Snowball Derby shocker: Chase Elliott wins after Christopher Bell DQ’d

By Dec 6, 2015, 7:01 PM EST
(Photo courtesy Five Flags Speedway)
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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Christopher Bell’s victory in the 48th annual Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Florida lasted less than 30 minutes.

After taking the checkered flag, Bell, 21, was subsequently disqualified after post-race technical inspection at Five Flags Speedway found his Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota over the limit of left-side weight.

As a result, runner-up Chase Elliott – who will replace Jeff Gordon in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2016 – was awarded the victory in the 300-lap Super Late Model race on the ½-mile asphalt track. It was Elliott’s second Snowball triumph, having also won there in 2011.

Zane Smith finished second, followed by Ty Majewski, Dalton Sargeant and Bubba Pollard.

According to Speed51.com, the left-side weight ratio is capped at 58 percent. Bell’s car was weighed at 58.3 percent.

“I have no idea, I really don’t,” Bell told Speed51.com. “KBM built a great race car and it was fast. I crossed the finish line first.”

Bell’s crew chief Chris Gabehart subsequently told Speed51.com that the build up on the left side tires from the victory lap possibly contributed to the weight issue.

It is the fourth time in the last 10 years that the Derby winner has subsequently been disqualified.

Elliott can probably feel for Bell, as he went through a similar situation in the 2013 Derby. Elliott was initially declared the winner, only to be disqualified in post-race inspection.

The win that year then went to Kyle Busch Motorsports driver and 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champ Erik Jones, who also won the 2012 Derby.

Obviously, team owner and 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup champ Kyle Busch was not happy with the turn of events, tweeting:

Added Ricky Stenhouse Jr.,

It was the second disqualification of the weekend for Bell, who competed in seven Truck races for Kyle Busch Motorsports this past season, including winning at Eldora Speedway.

Bell, 21, had his top qualifying effort on Friday disqualified in post-race technical inspection. He had to start Saturday’s 50-lap “last-chance” qualifying race to regain a spot in the Derby, and did it in convincing fashion. Starting from the back of the 27-car pack, he went on to win the race and move on to Sunday’s main event.

Prior to being disqualified, Bell dominated Sunday’s race, leading an event-high 91 laps, taking the lead the first time on Lap 201 (through 275), and then regained it from defending Snowball Derby champ John Hunter Nemechek on Lap 283, holding on for the final 17 laps to take the checkered flag.

Nemechek, who captured Saturday night’s Snowflake 100, had a good chance to repeat in Sunday’s event. But with 25 laps to go, Nemechek’s Chevrolet began to show smoke from what appeared to be a tire rub that eventually led to a flat right front.

He brought his car to pit road with five laps remaining – spinning in the process – only to see his car erupt into flames. Nemechek scrambled from the burning ride and was uninjured. Nemechek finished a disappointing 21st in the 37-car field.

OFFICIAL Snowball Derby Results
Presented by Racecar Engineering (courtesy of Speed51.com and TheThirdTurn.com)

Fin St # Driver Laps Led Status
1 2 9 Chase Elliott 300 3 running
2 19 77 Zane Smith 300 40 running
3 1 91 Ty Majeski 300 63 running
4 4 5S Dalton Sargeant 300 0 running
5 18 26 Bubba Pollard 300 0 running
6 35 99 Casey Smith 300 0 running
7 3 48 Preston Peltier 300 0 running
8 15 9B William Byron 300 0 running
9 12 43 Derek Thorn 300 0 running
10 11 5H Daniel Hemric 300 0 running
11 10 3 Kaz Grala 300 0 running
12 28 17 Quin Houff 300 0 running
13 5 11 Logan Boyett 300 0 running
14 30 7 Corey LaJoie 299 0 running
15 27 67 Clay Jones 299 0 running
16 33 13 Cassius Clark 298 0 running
17 17 5 Jerry Artuso 297 0 running
18 34 29 Caleb Adrian 296 0 running
19 23 83 Scotty Ellis 295 0 running
20 7 21 Johanna Long 295 0 running
21 37 8 John Hunter Nemechek 294 0 fire
22 32 15 Christian Eckes 291 0 running
23 21 2W Donnie Wilson 273 0 crash
24 20 9K Derek Kraus 270 0 crash
25 29 8G Noah Gragson 269 0 crash
26 24 12 Harrison Burton 214 0 suspension
27 8 51N Stephen Nasse 190 0 mechanical
28 6 7 Casey Roderick 175 0 crash
29 22 45 Kyle Plott 167 0 crash
30 16 2 D.J. VanderLey 165 0 mechanical
31 26 42 Chad Finley 140 0 engine
32 36 1 Garrett Jones 137 0 mechanical
33 14 31 Kyle Grissom 63 0 crash
34 13 112 Augie Grill 63 0 crash
35 25 H2 Bret Holmes 62 0 crash
36 9 20 Spencer Davis 29 0 mechanical
37 31 51B Christopher Bell 300 93 running/DQ

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IndyCar Power Rankings: Pato O’Ward moves to the top entering Texas Motor Speedway

By Mar 29, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT
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The NBC Sports IndyCar power rankings naturally were as jumbled as the action on the streets of St. Petersburg after a chaotic opener to the 2023 season.

Pato O’Ward, who finished second because of an engine blip that cost him the lead with a few laps remaining, moves into the top spot ahead of St. Pete winner Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi, who finished fourth in his Arrow McLaren debut. Scott Dixon and St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who led 31 laps) rounded out the top five.

St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who started first at St. Pete after capturing his second career pole position) Callum Ilott (a career-best fifth) and Graham Rahal entered the power rankings entering the season’s second race.

Three drivers fell out of the preseason top 10 after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – including previously top-ranked Josef Newgarden, who finished 17th after qualifying 14th.

Heading into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through the first of 17 races this year (with previous preseason rankings in parenthesis):

NBC Sports’ IndyCar Power Rankings

1. Pato O’Ward (5) – If not for the dreaded “plenum event” in the No. 5 Chevrolet, the Arrow McLaren driver is opening the season with a victory capping a strong race weekend.

2. Marcus Ericsson (7) – He might be the most opportunistic driver in IndyCar, but that’s because the 2022 Indy 500 winner has become one of the series’ fastest and most consistent stars.

3. Alexander Rossi (10) – He overcame a frustrating Friday and mediocre qualifying to open his Arrow McLaren career with the sort of hard-earned top five missing in his last years at Andretti.

4. Scott Dixon (3) – Put aside his opening-lap skirmish with former teammate Felix Rosenqvist, and it was a typically stealthily good result for the six-time champion.

5. Romain Grosjean (NR) – The St. Petersburg pole-sitter consistently was fastest on the streets of St. Petersburg over the course of the race weekend, which he couldn’t say once last year.

6. Scott McLaughlin (6) – Easily the best of the Team Penske drivers before his crash with Grosjean, McLaughlin drove like a legitimate 2023 championship contender.

7. Callum Ilott (NR) – A quietly impressive top five for the confident Brit in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s first race as a two-car team. Texas will be a big oval litmus test.

8. Graham Rahal (NR) – Sixth at St. Pete, Rahal still has the goods on street courses, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan remains headed in the right direction.

9. Alex Palou (4) – He seemed a step behind Ericsson and Dixon in the race after just missing the Fast Six in qualifying, but this was a solid start for Palou.

10. Will Power (2) – An uncharacteristic mistake that crashed Colton Herta put a blemish on the type of steady weekend that helped him win the 2022 title.

Falling out (last week): Josef Newgarden (1), Colton Herta (8), Christian Lundgaard (9)