The 58th iteration of the Snowball Derby was expected to be a classic. The who’s who of racers from NASCAR and other regional series were aiming for the prestigious win. The lineup included Cup Series stars Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, and Ryan Preece. However, not only the unforgiving racetrack but also Mother Nature intervened in their plans. The luster of the Tom Dawson Trophy became a little less visible as weather conditions clouded the event.

Snowball Derby fogs fans’ hopes

“Alright, race fans. Well, back again with another unfortunate weather update. As you can see behind me, look at all that fog up there. We are not running the 58th Annual Snowball Derby as scheduled on Sunday, the 7th. It will now be Monday, December 8th, with the green flag scheduled for 1 PM Central Time. So, we will try it again. As I said, 1 PM Central Time, we are hoping to see the green flag for the 58th Annual Snowball Derby, and we will have it live on FloRacing.”

This official update appeared on X, with a live view of the fogged-up Five Flags Speedway track. And it comes as an unfortunate follow-up after a stack of mishaps. Rains rarely let up throughout the week, with many events falling through. Only the Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 125 was completed. After track officials successfully dried the track, a dense curtain of fog rolled in like a sinister visitor. Further track-drying efforts fell through, and the 2025 Snowball Derby had to be postponed.

Preston Peltier captured the Snowball Derby pole after waiting out a rainy bout. He performed a blistering 16.240-second lap, which earned him his second career pole in the crown jewel Super Late Model event. Joining Peltier on the front row is Ty Majeski, a two-time Snowball Derby winner and the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion. Sadly, Erik Jones, a two-time Derby winner, could not cross the qualifier while Kyle Busch slipped in.

But as 36 drivers are waiting to hit the track, the tensions are rising. The stakes have never been higher, and the reward has never been larger. After all, the fruits of the much-awaited Super Late Model event are the prestigious Tom Dawson trophy and a shiny $50,000 purse.

Moreover, fans are also on board with the rising anticipation.

The community lashes out at the delay

The Snowball Derby postponement left fans reeling in despair. Somebody was disappointed that Mother Nature’s replacement was not such a fun alternative. After all, it’s the Christmas season, and everyone is awaiting a touch of snow. “What’s really disappointing is that the weather causing the delay isn’t even capable of making Snowballs,” they wrote.

Then, somebody else referred to the rest of the weekend as bad weather ravaged practice and qualifying: “Going through with a whole dog and pony show after the weekend they had which led to the race getting postponed is malpractice.”

After experiencing the incessant rainfall, one fan offered a constructive solution to organizers. They wrote, “Snowball Derby needs a roof.”

The timing fixed on Monday also irked fans. Being a weekday, most people would inevitably be busy with work or other chores.

“1pm is tragic,” somebody wrote.

Others questioned the authorities’ sense of judgment, as an evening event would have been better. “Why not Monday night?” one fan asked. Another fan chimed in with the same sentiment: “So lame . They could have atleast ran it in the evening so is working folks can watch.”

Clearly, the Snowball Derby’s unfortunate development left fans crestfallen. Let’s wait and see when Mother Nature decides to yield.