PENSACOLA, Fla. — Story by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Matthew Bishop photo —
Despite all the odds stacked against him, Norman, Oklahoma’s Christopher Bell was not going to be denied a starting spot in the 48th annual Snowball Derby.
After a track record run during WXBM 102.7 Pole Night of 16.027 seconds was thrown out due to a wheel spacing issue on the right rear, the soon-to-be rookie in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was relegated to last (25th) on the grid for the 50-lap Last Chance Qualifier on Saturday afternoon.
He didn’t stay there long.
By lap 10, Bell was ninth for an early race restart and at the halfway point, he had just slipped by Paul Shafer Jr. to move into the fourth position and a transfer spot to the Derby. Still though, the 20-year-old wasn’t done.
He kept climbing, passing Caleb Adrian for third on lap 32 and soaring by former PASS North champion Cassius Clark with 10 to go before setting his sights on LFR Chassis rookie Christian Eckes for the lead and the win.
That pass would come on lap 42, and Bell drove away unchallenged over the final nine laps to score the victory in the No. 51 Phoenix Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
“My car was really good and man, I hope it’s even better for tomorrow,” said Bell, who will start 31st . “We were really loose yesterday. If we can pass everyone tomorrow, that’d be something, wouldn’t it? “Every car is tough to pass, and we just had to take it one move at a time. This was a sixth of what we needed to do this weekend here tonight; we’ve got six times that tomorrow to try and get it done.”
Bell will be looking to win in his Derby debut on Sunday, and spoke on the magnitude of making the race as a young driver.
“It’s unreal just to make the show in my first time here at Five Flags,” he added after a thumbs-up from Ricky Brooks signified he was clear in post-race tech this time around. “Tomorrow, we’re going to have to really take our time and make sure we don’t get ourselves in trouble. My plan is just to make passes when I can get them and let my pit crew do their job, and I think we’ll have a chance at the end of 300 [laps].”
Eckes hung on to finish second after leading laps __ to __, with Clark third and Adrian just hanging onto the final transfer spot into the big dance on Sunday.
Shafer was the first man out of the Derby in fifth after leading the first 10 circuits, but the most prominent name to miss the Snowball Derby field was 15-year-old Todd Gilliland.
Gilliland — who won his his CARS Tour late model debut in March, his ARCA Racing Series debut at Toledo Speedway in May and his NASCAR K&N Pro Series West debut at Phoenix last month — finished seventh in his first Derby weekend appearance and managed to keep his trademark smile on despite the disappointing result.
“We came in here with no expectations at all; basically a clean slate,” Gilliland admitted. “This was my first Snowball Derby, but you always think you have a chance to make the race, run in the top-10 or maybe even the top-five because anything really can happen. We struggled ever since we got here, but everyone worked hard on this piece; we probably wound up changing everything ten times.”
“It’s really not a bad weekend — even though we’re not in the show — so we’ll work harder, come back here and test more next year and be a contender.”
Other notables to miss the Derby included all-time starts leader David Rogers (16th), who was looking to make his 31st start in the crown jewel event; NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular Mason Mingus (18th) and 2015 CARS Tour Super Late Model champion Cole Timm (20th).
With all preliminary activities for the super late models complete, the 48th annual Snowball Derby will kick off at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT live on 51 TV.
For more information, visit www.5flagsspeedway.com.
RESULTS: Snowball Derby Last Chance Qualifier; Five Flags Speedway; Dec. 5, 2015
- Christopher Bell
- Christian Eckes
- Cassius Clark
- Caleb Adrian
- Paul Shafer Jr.
- Boris Jurkovic
- Todd Gilliland
- Steve Dorer
- Brian Campbell
- Dalton Armstrong
- John DeAngelis
- Roger Reuse
- Allen Karnes
- Josh Bragg
- Quinnton Bear
- David Rogers
- Dennis Schoenfeld
- Mason Mingus
- Jeremy Doss
- Cole Timm
- Kyle Bryant
- Wayne Niedecken Jr.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 21-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: speed77radio@gmail.com
Follow Jacob on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Email Race Chaser Online: news@racechaseronline.com
Follow RCO on Twitter: @RaceChaserNews
