Brother & Sister to Reignite Rivalry at Snowball Derby
Pensacola, FL – With all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Super Late Models, it’s sometimes easy to forget that there’s other races happening throughout the 48th Annual Snowball Derby week at Pensacola, Florida’s Five Flags Speedway. But you can bet that siblings Eric and Kristen Wallace haven’t forgotten.
The Wallace’s are a brother-sister combination that will be racing in the Truck division on Saturday night before the Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 takes the green flag. Their race at the Snowball Derby, which will be broadcast live on Speed51 TV, will be only the third time that they’ve actually gotten to race against each other, and for Kristen, it will also be her first time racing at Five Flags.
“My brother has always run my truck here,” said Kristen. “So just to be here is pretty exciting.”
Eric, a tire carrier in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush-Fenway Racing, has yet to win the Truck race at the Derby, but he said that if he does get the victory, this win would be one of his biggest accomplishments.
“I’ve won a couple of things as a member of an over-the-wall pit crew, but winning anything at the Snowball Derby would be bigger than that,” said Eric. “There’s so much prestige and so many people put so much effort into winning a race at the Snowball Derby, whether it’s in a Late Model, a Truck or a Super Stock.”
Now that they’re racing against each other, there’s even more incentive to win this race. There’s now bragging rights on the line.
“Oh that would be great,” said Kristen about beating Eric. “I don’t care what he’d think. I’ll be sitting there eating at Christmas dinner with my trophy and be happy. But we’re competitive but we’re fair too.”
While Kristen said the two of them usually get along on the race track, Eric said he remembers a time at Georgia’s Lanier National Speedway when he was shoved out of the way by his younger sister.
“It’s pretty intense,” said Eric of the rivalry. “You’re racing against your sister and she goes all out to beat me and I go all out to beat her. I raced against her at Lanier one time in a big race and I was second and she was third and she knocked me out of the way to beat me.”
Both Eric and Kristen said in an ideal world they’d cross the finish line in first and second, but if Kristen is leading on the white flag lap, Eric said he won’t forget about Lanier.
“Our dad has always taught us to race hard and do what you have to do to win,” Eric said. “I’ll knock her out of the way.”
The 48th Annual Snowball Derby weekend kicks off with the Cat Country/WEAR-TV3 Green Flag Party on Wednesday, December 2. On-track activities start Thursday, December 3, for the opening practice rounds for the Snowball Derby Super Late Models and Snowflake 100 Pro Late Models. The Five Flags Butler U-Pull-It Bombers and Beef ‘O’Brady’s Sportsman divisions will also have feature events on Snowball Derby Thursday.
The top Snowball Derby starting spots will be set on Friday, December 4 during WXBM 102.7 Pole Night at Five Flags. The Five Flags Faith Chapel Super Stocks and Modifieds will also battle in their Snowball Derby features after Super Late Model qualifying.
The Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 takes center stage on Saturday, December 5 as the top Pro Late Model racers in the country qualify and battle for 100 laps at Five Flags. In addition, Saturday’s action features the final 50-lap qualifying event for Snowball Derby drivers to make one last effort to qualify for the 300-lap Super Late Model race. The Better Built Tool Box Pro Trucks will also have a 50-lap feature on Snowball Derby Saturday.
Then on Sunday, December 6, the green flag will drop on the 48th Annual Snowball Derby at 2 p.m. CT at Pensacola, Florida’s Five Flags Speedway.
Fans unable to make it to Pensacola, Florida for the Snowball Derby can watch all of the action through a live online TV style pay-per-view broadcast on Speed51 TV. A four-day video ticket can be purchased now for $59.99 allowing fans to watch all of the action from Five Flags Speedway. Single-day video tickets are also available. Visit Speed51.com for more information.
For more information on the 48th Annual Snowball Derby weekend at Five Flags Speedway, visit www.snowballderby.com. All media credential requests and inquiries for the Snowball Derby can be sent to Matt Kentfield at matt@51sports.net and/or Pat Bryant at pat@snowballderby.com.
For more information on Speed51.com and the rest of the 51 Companies, contact Jana Wimmer (Director of Business) at 51 Sports via email through jana@speed51.com and visit Speed51.com. Speed51.com is on Twitter at @speed51dotcom and on Facebook by searching Speed51.com.
Sources: 51 Sports/Snowball Derby PR