Derek Thorn at 8:40 pm ET on Monday, November 30, 2015. Photo – Derek Thorn Racing Facebook page
Derek Thorn is our guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, November 30, 2015 at 8:40 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite @Sal_Sigala or @beberly18 with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.
‘Champion’ is a term of honor for Derek Thorn, as the 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West title holder, he followed up in 2014 as champion of the SPEARS Southwest Tour. But the race weekend this multi-champ looks forward to attending and still seeks to win is the annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola Florida. And this year is no exception with Thorn primed for Snowball Derby success.
In last year’s Snowball Derby, Lakeport, California native, Derek Thorn rallied from a parts failure to finish third – a career best for the event. And although it was an up and down kind of weekend, the stress and challenge of rallying his Campbell Motorsports No. 43 team back into contention now seems preparation for this year’s run in the 48th Annual Snowball Derby.
“We had an unexpected part failure that led to five other things getting destroyed in the process,” Thorn told Speed51.com. “That part failure was none of our doing, but the plus side to last year was we had all the parts necessary to fix the problem. Mike Keen heads up our team and he spends countless hours at the shop not only setting up the cars, but going over each car with a fine tooth comb before the get loaded in the trailer. I think we’re the most prepared we’ve ever been and last year was our first year together as a team at the Derby and I feel that everything we learned from last year will make us even stronger this year.”
Looking back at his Snowball Derby experience of last year – especially qualifying – Thorn says it was one of the most stressful of his career.
“I think it’s the most stressful part of racing that I’ve had to endure,” said Thorn. “Just racing wise, probably qualifying day for the Derby is one of the most intense times. You really can’t put it into words, it is one of the most intense times, and you’re lined up on pit road with between 50 and 60 cars all vying for 30 positions.”
Last year Thorn remembers breathing a bit easier after pre-qualifying 11th and locking his team in the race. This year, the goal is to at least match that effort or better it by two spots with the obvious intention of celebrating a win in victory lane.
“Last year with the Campbell Motors sports team was a good run,” said Thorn. “We’d like to match that or do two sports better. That’s the reason we’re going, but at the end of the day I think we’ve done our homework. We’ve gotten a lot more time with the cars that we take back to the Derby, I think we have a bigger notebook to work with and I think that’ll play into our favor a little bit. Hopefully we can go down there and compete and do even better than last year.”
Typically, racing the Snowball Derby is a once-a-year trip from the west coast to the east at Five Flags Speedway – but not this year for Thorn. Racing with Kurt Jett’s Pro Late Model team, Thorn’s Southern Super Series race was shorter than expected, but he captured a win and an eighth-place finish in three trips to the track this season. That experience is another big influence in Thorn’s preparation for this year’s Snowball Derby.
“The driving style is definitely a lot different and I think the blessing is, this year I was fortunate the Jett family gave me some opportunities to run some races at Pensacola and I feel like I have a better understanding of how that place works,” said Thorn. It’s fairly technical and I’d like to think that because of the track time I got this year in both the Pro and a Super Late Model I’ll be a better fit, give better feedback and have better understanding of the facility, the track itself and how it races. I feel I know what you can and can’t do, what you can and can’t get away with and hopefully that plays into our favor.”
Another difference this year is Thorn’s plan for double duty by running both the Snowflake and Snowball Derby events – another step toward his end goal of victory. Thorn says the events coming up at Five Flags Speedway is a must on every race fan’s bucket list, and a weekend of events he looks forward to every year.
“People ask about the Derby a lot and it’s almost impossible to put the Derby into words,” said Thorn. “Not just from a driver’s perspective but from a fans perspective, and I think it’s just one of them races that most race fans should have on their bucket list. It’s a race I will always love going to, hopefully for years to come, especially when you run up front because you’re running against the best racers in the country.”
If fans are anywhere near Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida the next week, check out the 48th Annual Snowball Derby weekend beginning with the Cat Country/WEAR-TV3 Green Flag Party on Wednesday, December 2nd. Opening practice rounds for the Snowball Derby and Snowflake 100 begin Thursday, December 3rd. The pre-qualifying event deciding the top spots for the Snowball Derby is on Friday, December 4th.
The Allen Turn Hyundai Snowflake 100 is on Saturday, December 5th with qualifying and the feature. Also on Saturday, is the last 50-lap qualifying event for the Snowball Derby drivers’ last chance to qualify for the 300-lap race.
On Sunday, December 6th, the green flag drops on the 48th Annual Snowball Derby at 2 pm ET at Five Flags Speedway with Speed51.com offering a pay-per-view coverage of the event.