In a great day for Super late Model Racing, NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Kyle Busch won Sunday’s 42nd annual Snowball Derby.

With the grandstands surrounding the half-mile track filled to overflow, more than 60 teams showed up at Five Flags Speedway hoping to land one of the 37 starting positions for the annual 300-lap event.

Busch led early before riding about a half-lap behind the leaders during the middle stages on Sunday. But the Las Vegas native played pit strategy to perfection by bolting on his last set of sticker tires on his No. 51 Toyota with 52 laps remaining.

After restarting third with 49 laps to go, Busch methodically worked his way to the front of the field to overtake eventual runner-up finisher Eddie Mercer.

Busch avoided near-disaster on a late-race restart when race-leader Mercer’s car failed to fire when the green flag waved. The inside line of lapped cars took off while Mercer bottled up the outside lane. Seventeen-year-old Johanna Long of Pensacola led the field to the green before slowly backpedalling through the field.

Following the advice of racing legend Freddie Query, who served as her spotter, Long wound up 18th.

Chase Elliott, the 14-year-old son of former NASCAR Cup champion Bill Elliott, turned in an impressive effort in his Derby debut. With his father serving as his spotter, Elliott stayed on the lead lap throughout the day and finished seventh.

Snowball Derby Order of Finish


1. Kyle Busch


2. Eddie Mercer


3. Steven Wallace


4. Bobby Gill


5. John Bolen


6. Grant Enfinger


7. Chase Elliott


8. Wayne Niedecken Jr.


9. Ryan Lawler


10. Ryan Sieg


11. Scott Carlson


12. Ross Kenseth


13. Scott Hantz


14. Dennis Prunty


15. Dennis Schoenfeld


16. Brian Scott


17. Randy Gentry


18. Johanna Long


19. Gary Helton


20. Danny Bagwell