Hocevar and Davidson Round Out Snowflake Top Five

Hocevar being interviewed by Speed51.com prior to Snowball Derby Qualifying (PixelatedSPEED Photo)

While most of the focus in the 20th Annual Snowflake 100 was set firmly on the battle for the lead, two drivers held strong among the leaders all night to solidify a respectable top five in the country’s biggest Pro Late Model Event.

Carson Hocevar didn’t get the result he was seeking in the 51st Annual Snowball Derby; hell, he didn’t even finish after contact early in the event relegated him to a 35th place finish. Come the next weekend at the Snowflake 100, however, the Michigan driver was among the favorites.

Hocevar was solid in practice throughout Derby week and looked to be true contender come race time. His efforts paid off with a solid run in the 100 lapper, though he was left looking for more.

“We had a really good car,” he said after the race. “We just couldn’t fire off like those guys up front did.”

“We needed a longer run to get us going forward, and that never happened with all the crashes.”

“What are you going to do?,” he added with a shrug. “We’ll be back and get it next time.”

Chris Davidson is perhaps one of the chillest dudes in the pit area. Throughout the long a gloomy day at Five Flags Speedway, the Texas native took everything in stride and with a grain of salt.

Davidson’s Snowball Derby didn’t go as planned, with a disappointing 31st place finish. In the Snowflake 100, however, he came alive and held strong throughout all of the carnage to pick up a solid fifth place result.

“It was rough,” he said. “It was more like a demolition derby than a race. All and all though not bad because we finished and a whole bunch of them look a lot worse than us.”

Hocevar and Davidson were among 12 cars to finish a Snowflake 100 that began a week late and after misting weather caused a delay which resulted in the cancelation of qualifying. During the race, track officials fought to keep the track in a raceable condition as teams fought each other. There were numerous multi-car incidents that prolonged the race significantly.

I asked Davidson if he thought that the race should’ve been shortened, or postponed due to the persistent misting conditions.

He said, “Oh hell no!. The track was dry, let’s line them up and race!”

That was a prevailing sentiment throughout the field. The 2018 edition of the Snowflake 100 was won by Chase Purdy, with Bubba Pollard in second, Connor Okrzesik in third, Carson Hocevar in fourth and Chris Davidson in fifth.