Dave Moody Ready To Call Another Big Race at Snowball Derby

For Dave Moody, there is nowhere he’d rather be on the first Sunday in December than Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

Moody, the lead turn announcer for the Motor Racing Network and host of “Sirius XM Speedway” on Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio, will once again join Racing America’s broadcast of the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway.

For the second year, Moody will join Adam Mackey and Alan Dietz on the call for the 56th Annual Snowball Derby presented by Hooters and Safe Locator, taking place on Sunday, December 3 at Five Flags Speedway. The trio announced last year’s race, won by Derek Thorn, and immediately meshed in their first broadcast together.

“The RA folks are absolutely professional, start to finish,” said Moody. “They treated me like I had been working with them for years. It really was fun to do. All three of the on-air guys in the booth brought a different perspective, different takes, different opinions, different thoughts. It was amazing that it meshed so well as quickly as it did.”

While Moody has announced at some of the biggest races in the world, his heart still beats just as intensely for the crown jewels of the short track world like the Snowball Derby.

“I started out in this business as a race fan, sitting in the grandstands with my uncle when I was six years old,” explained Moody. “I’ve been blessed to be a part of some of the biggest races in the country or the world. I’ve done Daytona 500s and Southern 500s and all that kind of stuff. But I’ve also done the Milk Bowl at Thunder Road and I’ve done the Oxford 250, and now I’ve done the Snowball Derby.

“I put all of those races in the same category. When you’re a race fan, it doesn’t matter if it’s two and a half miles at Daytona, a quarter-mile at Thunder Road in Vermont or the Snowball Derby at Five Flags. They’re all big races, and I love being a part of them.”

In the Super Late Model world, no race is bigger than the Snowball Derby. That is reflected in the entry list, featuring top short track racers and NASCAR stars alike. In Moody’s eyes, simply making the field for the Snowball Derby is an accomplishment in its own right, and anyone who does so is capable of winning the race.

“The field is so stacked and talent is so deep. If you go to Five Flags Speedway and you make the show, you’re high-fiving everybody you can find. You’re high-fiving people you don’t even know. That’s goal number one, unless you’re Derek Thorn or Bubba Pollard or somebody like that, you don’t even go to the Snowball Derby planning on qualifying or feeling confident about it.

“Once we get to Sunday and race day, if you’re in it, you can win it. There are so many great drivers. If you win that race, if you stand in victory lane with that trophy, you know you’ve beaten the best that there is.”

Another favorite part of Snowball Derby race day for Moody is the pre-race pageantry, helping to elevate the “big race” feel and increase the anticipation for the 300-lap showcase.

“Driver introductions at the Snowball Derby are like nowhere else. I don’t believe they do all of that for any other race in the country. If you’re a fan, if you buy a ticket and sit in the grandstands, the Snowball Derby, before it even takes the green, you’re already convinced this is something special.”

Moody readily admits there is an element of selfish “preparation” behind calling or even watching short track events throughout the year, where many of NASCAR’s future stars are cutting their teeth. However, it is that love for racing of all shapes and forms that truly draws him – and many of his Motor Racing Network colleagues – to the racetrack.

“To be able to do what I do and be on the radio every day, talking about racing with race fans, and be able to say, this Josh Berry kid that just got a ride, I’ve watched him race for the last five years. He’s the real deal. I’ve seen him win some of the biggest Late Model Stock races in the country.

“To be able to say, 'I knew that driver when...' is neat, and in terms of my job, it might give me a leg up on the competition, although not much of one. Jeff Striegle runs a short track. Alex Hayden is the king of short tracks. Steve Post is at more short tracks in a month than I am in an entire year. He’s totally insane about it.

"It’s not coincidental that all of those guys working for MRN love their short track racing, and did long before they darkened the doors of Daytona or Talladega."

Fans can watch the 56th Annual Snowball Derby presented by Hooters and Safe Locator on Racing America by clicking here.