The Road to the 54th Annual Snowball Derby begins Friday night, as the Deep South Crane Blizzard Series kicks off its 2021 season at Five Flags Speedway. Before Friday’s racing, here are 10 things to know about the Blizzard Series opener.
1 – Jeremy Doss heads east from California to try and get some reps in the Blizzard Series before December. Doss is not the only driver to find success at Five Flags in the past. Derek Thorn led over 200 laps in last year’s Snowball Derby and won the Snowflake 100 the year before. The California connection is running strong on the Florida panhandle.
2 – Friday’s night race will be 100-laps for the Super Late Models at Five Flags Speedway (FL). This is the first of four races in the Blizzard Super Late Model series. The series will return to action at Five Flags in July for a two-day doubleheader.
3 – A few faces we don’t normally see in the Blizzard Series are making a comeback or are returning to action. Ross Kenseth is making a comeback and will drive for Carswell Motorsports. Jeff Choquette returns to the seat after being out all of 2020; he’ll drive for Larry Blount. Johanna Long Robbins is making her first Blizzard Series start since 2015 and Justin Drawdy is back at Five Flags for the first time since 2009.
4 – There are 36 expected entries for Friday’s race, with Bubba Pollard announced as an addition to the field Thursday evening by Five Flags. Fans who can not be in Pensacola, Florida can watch the Blizzard Series race live on Speed51.tv – The live broadcast will start at 7pm CT / 8pm ET.
5 – The four Blizzard Series races are also part of the 2021 Southern Super Series schedule. Stephen Nasse enters the Five Flags race with a 16-point lead over Jake Garcia for the Southern Super Series championship. Nasse, a two-time champion, is seeking to become the first ever three-time champ in the series.
6 – Bubba Pollard is the all-time Blizzard Series winner with 22 victory’s in the Super Late Model series. Pollard has won at least one race dating back to 2008. A win this year would mark his 14th consecutive year with at least one win. Pollard also has 22 pole awards in the Blizzard Series.
7 – Another driver who is due for a win is Kyle Plott, who has led six times for 290 laps in the Blizzard Series. That’s fifth most all time and the most of any driver who has not won a Blizzard Series race.
8 – NASCAR Truck Series driver Grant Enfinger is scheduled to be in the field on Friday as well. Enfinger was a Blizzard Series winner back in 2005 before hitting it big with wins in the Rattler 250 and then the ARCA Menards Series. Enfinger was eighth in the Snowball Derby last fall.
9 – Five Flags Speedway is a high-banked, high speed oval that is super abrasive on the tires. The track has not been paved since the 1970s and saving tires is the name of the game during the Blizzard Series events.
10 – The weekend will be a doubleheader for the Southern Super Series, as they will head to Montgomery Motor Speedway (AL) for the Rumble by the River 100. Fans will also be able to watch that race on Speed51.TV.
-Story by: Elgin Traylor, Speed51 Correspondent
-Photo credit: Speed51 Photo