2015 Snowball Derby: Qualifying Format and Procedure

The qualifying procedure for the Snowball Derby is both unique and elaborate.

Like the Daytona 500, some teams will even have to race their way into the starting lineup for the Super Bowl of Short Track racing. With nearly 70 cars entered into the event and only 37 of them taking the green flag, a majority of the garage will not make it into the main event.

With that in mind, here’s how to qualify for the Snowball Derby.

On Friday night, each driver will be given two timed laps with the 30 quickest times automatically qualifying into the race. Any driver that misses his or her turn in line can start no better than 11th.

Those outside of the top-30 will be entered into Saturday night’s 50-lap last chance race with the top-four finishers transferring into the field of 37.

The final three spots are reserved for a past winner of the Snowball Derby and the highest non-qualifying driver from the Five Flag Speedway regular season and the Southern Super Series championship, respectively. This ensures that everyone in the field is a proven winner and is capable of capturing the Tom Dawson Memorial trophy on Sunday afternoon.

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Snowball Derby practice recap | Qualifying Order

John Hunter Nemechek, Casey Smith and Casey Roderick are the only three drivers 100 percent guaranteed a starting spot based on their provisional status. They are locked into Sunday regardless of what happens on Friday. Should they make the field based on their qualifying speed, their provisionals will be offered to the next most recent Derby champion and third place in the Blizzard/Southern Super Series standings and so forth.

The pole-sitter for the Snowball Derby will also be crowned on Friday night, a prestigious honor in its own right.

“Snowball Derby Pole Night is one of the most intense few hours in short track racing,” Five Flags Speedway Track Promoter Tim Bryant said. “We receive a fantastic number of entries every year and only 37 of them make the race, sending everyone else home.

“So qualifying for this event is awfully dramatic and will keep everyone on the edge of their seat.”

It’s a complex procedure but it’s also part of what makes the Snowball Derby stand out. Pole qualifying begins at approximately 7:00 p.m. EST when Tim Martin is expected to be the first driver to turn his laps. The session, like the entire event, will be streamed on Speed51.com’s 51TV Pay-Per-View streaming service.

Hunter Robbins is the defending pole-sitter of the Snowball Derby while Chase Elliott holds the Super Late Model track record with a lap time of 16.133 seconds set in December 2013. Elliott will be the penultimate qualifier on Friday night and will have a prime opportunity to beat his own record before graduating to the Sprint Cup Series next season with Hendrick Motorsports.

Qualifying will be followed by 50-lap feature races for the Super Stocks and popular Southern Modified divisions.

The complete qualifying order for the 48th Annual Snowball Derby has been provided below.