Numbers That Can't Be Beat at the Snowball Derby

Over the course of the Snowball Derby's 54-year history, plenty of memories have been made in the event. During that span, some drivers have put up incredible numbers to cement their status in the Derby record books. Here are a look at some of the numbers that will be difficult to top in the Snowball Derby.

33: We think it will be pretty hard to top the late David Rogers' number of starts in the Snowball Derby. Rogers came to many more than the 33 he ran, but he wasn’t always able to make the show. When he finally got his 33rd start to pass Red Farmer in 2019, it was a changing of the guard and the record book. Sadly, Rogers passed away just a few months later, but he will always be a part of the Derby History.

12: Jody Ridley holds the record for the most top five runs in Snowball Derby history with 12. So many factors come into why this might not be topped, as it is hard to imagine someone running 12 races, let alone enough to be able to have 12 top-five runs.

32: Red Farmer holds the record for consecutive starts at the Snowball Derby with 32. Farmer was the pole sitter for the first Derby in 1968 and ran his last in 1999.

5: Rich Bickle won this race five times in a decade, and that will never be topped along with five wins overall. Only 10 other drivers have won the event more than once, and none of those 10 have claimed the Tom Dawson Trophy more than twice. Unless Augie Grill wins this year or someone such as Erik Jones or Kyle Busch joins the field and wins, we will have to wait another year for a three-time Snowball Derby winner.

V6: At least four times in the past, the Snowball Derby has been won by a car with a V6 engine. We don’t imagine that will change anytime soon, but racing can always bring surprises. Gary St. Amant won in 1992 running a V6.

782: This one we thought was way out of reach, but it has become much more attainable after the past two years. Derek Thorn has dominated the last two Snowball Derby events and has now led 648 laps to Eddie Mercer’s 782. The gap shrunk greatly last year when Thorn set a record for most laps led, and most laps led without winning at 287.