October’s All-American 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, a race now sanctioned by PASS – also a race that I attended.

Before really shooting themselves in the foot in how they handled their rain-shortened procedure and how they eventually awarded Ross Kenseth the win, they damaged their reputation even further by telling the media that they were not allowed to provide any updates via social media or electronic news feed.

When we questioned the policy, a PASS official responded by telling us that it makes sense for a sporting organization to want to be the sole supplier of their content.

The response was an overwhelming, “No, it does not,” and we proceeded to do our jobs without their consent.

Imagine the NFL without ESPN or better-yet NASCAR without SPEED and Fox Sports. Brands can’t grow without trusted experts (journalists) telling their constituents that an event is important and that they should care.

Despite its status as a big four Super Late Model race, all of my NASCAR Twitter followers had no clue what the All-American 400 was, surprising considering the level of star power represented in the field that night. And it’s easy to see why when PASS doesn’t allow media to provide content to their quality race-starved fanbase.

This was even more confounding after I visited the hallowed PASS Facebook page, which had only 1700 followers and roughly 15 race updates over four hours. And before anyone asks, of course PASS doesn’t use Twitter — that’s too complicated for them.

For a racing organization to thrive in the digital age, they have to accept the evolving social media landscape and the reporters that use them to enhance the reputation and stature of their sport.

Speed 51 is the short track source and provides the most extensive coverage of short track late model racing in the country. Think of the Bob Dillner-led group as the SPEED of short track racing and even they aren’t even allowed to provide live coverage at this weekend’s PASS event.
Instead, 51 had to give this apology to their fans — motorsport diehards who want nothing more than to support PASS.

“The Pro All-Stars Series does not allow live coverage of its events. Speed51.com would be more than happy and able to provide more exposure for all PASS competitors and series sponsors as well as help promote the series’ event prior to the race.”

But they’re not allowed. Good luck getting that level of coverage on PASS’ Facebook.

Matt Weaver is a national motorsports columnist and reporter for SB Nation. You can find his content at SB Nation NASCAR.