For several local racers, there’s only one thing to focus on going into this weekend’s racing events at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla.
That’s winning the 41st annual Snowball Derby, one of the most coveted events in short track racing.
It’s a race that every short track ace has wanted to win, with winners such as Darrell Waltrip, Donnie Allison, Pete Hamilton, Jody Ridley, Ronnie Sanders, Butch Lindley and Ted Musgrave having visited victory lane.
Former Jefferson native Ryan Crane won the Snowflake 100, a Pro Late Model event that leads up to Sunday’s Derby, last year, and this year, wants to add his name to the winner’s list in the big show.
Jefferson native Ryan Crane will be gunning for victory lane in Sunday’s Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. Photo by Brandon Reed
Local drivers hope for Snowball Derby win
“We have put more effort into this year’s Snowball than I think we’ve put into any other,” Crane said. “After I won last year’s Snowflake and got to feel what it was like to win on the Derby weekend I wanted nothing more than a Snowball the next day but it just didn’t work out, so hopefully this is the year.
“The Snowball is, no questions asked, the one race I want to win in my racing career.”
Crane’s Panama City, Fla. based team has sat idle since he competed in last month’s World Crown weekend at Peach State Speedway. On that weekend, Crane was victorious in the 100-lap Super Late Model portion of the weekend, and came home with a fifth place finish in the famed World Crown.
Since then, the team has worked to prepare both cars for the Derby weekend, going over both Crane’s Pro Late Model car and his Super Late Model ride with a fine tooth comb.
Crane and his team spent the early part of this week tuning the Ford-powered racers for the weekend in hopes of gaining an advantage over their competition. Short track veteran Mike Garvey will be helping the team throughout the week in hopes of becoming the first team to sweep both the Snowflake 100 and the Snowball Derby in the same year.
Other area drivers are gearing up for the weekend as well. For Saturday’s Snowflake 100, among the 79 entries vying for a starting spot are Crane, three-time World Crown champ Paul Kelley of Pendergrass, Rodney Benefield of Flowery Branch, Shane Sawyer of Braselton, Commerce’s Taylor Satterfield, and Jimmy Garmon of Hoschton.
Sixty-one drivers will be fighting to make Sunday’s 300-lap Snowball Derby, including Joey Senter of Jefferson, Watkinsville’s John Wes Townley, while Paul Kelley will join Crane in trying to run in both events.
The last Georgian to visit victory lane in the Snowball Derby was in 1994 when Dalton’s Tammy Jo Kirk picked up the win. It also marked the only time a female driver has won the famed December classic.
For more information on this weekend’s events, visit www.fiveflagsspeedway.com.
“The Snowball is, no questions asked, the one race I want to win in my racing career.”
Commerce racer Taylor Satterfield (40), seen here racing Russell Fleeman in last month’s World Crown 200, will be looking for a win in Saturday’s Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model event at Pensacola. Photo by Lyn Sengupta
Since then, the team has worked to prepare both cars for the Derby weekend, going over both Crane’s Pro Late Model car and his Super Late Model ride with a fine tooth comb.
Crane and his team spent the early part of this week tuning the Ford-powered racers for the weekend in hopes of gaining an advantage over their competition. Short track veteran Mike Garvey will be helping the team throughout the week in hopes of becoming the first team to sweep both the Snowflake 100 and the Snowball Derby in the same year.
Other area drivers are gearing up for the weekend as well. For Saturday’s Snowflake 100, among the 79 entries vying for a starting spot are Crane, three-time World Crown champ Paul Kelley of Pendergrass, Rodney Benefield of Flowery Branch, Shane Sawyer of Braselton, Commerce’s Taylor Satterfield, and Jimmy Garmon of Hoschton.
Paul Kelley, of Pendergrass, will be looking for victory in both big events this weekend. Photo by Brandon Reed
The last Georgian to visit victory lane in the Snowball Derby was in 1994 when Dalton’s Tammy Jo Kirk picked up the win. It also marked the only time a female driver has won the famed December classic.
For more information on this weekend’s events, visit www.fiveflagsspeedway.com.
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