For the first time in five years, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch is returning to Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, to take part in the Snowball Derby on Dec. 4-7.
Busch will drive the No. 51 Lucas Oil-sponsored entry for Bryson Lopez Racing in the annual Super Late Model crown jewel event. The team will be led by Danny Stockman, who guided Jesse Love and the Richard Childress Racing No. 2 team to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship in 2025.
“It‘s been a few years since I‘ve been to Pensacola, but I haven‘t forgotten how to get around Five Flags,” Busch said. “The Snowball Derby is one of those bucket-list races you always want to win again and again, and I‘m fired up to be back with the No. 51 Lucas Oil team and FloRacing. We‘re showing up to take that trophy home.”
Busch is no stranger to Five Flags Speedway and the Snowball Derby, as he has made five previous starts in the event since 2002.
After finishing 33rd in his first start in the event in 2002, he returned for his second Snowball Derby start in 2009, where he led a race-high 91 laps to claim the Tom Dawson Trophy for the first time. He returned to the Snowball Derby again in 2012, leading 15 laps and finishing third.
Busch’s next start came in 2017, which saw him start 15th, lead 28 laps and secure his second triumph in the prestigious race. During his most recent Snowball Derby appearance in 2020, Busch started ninth and finished in seventh.
The Snowball Derby, first held in 1968, has a long history of NASCAR involvement.
Among the early winners of the Snowball Derby who have also enjoyed success in NASCAR are 1970 Daytona 500 winner Pete Hamilton, 10-time Cup Series winner Donnie Allison and three-time Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip.
More recently, many NASCAR drivers have used the event as a launching point for their careers. They include current stars like Busch, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Christian Eckes, Noah Gragson, Ty Majeski, Chandler Smith and Kaden Honeycutt.
All of them are Snowball Derby winners.
This year, several active NASCAR competitors will again be among the more than 50 drivers looking to earn starting positions in the Snowball Derby.
Joining Busch on the entry list are Jones, Gragson and Ryan Preece. In addition, several drivers in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series are also entered.
Among them are Honeycutt, Majeski, Jake Garcia, Dawson Sutton and Bayley Currey. Johnny Sauter, the 2016 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, and David Gilliland, the 2007 Daytona pole winner and owner of Tricon Garage, have also filed entries.
Snowball Derby weekend begins with practice on Thursday, December 4. Teams will qualify on Friday, December 5, with the top 30 qualifiers locking into the race. The remainder of the field will be set on Saturday, December 6 via a last chance race and a pair of provisionals.
The 58th running of the Snowball Derby goes green at 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 7. Action all week at Five Flags Speedway airs live on FloRacing, with Friday‘s qualifying session also scheduled to be broadcast live on the NASCAR Channel.
A full schedule events can be found here.
