Snowball Derby 2025 delayed: Preston Peltier on pole, Kyle Busch advances from LCQ
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Preston Peltier grabbed the pole for Sunday’s Snowball Derby that is set to get going after a rain delay at Five Flags Speedway.
The delay pushed the start of the race more than four hours beyond the scheduled 2 p.m. ET start time.
Peltier turned in a time of 16.240 seconds, about a tenth faster than Ty Majeski (16.301) to get the pole.
Hudson Bulger (16.319), Jake Finch (16.325), Spencer Davis (16.327), Michael Atwell (16.350), Jace Hansen (16.353), David Gilliland (16.356), Haeden Plybon (16.362) and Kasey Kleyn (16.384) rounded out the top-10 starters.
Here’s who else locked themselves into the 2025 Snowball Derby field on their qualifying lap alone, 11th-30th:
- Dylan Fetcho (16.401)
- Dawson Sutton (16.425)
- Cole Butcher (16.431)
- Jacob Gomes (16.433)
- Derek Thorn (16.434)
- Kaden Honeycutt (16.437)
- Carson Brown (16.446)
- Tristan McKee (16.450)
- Max Reaves (16.459)
- Bubba Pollard (16.486)
- Derek Kraus (16.488)
- Treyten Lapcevich (16.493
- Casey Roderick (16.494)
- Ty Fredrickson (16.498)
- Buddy Shepherd (16.498), Dustin Smith (16.504)
- Ryan Preece (16.519)
- Brandon Lopez (16.521)
- Kole Raz (16.524)
- Chase Pinsonneault (16.543)
Pinsonneault nipped Craig for a guaranteed spot by 0.009 seconds. Just 0.011 seconds behind Craig was two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch who shared the front row for the last-chance qualifier with Craig.
Just six drivers advanced from the LCQ to the Derby and on provisionals. Kyle Busch won the LCQ and did, as did Stephen Nasse, Derek Griffith, Jake Garcia, Matt Craig and Gavan Boschele. They will start 31st through 36th.
However, these drivers did not make the Snowball Derby:
Cory Hall, Austin Nason, Conner Jones, Seth Christensen, Erik Jones, Casey Johnson, Noah Gragson and Mike Hopkins.
They will be looking on as the Snowball Derby goes green Sunday. The race was scheduled to begin at around 2 p.m. ET on FloRacing but track drying efforts have delayed that.
As of 7 p.m. ET, the race hasn’t started due to fog. The track stated:
“We tried to get the Snowball Derby going, but the fog settled in and there is a ground stop at the local regional airport. We are in a holding pattern.”
2025 Snowball Derby Lineup
- Preston Peltier: 16.240 seconds
- Ty Majeski (16.301)
- Hudson Bulger (16.319)
- Jake Finch (16.325)
- Spencer Davis (16.327)
- Michael Atwell (16.350)
- Jace Hansen (16.353)
- David Gilliland (16.356)
- Haeden Plybon (16.362)
- Kasey Kleyn (16.384)
- Dylan Fetcho (16.401)
- Dawson Sutton (16.425)
- Cole Butcher (16.431)
- Jacob Gomes (16.433)
- Derek Thorn (16.434)
- Kaden Honeycutt (16.437)
- Carson Brown (16.446)
- Tristan McKee (16.450)
- Max Reaves (16.459)
- Bubba Pollard (16.486)
- Derek Kraus (16.488)
- Treyten Lapcevich (16.493
- Casey Roderick (16.494)
- Ty Fredrickson (16.498)
- Buddy Shepherd (16.498)
- Dustin Smith (16.504)
- Ryan Preece (16.519)
- Brandon Lopez (16.521)
- Kole Raz (16.524)
- Chase Pinsonneault (16.543)
- Kyle Busch (LCQ)
- Stephen Nasse (LCQ)
- Derek Griffith (LCQ)
- Jake Garcia (LCQ)
- Matt Craig (Points Provisional)
- Gavan Boschele (Points Provisional)
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com