Full Throttle

It will be teen day on the front row Sunday for the 42nd annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway. 2009 Blizzard Series’ Super Late Model Champion Johanna Long, all of 17 years old, and Ross Kenseth, a 16-year-old are the two fastest drivers for the prestigious race.

Long, who makes her second start in the Derby, blasted the old track record on a cold night Friday with a lap of 16.463 seconds. “We didn’t really run that much in practice, and we only ran a couple of speed runs,” Long said. “I didn’t really expect this good of a time. I was really just hoping to be in the top 10 — but the pole, that’s awesome.”

“It’s a long race and you’ve got to have your mind set on that,” Long said. “Last year, I was running second early in the race, but I ended up wrecking. But I’ve learned a lot this year, and I’ve had the chance to get a lot more experience. You have to stay focused the whole race and keep in mind that you have 300 laps to run.”

Ross Kenseth, the son of NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Matt Kenseth, had a time of 16.488 seconds. They will start Sunday’s race in front of Sprint Cup star Kyle Busch, who was third fastest. Starting fourth will be two-time defending Snowball Derby champion Augie Grill.

The top 14 drivers broke the previous record of 16.629. The top 30 were locked in Friday night. Twenty-eight other drivers will have to qualify in the last-chance race on Saturday evening.

Reigning Nationwide Series champion Kyle Busch, who for a time held the pole, will start third.

Local star Augie Grill starts outside Busch on the second row and has a shot at history, Grill is going for a threepete having won the last two Derbys a fete no one has accomplished in the events 42 year history.

ASALMS Champion Brian Campbell rounds out the top five.

Cale Gale starts in 8th, Steve Wallace was 18th and David Stremme was 22nd. Chase Elliott, the son of NASCAR champion Bill Elliott, qualified 10th.

A year after making history as the first & youngest female to win the prestigious Pro Late Model championship at Five Flags, Long is now the 2009 Blizzard Series Champion at 17. “It’s awesome, a dream come true,” Long said. “I never thought I’d be here. My family and my crew have supported me all season. It’s just great.”

Now, at the end of what must be a dream season, she sits on the pole for what is considered the most prestigious short track Late Model event of the year.

Former Snowball Derby champions also made the field including Eddie Mercer (7th) and Steve Wallace (18th). Chase Elliott, the son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott, qualified 10th. Bubba Pollard, who finished third in the 2009 Blizzard Series, was the 31st fastest in a backup car, just missing qualifying for the field.

Flag to flag coverage of the Snowball Derby for super late models will be broadcast live on Race Talk Radio Sunday starting with a 2 hour prerace show and 1pm eastern time with the green flag dropping just after 3 pm.

Starting field for the 42nd annual Snowball Derby. Qualifying determined the first 30 positions in the 37-car field. The rest will be determined by a last-chance race and provisionals.

10 Johanna Long 16.463
25 Ross Kenseth 16.488
51 Kyle Busch 16.513
112 Augie Grill 16.521
99 Casey Smith 16.552
20 Brian Campbell 16.553
1 Eddie Mercer 16.562
14 Cale Gale 16.563
39 Ryan Sieg 16.573
9 Chase Elliott 16.575
16 Brian Scott 16.579
42 Dennis Prunty 16.598
72 Scott Hantz 16.603
31 Tyler Millwood 16.628
38 Josh Hamner 16.640
1 Stephan McCurley 16.650
15 Brian Ickler 16.654
66 Steve Wallace 16.658
33 Jeff Choquette 16.665
48 Cecil Chunn 16.681
09 Randy Gentry 16.685
35 David Stremme 16.686
2 John Bolen 16.695
82 Grant Enfinger 16.720
10 Danny Bagwell 16.723
11 David Rogers 16.733
93 Shane Sieg 16.736
21 Scott Carlson 16.738
99 Wayne Niedecken Jr. 16.740
12 Justin Drawdy 16.742

Related articles at FT:

• Johanna Long: From Super Late Model Champ to a Debut at The Rock