PENSACOLA, Fla. — Story by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Ty Majeski Racing photo —

If you need a quick description for WXBM 102.7 Pole Night on Friday at Five Flags Speedway, here’s two words: absolute chaos.

After a blistering run seemingly gave Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christopher Bell the pole for the 48th annual Snowball Derby with a new track record of 16.027 seconds (112.310 mph) around the half-mile oval, a technical disqualification in post-qualifying inspection (otherwise known as technical inspector Ricky Brooks’ Room of Doom) handed the prime starting position to Seymour, Wisconsin’s Ty Majeski.

Both Bell and defending Derby champion John Hunter Nemechek (who was provisionally eighth-quick) were pinged for violations of the ABC body rulebook, which states that no more than seven inches of space can be between the tire and the quarter panel. Both cars were found to be in violation of that mandate.

Majeski’s car, however, cleared inspection with no issues — garnering the two-time ARCA Midwest Tour champion his first-career Derby pole with an official track-record lap of 16.120 seconds (111.663 mph), just eclipsing the old mark of 16.133 set by former NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott in 2013.

“I wasn’t sure what we were going to have,” Majeski, who recently won the Kulwicki Cup Championship, admitted after climbing from his race car. “There seemed to be some speed that the track was losing, with the moisture coming out late in the going there. When my spotter said the first lap was a .30, I thought to myself, ‘Well, this might not be too bad.'”

“I was hoping for a low .20 or maybe a high teen if I was really lucky, so when it stuck and came out of there after I slammed the throttle down — it felt really good. I’m excited for Sunday now; you hate to get a break like this — it’s not the way I wanted to win it — but we’ll take it. I think we’ve got a great shot to do something great and go after this win, but it’s a long race, so we’ll manage it and see what happens.”

“Regardless though, this is the biggest pole of my career. It’s surreal, to have the track record and the pole here at the Derby. I can’t believe it.”

Majeski is hoping to break a decade-long streak of pole winners who failed to capitalize and win the Snowball Derby. The last Derby polesitter who went on to win the race was Eddie Mercer in 2005, and the feat has only been accomplished nine times overall in the history of the event.

Factoring in the disqualifications, the top three cars in qualifying came out of the final eight cars to take time Friday night, after NASCAR K&N Pro Series East regular and Boca Raton, Fla. native Dalton Sargeant led the majority of the qualifying session.

2011 race winner and 2013 polesitter Elliott slotted in third-fastest provisionally, but bumped up to second overall and will start from the outside pole after being the second-to-last car to qualify. His lap of 16.157 (111.407) places him alongside Majeski in his quest for a second Derby victory.

“It’s just a starting spot, so that’s good,” said the 2014 XFINITY champion. “It wasn’t enough for the pole, but I’m proud of our effort. It’s a long race, and that’s what matters is being good at lap 300.”

All-time Pro All Stars Series South region wins and poles leader Preston Peltier (16.161/111.379), Sargeant (16.168/111.331) and Logan Boyett () rounded out the official ‘Fast Five,’ followed by Casey Roderick, 2010 race winner Johanna Long, Stephen Nasse, Spencer Davis and Kaz Grala.

Notables outside the top 10 included NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pilot Daniel Hemric (11th); two-time Derby champion Augie Grill (13th); reigning K&N East champion William Byron (15th); short track veteran Bubba Pollard (18th) and second-generation young gun Harrison Burton (24th), who made the event after a vicious practice crash on Thursday morning nearly totaled his No. 12 DEX Imaging Toyota.

Virginia’s Quin Houff was originally the 30th and final car to transfer to the Derby on his qualifying time, with a lap of 16.327 being just enough for the LFR Chassis development driver to make his first Derby in his debut attempt, but was bumped up to 28th in the final tally.

Regardless, the young gun is thankful and excited about the opportunity to compete in the biggest super late model race in the country come Sunday afternoon.

“It’s a huge sigh of relief to be in the Derby,” Houff admitted. “I knew our lap was going to be pushing it to make the cut for the top 30, but it was just enough to get in. It’s amazing to hear all the people say how lucky I am to make the race in my first try ever [at Five Flags] in a super [late model]. It’s just a true blessing to be here and I can’t thank all the LFR guys enough for this opportunity.”

“Not having seen the track before this weekend, it was kinda crazy to get a handle on it. There’s so many cars trying to be successful that it’s hard to get a good read on your own car; we tried to do mini-mock runs but the track was so congested that we couldn’t simulate what I just did. I had no idea what I was going to have, but I got just enough out of it. We’re in the Derby!”

Due to the two technical infractions, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship runner-up Noah Gragson and second-generation veteran Corey LaJoie were elevated into the 29th and 30th positions on the time sheets, and as such are locked into Sunday’s 300-lap classic for the Tom Dawson Trophy.

“We hope we can make it better, because qualifying in the 30s is absolutely not where we expected to be,” LaJoie admitted. “We’re in the show, though, so that’s good — even if it’s not the way you’d hope to make the cut. We’ll sleep a little easier tonight, and then go to work to make the car good in race trim before Sunday.”

Heavy hitters who will have to race their way in through the Last Chance Showdown on Saturday included Christian Eckes (31st), the first man out by just nine one-thousandths (0.009) of a second; CARS Tour Super Late Model champion Cole Timm (40th), ARCA Racing Series and K&N West winner Todd Gilliland (41st), former PASS North Super Late Model champion Cassius Clark (43rd) and 2015 Southern Super Series Rookie of the Year Garrett Jones (47th).

This year’s Southern Super Series champion, Texas native Casey Smith, timed in 38th-fastest but has a provisional available to him for Sunday’s event and will start 36th despite his sub-par lap Friday night. Following qualifying, Five Flags Speedway officials also confirmed that despite his time being disallowed, John Hunter Nemechek is eligible for the defending winner’s provisional — and as such will roll off 37th on Sunday.

Bell did not have a provisional available for use, meaning he will have to race his way into the big show from the back of the 50-lap Last Chance Showdown on Saturday.

“I’ve got to fight my way now,” the Norman, Okla. driver said, who captured the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on the dirt at Eldora Speedway in July. “I’ve got the best team in the world with this (KBM) No. 51 team. They’ve shown me a lot of respect, and now it’s in my hands to do it.”

“I’ve never had a track record before, and I never thought that my first one would come in a stock car … until it didn’t. It sucks, but we’re not going to give up until we’re in the show. We’ll go out tomorrow in the LCQ and work our way to the front.”

In all, 60 drivers attempted to lay down a lap in qualifying, with Tim Martin and Dennis Prunty both crashing on their warm-up laps and left unable to record qualifying times.

The 48th annual Snowball Derby weekend continues with the 50-lap super late model Last Chance Showdown and the pro late model Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 on Saturday, while the 300-lap ‘big show’ is slated for 2 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon.

For more information on the Snowball Derby, visit www.5flagsspeedway.com.

RESULTS: 48th Annual Snowball Derby; WXBM 102.7 Pole Qualifying Night; Five Flags Speedway; Dec. 4, 2015

1. #91 – Ty Majeski, 16.120
2. #9 – Chase Elliott, 16.157
3. #48 – Preston Peltier, 16.161
4. #5S – Dalton Sargeant, 16.168
5. #11B – Logan Boyett, 16.178
6. #7 – Casey Roderick, 16.191
7. #21 – Johanna Long, 16.206
8. #51 – Stephen Nasse, 16.207
9. #20D – Spencer Davis, 16.216
10. #3 – Kaz Grala, 16.216
11. #5H – Daniel Hemric, 16.226
12. #43T – Derek Thorn, 16.229
13. #112 – Augie Grill, 16.231
14. #31 – Kyle Grissom, 16.234
15. #9B – William Byron, 16.237
16. #2 – D.J. VanderLey, 16.245
17. #5 – Jerry Artuso, 16.245
18. #26 – Bubba Pollard, 16.246
19. #77 – Zane Smith, 16.251
20. #9K – Derek Kraus, 16.258
21. #2W – Donnie Wilson, 16.267
22. #45 – Kyle Plott, 16.275
23. #83 – Scotty Ellis, 16.275
24. #12 – Harrison Burton, 16.297
25. #42F – Chad Finley, 16.298
26. #H2 – Bret Holmes, 16.298
27. #67 – Clay Jones, 16.319
28. #17 – Quin Houff, 16.327
29. #8G – Noah Gragson, 16.339
30. #07 – Corey LaJoie, 16.341
31. #15 – Christian Eckes, 16.350
32. #7S – Paul Shafer Jr., 16.353
33. #4A – Dalton Armstrong, 16.355
34. #29 – Caleb Adrian, 16.377
35. #96 – Wade Day, 16.390
36. #53 – Boris Jurkovic, 16.390
37. #47C – Brian Campbell, 16.401
38. #99 – Casey Smith, 16.409
39. #94 – Quinnton Bear, 16.435
40. #57 – Cole Timm, 16.435
41. #98G – Todd Gilliland, 16.440
42. #43 – Dennis Schoenfeld, 16.444
43. #13 – Cassius Clark, 16.449
44. #98M – Mason Mingus, 16.474
45. #11R – David Rogers, 16.475
46. #75 – Jeremy Doss, 16.487
47. #1 – Garrett Jones, 16.505
48. #04 – Corey Roper, 16.506
49. #10 – Steve Dorer, 16.513
50. #20 – Cole Rouse, 16.518
51. #88 – Roger Reuse, 16.625 (spun on warm-up lap, no damage)
52. #79 – Kyle Bryant, 16.672
53. #47 – Allen Karnes, 16.705
54. #22 – Josh Bragg, 16.736
55. #99N – Wayne Niedecken Jr., 16.770
56. #7D – John DeAngelis, 16.854
57. #6 – Tim Martin, NT (crash coming to green)
58. #42P – Dennis Prunty, NT (crash coming to green)

DQ:  #51B – Christopher Bell (16.027)
DQ:  #8 – John Hunter Nemechek (16.198)

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: [email protected]

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