One of the aspects of the Snowball Derby that makes it unique amongst other Super Late Model events is the amount of practice time that teams have available to them during the course of the week.

Starting on Thursday and running through Saturday, teams will have seven and a half hours of practice to fine-tune their cars in advance of the Super Bowl of Short Track Racing.

Complicating matters however, is the amount of change Five Flags Speedway will undergo during the next several days. With seven different divisions turning laps around the Florida half-mile, the racing surface itself has been known to become erratic leading up to Sunday.

For that reason alone, Southern Super Series contender Donnie Wilson says he doesn’t take much stock in practice speeds, choosing instead to seek a satisfactory balance in his Ford Super Late Model..

“The main thing is that you have to think about all the different kinds of cars that are practicing around us,” Wilson said. “They change the track with their different tire compounds. You don’t get that sort of thing during the summer. And then there’s the transition from day to night.

“That’s why we don’t really test before the Derby — you have to ask yourself what you’re really learning.”

READ MORE: Friday Qualifying Order

Two-time Snowball Derby winner Augie Grill says teams will be challenged to not over-adjust after Thursday given how quickly things can change by the weekend. Cars will start out free and gain grip throughout the event.

“It makes you think you’re a little bit better than you actually are,” Grill said. “So you can’t let it get you out of whack with your strategy and over compensate for those conditions. You’ve got to have a good (car) right off the hauler or you’re screwed anyway.

“So the hardest part of practice is staying on top of things and keeping in the back of your mind why the car is doing what it’s doing.”

BUBBA POLLARD: Veteran Hopes to Overcome Recent Bad Luck 

Daniel Hemric has won Southern Super Series races at Five Flags and was always a contender for the win with Carswell Motorsports. He says he’s taking a similar strategy and approach with him this weekend to Wauters Motorsports and his new No. 5 entry.

He says they are mostly going to work on race trim on Thursday and his qualifying trim before time trials on Friday.

“The track definitely goes through swings and changes,” Hemric said. “You can’t just allow yourself to get caught up in those changes. You’ll be fine if you unload with decent drive.”

So while everyone prepares to turn laps on Thursday morning, the most important work was seemingly done during the races and test sessions at Pensacola leading up to the Derby.

Practice is just a matter of seeing where everyone stacks up.