Ricky Brooks at 9 pm ET on Monday, December 14, 2015

Ricky Brooks is our guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, December 14, 2015 at 9 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast. 

In four of the last ten Snowball Derby events at Five Flags Speedway, the first car to the checkered flag was found with post-race inspection violations. For some fans and drivers a 40 percent rate is alarming and cause for concern.  But for others the focus is on appreciating the consistency and fairness of the inspection process that rewards those towing the line within the rules as outlined for all drivers entering the event.

The Chief Inspector and Technical Director, Ricky Brooks has developed his reputation as a tough but fair to all official at Five Flags Speedway for the annual Snowball Derby event. His inspection area has become affectionately known as the ‘Room of Doom.’ Drivers say racing the Snowball Derby at the track in Pensacola, Florida is one of the most stressful experiences they face all season. But at the same time, they come from all parts of the country and beyond for the chance to compete against the best of the best in this prestigious race. 

For the annual Snowball Derby, that stress begins with qualifying for the event over the first weekend of December. And for their 48th running, that stress was clear when Christopher Bell failed the pre-qualifying post inspection forcing him to qualify from the back of the field in the ‘last chance’ qualifying event for the last four spots in the Snowball Derby. Despite starting last, Bell won the last qualifying race but took nothing for granted as he anxiously awaited news from the post-qualifying inspection in the ‘room of doom.’ Stress soon turned to relief when chief technical inspector Ricky Brooks gave them a thumbs up.

Again, Bell raced his No. 51 car back to the front to win the race, but once again, his car failed post-race inspection with a left side weight discrepancy of 0.3 percent, or in other words a total of five pounds. Brooks says he weighed the car three times to make sure measurement was right.

Five Flags Speedway rules state the left-side weight ratio limit is 58 percent. The left-side weight of Bell’s car was at 58.3 percent. Brooks says he cautioned Bell and his team two times in tech before reaching his final decision.

“When I weighed the (Chase Elliott and Zane Smith’s) cars, they were the same amount,” Brooks said. “They weren’t anywhere near what (Bell) was.”

No one is denying Bell’s skill or talent behind the wheel, but Brook’s discovery explains how Bell was able to race from the back to the front. With more weight on the left side, his outside right tires held up better on the long green flag runs of the race. Tire management is a big deal in winning the Snowball Derby or any race at Five Flags Speedway because of the rough surface of the track.

When Bell, was able to quickly race from the back through the field, then stay on the track for the first caution on lap 66, the first questions arose on how his tires could hold up to the stress of the track and the hard racing. Most people quickly saw it as a strategic move for Bell to gain track position. Bell finally pitted on lap 120, and his proficient crew put his No. 51 back on track, allowing him to reach second by lap 165 and take the lead on lap 201 of the 300-lap event. He exchanged the lead again, but Bell kept the lead after a pass on lap 283.

When Bell crossed the finish line first he was quick to celebrate with a polish victory lap around the track. But his jubilation, quickly dissolved when his car had issues in the post-race inspection. But the stress of the situation was felt by others as well, with second place finisher, Chase Elliott pacing around the ‘room of doom’ awaiting the final decision about his car. As indicated earlier, Elliott’s car was within the weight limit and he then became the official race winner.

There were a variety of reactions on social media when word of the post race events spread the breadth of the internet. But one point was clearly made – Ricky Brooks and his ‘room of doom,’ will make sure that the winner of the prestigious Snowball Derby will abide by the stated rules.