Jimmie Johnson’s Prodigy Reflects on Snowball Derby’s Importance, Calling It the “Toughest Super Late Model Race” of the Year

The Snowball Derby, like every year, was a star-studded affair. Many NASCAR Cup series racers expectedly migrated to this iconic short-track racing event to hone their skills in the aftermath of the Cup season’s conclusion! But exactly how important is the Snowball Derby? Jimmie Johnson’s prodigy, Erik Jones, recently delved into this and talked about his relationship with the Five Flags Speedway and what it means for his career.

Erik Jones shows his appreciation for the Snowball Derby

In an interview with Frontstretch, Jones, a former winner of the iconic race and Jimmie Johnson‘s driver for Legacy Motor Club, was asked what the race meant to him and his career.

“I probably appreciate how tough it is now to win more than I did then. You kind of run it some more times and realize, ‘Okay that was the first time we came down. We were able to win it.’ You realize it’s not really that easy and it’s the toughest race to win all year. So grown for me in appreciation,” Jones said.

“It probably means more now than what it did to me, even then. I was 16 first time I won it and it’s hard to probably grasp what the race means at that age. You don’t realize the history and the guys who have competed and haven’t been able to win a race over the years. I think the list of winners is impressive always to look out, but the guys who haven’t won is probably equally as impressive in what they have done in their career. So it’s grown for me and the way I feel about it,” the driver further added.

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Having said that, Erik also went on to elaborate about how driving in a Next-Gen car is different from being in Late Models.

Jones reveals the increasing pressure of short-track racing

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Racing in different types of tracks and cars can be can be a cumbersome task. Just ask Erik Jones and he’ll tell you. The LMC driver recently revealed if transitioning back to the Snowball Derby track is difficult for him after being a full-time Cup series driver.

Jones expressed, “I probably felt more pressure when I was running these cars around maybe 2016 or 17 when I was in the Xfinity and the Cup in 17. I felt a lot of pressure when I would come back and run these, cuz I felt like I was supposed to win[…]

Nevertheless, Erik Jones failed to make a mark at the 56th Snowball Derby. Qualifying 21st for the main event, he raced to the top of the field and jockeyed within the top 10 positions in the race. However, the #43 driver failed to seize another victory after getting entangled in two different wrecking incidents.

In one of the scenarios, Jones, who was tailing Jackson Boone, made contact with the driver and shoved him to the outside wall. As a result, Boone was sent spinning on the track before hitting the concrete barriers. The talking point of the series that axed the hopes of many drivers including Jones and William Byron was the multi-car pileup at Lap 282. The Big One was triggered by Noah Gragson after he missed the shift. This resulted in a domino effect that eventually collected the majority of the pack, and sustained irreparable damages.

It was a tough day for the NASCAR’s chiseled drivers to make a dent in the celebrated Late Model Series. With the curtains falling on the 2023 season, it is to be seen if Jones is able to find success once again in the Five Flags Speedway in the next season.

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