Snowball Derby Moment (1977): Darrell Waltrip still has Ronnie Sanders’ trophy.

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.

Next up is the story of Ronnie Sanders’ only Snowball Derby victory in 1977 and how it was originally awarded to Darrell Waltrip. There’s only one problem, Waltrip still believes he won and will not give up the Tom Dawson Memorial Trophy until he was paid for his victory.

Needless to say, the track promoters didn’t pay Waltrip after they erroneously spotted him an extra lap on the field and “Jaws” never gave back the trophy.

The story is better explained by Waltrip and Sanders themselves. It’s a doozy so sit back and enjoy! Here’s the video:

The 1977 race was pretty stacked in hindsight. Going deep through the field, you’ll also find a young Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Bobby Allison and Rusty Wallace — and a slightly younger Red Farmer. The complete results of the 1977 race can be found after the jump. Below is a photo of Mark Martin’s car from that race.

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

Video courtesy of Speed 51.

Snowball Derby Moment (2010): Johanna Long spins out Landon Cassill to win Derby

Johanna Long following her victory in the 2010 Snowball Derby 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’ll spend the next few weeks here at Racing Observer Online reliving the most famous moments of the event, 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.

First up is Johanna Long’s 2010 spin-to-win on Landon Cassill which was the prelude to the most popular victory in the event’s long history. Long (10) is a Pensacola-native and cut her teeth on the high-banked half-mile. Cassill (7) at the time had just broken into the Sprint Cup Series racing a part-time schedule for Phoenix Racing in the No. 51.

The final laps came down to these two talented drivers and what a finish it was:

And another angle:

Cassill had every right to be pissed at Johanna Long. After all, she spun him out for the lead with two laps remaining. But instead of frustration, he congratulated the Long and gave the following classy interview.

Two years later, Long is proud of her accomplishment but wished it had happened under cleaner circumstances.

“I was a little anxious, excited and I had fresh tires – and at that racetrack you can pick up the gas so much sooner with new tires, and he spun his off the corner. I hated doing it that way. But I look back at it and I’m like, I won the Snowball Derby, but I really wish I wouldn’t have done it like that.

She’ll get her chance to do it without the controversy in 2012. Complete results of the 2010 race can be found after the jump. The 45th Annual Snowball Derby is set for Sunday Dec. 2, 2012 with the green flag dropping at approximately 2 p.m. CST.

Videos courtesy of Speed51 and Brandon Taylor

Jimmie Johnson nips Brad Keselowski on final restart, extends championship lead with two races to go

Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus won Sunday’s AAA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway Photo Credit: Matt Weaver

Holy crap, what a finish!

Not so much the actual finish but everything leading up to it, especially the penultimate restart where Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski made contact while fighting for the lead before the race-ending green, white, checkered finish.

Keselowski got the better of Johnson on the first restart but Johnson skipped ahead on the final reset and never looked back, winning the race by just under one second – 0.808.

Some have argued that Johnson was aided by beating his rival to the line on the restart – a big no-no according to the NASCAR rulebook. We’ve been told over-and-over again that the second-place car cannot, under any circumstance, pass the leader until after they cross the start-finish line.  The replay clearly shows that Johnson beat Keselowski to the line and by both the letter of the law and a precedent set at Indianapolis earlier this year (in the Nationwide Series race), Johnson absolutely should have been penalized.

Elliott Sadler was penalized at Indianapolis, an inconsistency that he clearly remembers, after watching Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race.

you read my mind…. I’m really confused now…“@jim_utter: I wonder what @elliott_sadler thinks of the restart calls tonight?”

— Elliott Sadler (@Elliott_Sadler) November 5, 2012

 

 

Now Brad says there was a lot of “fair play” on the final restart and that he doesn’t mind NASCAR not calling for a penalty. And he should know, Keselowski’s become a bit of an expert on the restart shenanigans and if he’s fine with it, I guess we should too.

And at the end of the day, the better team won and the No. 48 was the better team, leading a race high 168 laps. While the Danica Patrick box-in was a set-back for Keselowski, the two-tire gamble eventually sorted everything out in its proper order. Ultimately, the world has a way of always course-correcting itself.

Kind of like how Jimmie Johnson is going to win yet another Sprint Cup Series championship…right?

As if there was any confusion, Texas ensured that the Chase for the Championship is a two-driver race, with Johnson extending his lead to seven points over Brad Keselowski. Clint Bowyer’s sixth-place finish is a case of too little, too late. He’s 37 points out of the lead. Kasey Kahne’s late race accident also all-but-eliminated him from contention, sending him 58 points out of the lead.

The complete results, a Youtube video of the finish, and the updated championship standings can be found after the jump.

Brief Texas Nationwide thoughts: Harvick wins as championship battle heats up

Kevin Harvick outdueled Kyle Busch on a final restart with 19 laps to go and ran away over the final few laps to win the O’Reily Auto Parts Challenge on Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

While that’s a nice story, the most compelling element to come out of Saturday’s race has to be the championship battle between Ricky Stenhouse and Elliott Sadler, which is now tied with just two races remaining.

Who needs a playoff format, right?

Sadler was running over 10 positions better than his championship rival for most of the night but just couldn’t hang on during the final two green flag runs. He dropped from the top-five all the way back to 11th while Stenhouse battled back from outside of the top-10 to finish fourth.

The result is a dead-heat in the standings with just two races at Phoenix and Homestead left on the schedule. Stenhouse Jr. owns the tiebreaker based on wins.

Busch appeared to have the race well in hand until the lap 97 restart where his car, on low tire pressure, bottomed out going into turn one. This killed Busch’s momentum and allowed Harvick to get around him and into the race lead.

Clean air kept him out front for the remainder of the race and delivered Harvick his 39th career Nationwide Series victory and fifth at Texas Motor Speedway.

“It feels great to get back to victory lane here at Texas,” Harvick said. “This is what we wanted when we put this deal together, to win more races, we could have easily won a lot more if not for circumstances not going our way.”

Before signing off, I really want to praise ESPN for their usage of Hollywood Armstrong during the Nationwide broadcasts this season. He’s a natural behind the camera and having his helmet cam on pit road when something exciting happens near is stall is an added benefit.

In all, ESPN has really done a fantastic job improving the NNS broadcasts from 2011 to 2012. They’ve found a good mix between experimental and proven quality and I’ll miss their broadcasts as we approach the offseason.

Complete results can be found after the jump.

Disrespected contender, Brad Keselowski is looking to make history by defeating Jimmie Johnson in NASCAR Championship

Brad Keselowski poses with a fan prior to the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 last month at Talladega Superspeedway. Photo Credit: Matt Weaver

What Jimmie Johnson has been able to accomplish over the last decade is the stuff of legend — five consecutive championships from 2006-2010, 59 victories and he’s the only driver to make the Chase for the Championship every season since its inception in 2004.

And yet, what Brad Keselowski is trying to do over the next three weekends would be even more remarkable. Since 2006, no driver has gone head-to-head with Johnson and survived with the championship in hand.

Denny Hamlin was the last driver to find himself in this position, two years ago, and even entered the final race of the season with the championship lead. But a fuel miscalculation at Phoenix, combined with another herculean effort by the 48 team at Homestead sealed Hamlin’s fate.
Johnson went on to win his fifth-consecutive championship.

Hamlin was hardly the first. The story has been repeated several times during Johnson’s reign with Mark Martin falling just short in 2009 and Jeff Gordon failing to topple his protégé in 2007. The theme has been repeated over-and-over in recent memory and most recently at Martinsville, when Johnson won that race and took a two-point championship lead over Keselowski as a result.

Most onlookers saw Martinsville as a turning point in the 2012 Chase, some even prematurely crowning Johnson as the eventual champion. These cries were repeated on Friday when Johnson won the pole for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

This is an insult to Brad Keselowski and his season. He’s won five times this year and is surrounded by a championship-rich organization in Penske Racing.

Keselowski has wins at Bristol, Talladega, Kentucky, Chicago and Dover. In short, Keselowski is no push over at any style of race track remaining on the schedule. In fact, he’s really the perfect match for Johnson. He appears immune to Johnson’s mind games and has nothing to lose. He’s competing for his first Sprint Cup championship at 28 years old and for a manufacturer that is leaving at the end of the season. Team Blue Deuce is all-in and that’s a powerful combination for Brad Keselowski.
Count him out at your own peril.

Johnson’s on the path to becoming the greatest of all time but what’s more impressive, winning five-straight championships or becoming the first driver to go hand-to-hand with that driver and beat him? The NASCAR community is just three races away and two points apart from finding out.
Prerace quotes from both contenders and qualifying results from today at Texas can be found after the jump.

Sprint Cup Series stars Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola and Landon Cassill file Snowball Derby entries

Chase Elliott won the 2011 Snowball Derby by .229 of a second over DJ VanderLey — the closest finish in race history. Photo Credit: Matt Weaver

Kyle Busch is returning to the Super Bowl of short track Late Model racing.The entry list for the 45^th Annual Snowball Derby has been updated today displaying a fantastic mix of NASCAR and Super Late Model talents.

Busch will return to the race for the first time since winning the event in 2009 and brings with him two prior Super Late Model victories this season, winning Speedfest at Watermelon Capital and the Rowdy 251 at Berlin.

No Super Late Model season is complete without a Snowball Derby victory and Busch will always make room on his trophy case for a second Tom Dawson Memorial trophy.

“We are very excited to get back to Pensacola to run the Snowball Derby,” Busch told Speed 51.  “The last time we were down there it was special.  I am a big fan of short track racing and the Snowball Derby is the best of the best in Super Late Model racing.”

He is joined by fellow NASCAR superstars David Ragan, Aric Almirola, Steve Wallace, Erik Darnell and Landon Cassill.

You could include Nationwide Series breakout superstar Johanna Long on that list but she’s a Super Late Model veteran, having won this race in 2010 and cutting her teeth at Pensacola Five Flags Speedway, her home track.

“I will always consider myself a late model driver because it’s where I started,” Long told Racing Observer Online. “It’s my roots. I love racing late models during my off weekends, and I plan on going back home to Pensacola to race in the Snowball Derby for many years to come.

“There’s no other race like it. It’s intense short track racing at its finest. It truly is one of the best Late Model races in the country.”

She’s joined by the best of the discipline in Bubba Pollard, the 2011 Winningest Driver in Super Late Model Racing, according to Speed51. The list also contains some of their staunchest rivals, including Mike Garvey, Chase Elliott, Ross Kenseth, DJ VanderLey, Augie Grill and Kyle Benjamin.

Benjamin dominated The World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway during Speedweeks and again won races at Lucas Oil Raceway and the ARCA/CRA Watermelon 100. Point is, Benjamin is racing amongst the elite and he’s slowly becoming one of them.

“Having all the best our sport has to offer in one place is what makes the Snowball Derby great,” Benjamin said. “I’m excited to see how we stack up. It takes a lot of luck just to finish the race, but with some on our side, I feel like we have as good a shot as anyone.

The current entry list contains 59 of the best stock car drivers in the country. More than 40 entries have also been completed for the Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model race, the top such race of the crate engine division. Races in the bombers, sportsman, super stock and modified divisions will also be held during the week.

The 45th Annual Snowball Derby kicks off on Wednesday, November 28th with the Green Flag Party. The first on-track activity comes on Thursday, as practice for the Super and Pro Late Models commences. Later that evening, qualifying and feature action for the Five Flags Speedway Bomber and Sportsmen divisions will take place.

On Friday, November 30th, it’s WXBM Pole Night, as the top 30 in Snowball Derby qualifying will be locked into Sunday’s 300-lap feature. Saturday, December 1^st brings Snowflake 100 time trials, qualifying races and the 100-lap feature, plus final practice for the Snowball Derby cars alongside a 50-lap last-chance qualifying race for the Derby.

Finally, the 45th Annual Snowball Derby will then go green on Sunday, December 2nd at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, FL.

Racing Observer Online will be trackside for the entire event’s schedule, providing extensive and exclusive content throughout the week. The complete entry list, and the list of former winners, can be found after the jump.

2013 ROO fantasy Schedule would include popular short tracks, recall to NASCAR heritage

Track shot from the infield of Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville prior to the 2012 All-American 400 PASS Super Late Model race. Photo Credit: Matt Weaver

I published a story to SB Nation NASCAR on Tuesday that explained what most of us here already know – that NASCAR needs more short tracks. The story explained how my dad and I watched a race together for the first time this season and it was only because Martinsville, or real racing, was on the television.

The modern NASCAR is plagued by speedway follow-the-leader parades and the racing won’t improve until either the schedule changes or the car is altered – and I’m not referring to the 2013 car. At first glance, it looks like more of the same.

Nevertheless, the jury is still out.

Martinsville did serve as a reminder of what NASCAR used to be – hard-nosed, tight-quartered and aero-stupid racing (a popular phrase from my Tuesday column) and a preview of what it could be again. Even if it is within the fantasy world, I’m about to illustrate it here.

The current schedule isn’t going anywhere, for various reasons including market size and track ownership. But as a popular crew chief friend told me at the All-American 400, “NASCAR is cyclical. There will come a day where the TV contract won’t be able to pay for all the empty stands and the sport will be forced to come back to tiny half-miles like Nashville.”

Until that day comes, here’s my ideal fantasy Sprint Cup Series schedule.

1. Daytona 500 – Daytona International Speedway
2. Rockingham 500 – North Carolina Speedway
3. Richmond 400 – Richmond International Raceway
4. Subway Fresh Fit 500 – Phoenix International Raceway
5. Kobalt Tools 400 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway
6. California 400 – Auto Club Speedway
7. Food City 500 – Bristol Motor Speedway
8. Goody’s Fast Relief 500 – Martinsville Speedway
9. Wells Fargo 400 – North Wilkesboro Motor Speedway
10. Samsung Mobile 500 – Texas Motor Speedway
11. Aaron’s 499 – Talladega Superspeedway
12. Sun Drop Music City 500  – Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville
13. Southern 500 – Darlington Speedway
14. Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola World 600 – Charlotte Motor Speedway
15. FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks – Dover International Raceway
16. Pocono 400 – Pocono International Raceway
17. Quicken Loans 400 – Michigan International Raceway
18. Toyota Save/Mart 350 – Sears Point Raceway
19. Quaker State 400 – Kentucky Speedway
20. Coke Zero 400 – Daytona International Speedway
21. All-American 400 – Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville
22. Lenox Industrial Tools 301 – New Hampshire Motor Speedway
23. Brickyard 400 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
24. Pensylvania 400 – Pocono International Raceway
25. Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen – Watkins Glen International (boot configuration)
26. Federated Auto Parts 400 – Richmond International Raceway
27. Geico 400 – Chicagoland Speedway
28. Sylvania 300 – New Hampshire Motor Speedway
29. Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 – Talladega Superspeedway
30. Bank of America 500 – Charlotte Motor Speedway
31. Napa Auto Parts 350 – Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
32. Tums Fast Relief 500 – Martinsville Speedway
33. Holly Farms 400 – North Wilkesboro Motor Speedway
34. AAA Texas 500 – Texas Motor Speedway
35. Phoenix 400 – Phoenix International Raceway
36. Advocare 500 – Atlanta Motor Speedway

You’ll notice several changes. They include:

• Two dates each for traditional short tracks at North Wilkesboro and Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville
• A third road course, in the Chase for the Championship, at the popular Montreal twisty
• Atlanta Motor Speedway retains one date but is rightfully the season finale, as it should be

This is indicative of both of my favorite hashtags, #WeWantShortTracks and #WeWantRoadCourses, but I’d hate to speak for everyone else. Did I miss something? Which changes and tracks would you include in your fantasy Sprint Cup Series schedule?

Tell us in the comments section below!

Videos From Fright Night In The Valley

Modifieds Headline Unique End of Season Racing Format Saturday in the Valley of Northeastern PA

Eric Beers looks to ride the momentum of a win on October 6th to a $5,000 pay day.

Mahoning Valley Speedway, a 1/4 mile banked asphalt oval nestled in the borough of Lehighton, Pennsylvania, will be presenting perhaps their most prestigious series of races this coming weekend.  Coining the event as Octoberfast 2012 “Fright Night in the Valley,” over 40 tour-type modifieds and a similarly impressive amount of late models and street stocks are expected to compete for their largest purses in their longest distance races of the season.

Many outside the Northeast region may not be familiar with the track, but it has quite a history starting out as a dirt oval in the 1960s before being reopened as a paved oval throughout the 1970s.  The track has operated continuously since it was last reopened in 1987.  MVS is arguably one of the most competitive of its size in the country, producing side by side action around the entire track during a majority of the laps throughout the races held every weekend from April to October.  The unique roundness of the oval and somewhat lack of straightaways makes the competitors work for every position on every lap, in which many of the fastest modified drivers complete in less than ten seconds.

Among the favorites in the modified division will be NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour regular Eric Beers, who won the last time out at Mahoning.  Not to be outdone will be his neighbor Matt Hirschman, who literally lives on the same street as Beers and has turned in several victories at the track as well as accomplishing the Race Of Champions Tour championship in 2012.  Matt’s father, five-time NASCAR Modified Tour champion Tony Hirschman, will be making a rare start and will certainly be vying for the victory even though he has never won in a modified at the track.  In addition, Nevin George and Chuck Hossfeld’s expected appearances coupled with the aforementioned drivers make up for 48 career NASCAR Modified Tour wins.  Other drivers to look out for include some 2012 area track champions:  Mahoning’s Earl Paules, Mountain Speedway’s Dave Brigati, Shangri-La II Motor Speedway’s Jimmy Zacharias and Wall Speedway’s Anthony Sesely.  Altogether, the field on hand will be competing for one of 24 spots for the 130 lap feature.

Switching to the full-fendered machines, the late models and street stocks promise to put on a good show as well.  Earl Paules not only won the 2012 modified title at the track but comes in as the favorite and champion in the late model division.  Don’t be surprised to see Zane Zeiner pulling double duty as well.  Zeiner has several wins in a modified, including four in 2012, but has never won in a late model at Mahoning.  It looked like that would come to an end as he crossed the finish line first back in September, but was disqualified due to low ride height specifications and is sure to be even hungrier for that elusive win.  Area hot shoe Travis Fisher comes off a win this past weekend in a 75 lap show at Mountain Speedway and should challenge once again despite it being his first start at MVS in 2012.  Mike Sweeney is a proven champion and will bring his Port City chassis to the track one more time before possibly branching off to race in some touring series in 2013.

The Street Stock division was the most competitive division at Mahoning in 2012, with 21 different heat race winners and a dozen distinctive feature winners.  TJ Gursky claimed his second straight championship last time out and leads a stellar field of past winners and champions for the impressive $1,800 first prize.  Jason Frey and Joe Steigerwalt will certainly be forces to reckon with as well, since they claimed wins in the other 100 lap races in 2012.

Seating along the frontstretch allows fans to see the entire track in one view without any obstructions, as the pit area is outside the track.

This is the first running of what will hopefully become an annual event, but it isn’t the first time the track will feature racing this late in the year.  After a postponement of the season finale in 2011 the track decided to reschedule for Halloween weekend.  A freak snowstorm forced another postponement to mid-November, the very autumn-like afternoon did not disappoint as 32 modifieds showed up for their last points event, the remainder of the local divisions had impressive turnouts despite their features being non-points and most importantly a convincing amount of fans showed up to see some racing one last time before the winter break.  Growing upon last year’s success, another fall event is expecting to bring in all of the same if not more.  This is the perfect place for a fan to attend and see some short track racing for their hard-earned dollar.  The opportunity is given to walk the pit area after the festivities conclude each night, and as an added bonus this weekend kids will be allowed to enter the pit area for some Halloween themed fun and treats during the afternoon’s intermission period.

No time trials will be held, the start of the heat races will be determined by a draw as well as a redraw for the features.  This along with the fact that no points will be on the line will equate to some certain jockeying for every position possible throughout every lap of competition on Saturday afternoon.

Matt Kenseth survives Kansas melee, championship battle takes shape

Matt Kenseth survived a wild race on the new Kansas surface and won the Hollywood Casino 400 — his third victory of the season and second of the Chase for the Championship.

Meanwhile, title contenders were involved in several dramatics and near-miss accidents as we rapidly approach the conclusion of the 2012 season. Brad Keselowski started the day with a seven-point lead and left with it too, nearly missing a crash on lap 181 between Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman. The championship leader just missed the accident and would have been collected if not for a fortunate shove from teammate Sam Hornish Jr. who sent the No. 2 Dodge up the surface and away from the melee.
Johnson matched Keselowski in a more heart-pounding way, leading much of the race, before getting caught a lap down on pit road, using a waive-around before spinning hard into the turn four inside retaining wall on lap 136.

Much like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a day before, Johnson’s team minimized the damage, repaired the car, and watched as their driver marched all the back to a ninth-place finish.

If the will and good fortune of the top-two contenders are any indication, this will likely be the top-two drivers fighting for the Cup all the way to Homestead-Miami, a fact not lost on the two drivers themselves.

“Well, I didn’t know coming to Kansas it was going to be the same as Talladega,” Keselowski said. “Just wrecks and accidents and blown tires, everything you can imagine happened today. Just an action-jammed race and I felt really lucky to survive it.”

And Johnson.

“I really hate to miss an opportunity to get points on Brad on a mile and a half track,” Johnson said. “That’s a strong suit and they’re good on them. Today we had a fast car I think could have gotten some points on them so I’m disappointed in that, but at the same time, with all we went through to finish and have it all be even on points, that’s pretty rad.”

Meanwhile, Kenseth has slowly dug himself out of the Chase cellar and is doing everything within his reach to grab some attention and momentum before departing for Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the season.

At Kansas, Kenseth was in front of the field when most of the dramatics exploded late in the race but recalled one moment where his race could have ended much sooner.

“I thought it was over when I got in the fence when Aric [Almirola] wrecked under Mark [Martin],” Kenseth said. “I was watching them and trying to make sure I didn’t hit them and I flat-sided it pretty bad. It ended up working in our favor. They fixed the body as good as it was when we started, and we had to take less gas in that last pit stop, and the pit crew put me out front.

Track position is all Kenseth would need the rest of the way.

Just four races remain in the season. Next up is Martinsville Speedway, a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader featuring the Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series.

A complete running order, video and a brief editorial can be found after the jump.