Chase Elliott isn’t the name that comes up when you hear about Hendrick Motorsports drivers competing in non-NASCAR races. Kyle Larson has been upfront about his racing adventures apart from NASCAR and makes the most of it during the off-season. Alex Bowman has also tried his hand to follow in Larson’s footsteps, but Elliott has remained within the confines of NASCAR.

That wasn’t always the case before Chase Elliott joined HMS to compete in NASCAR. Late-model stock car racing put Elliott on the map as he started to conquer one of the historic short tracks across the United States, the Snowball Derby being one of them. However, he won’t be featuring at the Five Flags Speedway this week in the 57th running of the historic race. There’s no restriction from team owner Rick Hendrick, but Elliott’s past adventures outside of NASCAR haven’t fared well for him.

Chase Elliott doesn’t want to risk a repeat of the 2023 NASCAR season

Just two weeks after the Cup Series season started, the HMS driver broke his leg while snowboarding ahead of the Las Vegas Race. This incident sparked a debate about activities drivers do outside of racing. In Elliott’s case, he was sidelined for six races and missed a crucial chunk of regular season races. He was certainly up against the odds to make the playoffs after missing important races, and the snowboarding incident did come to bite him.

For the first time in his career, Elliott failed to qualify for the playoffs. To make matters worse, he also served a one-race ban after retaliating against Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is fair to say that the 2023 season is perhaps the lowest Elliott has ever been, and it could’ve been avoided without his freak mid-season injury scare. So you see, this is one of the important reasons why the 2-time Snowball Derby winner isn’t expected to turn up at the Five Flags Speedway this week.

Things certainly were different before Chase Elliott made his NASCAR debut with HMS in 2016. Elliott might not be competing at the Snowball Derby but still holds a significant record to his name. Back in 2011, he scored his first Snowball Derby win, and he became the youngest driver to be able to achieve this feat. Just before his full-time switch to the Cup Series, he won the historic short-track race again in 2015.

The list of NASCAR drivers winning the Snowball Derby isn’t extensive, which makes this race a popular event among both veteran and young drivers. Well, more NASCAR drivers could join Chase Elliott as history makers, as a good number of them will be competing in the 57th annual Snowball Derby. But, as far as prediction goes, it’s tough to single out a driver who is an outright favorite to take home the Tom Dawson Trophy.

Favorites to win the 2024 Snowball Derby

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More than 50 drivers have signed up to participate in the event in the hopes of clinching the biggest prize in late-model racing. With a mix of NASCAR and short-track specialists, the competition has certainly notched up a level this time around. But a few drivers stand apart from the bunch and could take home the crown this week. Below we have listed three drivers who are expected to do well at the Derby and have a good shot at clinching the iconic late-model event.

Bubba Pollard

Bubba Pollard has over 100 late-model race wins to his name and has collected 15 championships to his name. However, despite his illustrious career, a Snowball Derby win has always eluded him. Pollard has attempted to clinch the historic race win in 16 attempts, but he didn’t have a favorable outcome. Five Flag Speedway is one of his favorite tracks, where he has a total of 26 victories, and who knows, the Derby win could be just around the corner.

Chandler Smith

For the first time after his Snowball Derby win in 2021, Xfinity Series driver Chandler Smith will make his return at the Five Flags Speedway. In his six career Derby appearances, Smith has four top 5 finishes and has never finished worse than seventh. This race indeed is a big event for the driver, as his future at the NASCAR level is in doubt. A win certainly would make a lot of noise and just might catch the attention of potential suitors or team owners and help him land a seat for the 2025 season.

Ty Majeski

Another NASCAR driver joining this list is the 2024 Craftsman Truck Series champion, Ty Majeski. History and his records at the Snowball Derby certainly make a case for him as one of the front runners to win the race. Majeski has two Derby crowns to his name from his wins in 2020 and 2023, and he will be eyeing to add a third one. In 10 starts at the crown jewel event, Majeski has five career podium finishes. So he is certainly one of the hot picks among the drivers to claim the victory at the Five Flags Speedway.

Which driver do you think is the favorite to win the Snow Ball Derby apart from the names mentioned above? Do share your thoughts in the comments.