PENSACOLA, FL :: John Hunter Nemechek took the lead on a late race restart and held off a challenge from Dalton Sargeant during a Green-White-Checkered finish to score the victory in the 47th Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway on Sunday evening – his first career Super Late Model victory.

“This means the whole world to me,” Nemechek told Race22.com on Sunday after the race. I’ve wanted to win this race ever since I was a little boy. When you look back at all the names in the history books that have won this race, it’s amazing to have my name in those history books.”

Nemechek, the son of NASCAR veteran Joe Nemechek, passed Hunter Robbins in the closing stages of the 300-lap race and was pulling away before Johanna Long brought out a caution with five laps to go.  Nemechek, Robbins and the rest of the leaders all pitted while Augie Grill and Erik Jones stayed out.

Nemechek instantly took the lead on the ensuing restart, diving in three-wide to pass both Grill and Jones who later wrecked to set up another restart that allowed Sargeant to move to second.  Nemechek said he didn’t have to go for the lead immediately but saw the opening and took it.

“They left a hole there and I took it,” Nemechek said. “You never pass up a hole that’s there. I pretty much live by Senna and his quotes and that’s something he said and it inspires me.”

Nemechek got the jump on the final restart and pulled away from Sargeant to score the victory.  SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Champion Derek Thorn finished in third while pole-sitter Hunter Robbins finished fourth and ARCA Racing Series regular Grant Enfinger rounded out the top-five.

Sargeant was the surprise story of the closing laps. Richie Wauters is a former winning race owner of the race with Steve Wallace but Sargeant was making just his second-career start at Pensacola and fourth Super Late Model start overall on Sunday afternoon.

As a result, he was more than pleased with a runner-up finish.

“It’s a really good run for everyone on this Wauters Motorsports team, to be in contention for the win there at the end is a testament to how we all came together as a team this weekend,” Sargeant said. “We didn’t always have the best practice sessions, and searched around for the best setup, but Richie Wauters and team never gave up and worked extremely hard all weekend to find the balance that showed up in those closing laps.”

Official Race Results

1. #8 John Hunter Nemechek
2. #5 Dalton Sargeant
3. #43 Derek Thorn
4. #18 Hunter Robbins
5. #90 Grant Enfinger
6. #51 Stephen Nasse
7. #99 Casey Smith
8. #112 Augie Grill
9. #29 Anderson Bowen
10. #31 Kyle Grissom
11. #29 Jeff Choquette
12. #2R Clay Rogers
13. #7 Corey LaJoie
14. #83 Scotty Ellis
15. #10 Steve Dorer
16. #9K Mark Kraus
17. #21 Johanna Long
18. #57 Cole Timm
19. #91 Ty Majeski
20. #37 Brian Hoar
21. #11 David Rogers
22. #26 Preston Peltier
23. #2W Donnie Wilson
24. #98 Daniel Hemric
25. #11 Logan Boyett
26. #88 Garrett Jones
27. #51J Erik Jones
28. #42P Dennis Prunty
29. #9 Chase Elliott
30. #26 Bubba Pollard
31. #42 Chad Finley
32. #2 D.J. Vanderley
33. #4 Kyle Plott
34. #95 Derrick Griffin
35. #3 Ross Kenseth
36. #41 T.J. Reaid
37. #1 Mike Garvey

Matt Weaver contributed to this report.