Nemechek Returns on Short Rest to Win Snowball Derby

John Hunter Nemechek left Five Flags Speedway on Sunday morning at 5 a.m. after running second in the rain-delayed Alan Turner Snowflake 100, slept 90 minutes and then returned to the Pensacola, Florida racetrack a few hours later to take down the 47th running of the Snowball Derby. 

An at-capacity Five Flags Speedway (along with fans watching the first-ever live streaming telecast on Speed51TV) witnessed one of the most exciting editions of the Snowball Derby in recent memory.

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John Hunter Nemechek celebrates with the Tom Dawson Memorial trophy. He wins the 2014 Snowball Derby. pic.twitter.com/Jy76n4rgTf

— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverSBN) December 7, 2014"

Nemechek, 17, put an exclamation point on an outstanding 2014 campaign with his victory. The son of longtime NASCAR driver Joe Nemecheck won the Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Georgia on January 26, the Milwaukee Mile on June 8, Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis on September 28 and the All-American 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville on November 1. Now he has won the most prestigious short track race in the U.S.

In 10 starts in the Camping World Truck Series, Nemechek had six top-10 finishes, including a fifth-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the UNOH 150.

“I wish I wouldn’t have slept this morning,” Nemechek told Speed51.com. “I felt sick as a dog this morning, and it wasn’t necessarily nerves at all. Just the fact that I was tired; I was shaking.”

When Chad Finley’s car was involved in a crash that ignited in flames on lap 220, the red flag came out, giving Nemechek an opportunity for a short nap in his No. 8 car.

Nemechek was sitting in second behind Grant Enfinger after the red flag with 80 laps still to run and took over the lead after a restart five laps later, only to have pole-sitter Hunter Robbins take command.

The gap began to narrow, and Nemechek got to the lead on lap 286. Then things got interesting in the final laps as the yellow came out as Johanna Long and Preston Peltier spun out near the inside-front stretch wall.

The leaders headed to the pits for fresh tires while Augie Grill and two-time defending champion Erik Jones stayed on the track. The race has to end on five non-consecutive green flag laps, giving those with fresh tires a chance to make up ground.

There were more yellow flags involving Grill and Jones, and then Daniel Hemric and Donnie Wilson got Nemechek back up front with two laps remaining—followed by Dalton Sargeant, Derek Thorn, Enfinger and Robbins.

Nemechek got an outstanding final restart and went on to take the checkered flag, followed by Sargeant and Thorn.

Sargeant was making just his second start at Five Flags Speedway. A native of Boca Raton, Florida, the 16-year-old has competed in a wide range of racing (including professional karting championships, European Formula open-wheel cars and NASCAR Whelen All-American Stock Cars).

Thorn came all the way from California—where the 28-year-old was the 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion.

Robbins, who started on the pole and led 57 laps, had to settle for fourth. He was joined in the front row by his girlfriend Long, the 2010 Snowball Derby champ. Long’s car was strong early as she led the race through the first 59 laps, but she had to settle for a 17th-place finish.

Photo credit: Michael Dempsey

After late contact, Jones finished 27th, ending his bid to become the first driver to win the Snowball Derby in three consecutive years.

Augie Grill won the race in 2007 and 2008. After some terrible luck in recent years, he was competitive most of the race and led 11 laps before late trouble landed him in eighth.

NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Chase Elliott, who won the 2011 running of the Snowball Derby and was disqualified from first last year in post-race tech inspection finished 29th.

 2014 Snowball Derby Results

Fin	St	#	Driver	Led
1	3	8	John Hunter Nemechek	68
2	25	5	Dalton Sargeant	0
3	11	43	Derek Thorn	0
4	1	18	Hunter Robbins	57
5	29	90	Grant Enfinger	7
6	20	51	Stephen Nasse	0
7	26	99	Casey Smith	0
8	4	112	Augie Grill	11
9	35	29	Anderson Bowen	2
10	18	31	Kyle Grissom	0
11	14	29	Jeff Choquette	0
12	37	2R	Clay Rogers	0
13	23	07	Corey LaJoie	0
14	5	83	Scotty Ellis	7
15	30	10	Steve Dorer	0
16	26	9K	Mark Kraus	0
17	2	21	Johanna Long	59
18	34	57	Cole Timm	0
19	32	91	Ty Majeski	0
20	21	37	Brian Hoar	0
21	36	11	David Rogers	0
22	19	26	Preston Peltier	0
23	17	2W	Donnie Wilson	0
24	8	98	Daniel Hemric	50
25	24	11	Logan Boyett	0
26	31	88	Garrett Jones	0
27	10	51J	Erik Jones	18
28	28	42P	Dennis Prunty	0
29	12	9	Chase Elliott	44
30	15	26	Bubba Pollard	0
31	13	42	Chad Finley	0
32	22	2	D.J. Vanderley	0
33	33	4	Kyle Plott	0
34	7	95	Derrick Griffin	0
35	5	3	Ross Kenseth	0
36	16	41	T.J. Reaid	0
37	9	1	Mike Garvey	0

Results from speed51.com.

Follow Michael Dempsey on Twitter @turfnsport