Nearly 50 Super Late Model drivers are set to descend on Five Flags Speedway (FL) this week, all chasing the same goal: winning the Snowball Derby. The entry list features stars from across North America, but several competitors rise above the rest as leading contenders to win the Tom Dawson Trophy.

Ahead of the 58th Annual Snowball Derby presented by FloSports, we’ve identified 10 favorites to watch. The drivers below are listed in alphabetical order.

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Bubba Pollard

Widely regarded as one of the premier Super Late Model drivers of his generation, this veteran returns to the Snowball Derby still chasing his first victory in the event. Although the Tom Dawson Trophy has continued to slip just out of reach, he has been nothing short of dominant at Five Flags Speedway throughout his career, amassing 26 victories at the Pensacola, Florida oval.

Cole Butcher

Cole Butcher has made a strong case as the top Super Late Model driver in the United States this season. In 2025, he swept three major championships—the ASA STARS National Tour, ASA Southern Super Series, and the Deep South Crane Blizzard Series—while adding eight victories overall. His season was highlighted by marquee wins in the Redbud 400 and the Florida Governor’s Cup, along with three victories in the four Blizzard Series events held at Five Flags Speedway.

Dawson Sutton

Dawson Sutton arrives at this year’s Snowball Derby carrying momentum as the most recent winner of a crown jewel event—the All American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. He also enters the Derby as the latest Super Late Model victor at Five Flags Speedway, having won the Blizzard Series finale in September.

Derek Thorn

Derek Thorn has been one of the standout performers at Five Flags Speedway throughout the past decade. He captured the Snowball Derby in 2022 and recorded back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2020 and 2021. Thorn has also been exceptional in Friday qualifying, earning five front-row starting positions in the last six years, further cementing his reputation as one of the Derby’s most consistent threats.

Erik Jones

A two-time Snowball Derby winner, Erik Jones returns to Five Flags Speedway after missing last year’s event. Jones made an immediate impact in his Derby debut, winning the race in 2012 and repeating the feat in 2013 with Kyle Busch Motorsports. With two victories in his first two starts, the Michigan native has already proven he knows exactly what it takes to succeed in Pensacola.

Kaden Honeycutt

No list of contenders is complete without the defending winner. After a victory that some considered a surprise last year, Kaden Honeycutt returns to the Snowball Derby with a far different role—this time, he’s the one carrying the target. The Texas native enters the 2025 event not as the driver chasing the frontrunners, but as the driver everyone else is now chasing.

Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch returns to Pensacola this year for his first Snowball Derby appearance since 2020. The two-time winner earned his victories in 2009 and 2017, and his Derby record remains one of the strongest in the field. Aside from his debut in 2002, Busch has finished inside the top 10 in every Snowball Derby he has entered.

Noah Gragson

When a driver already has a Tom Dawson Trophy on his resume, it’s difficult to leave him off any list of contenders. Noah Gragson, the 2018 Snowball Derby champion, returns to Five Flags Speedway looking to recapture the success he tasted seven years ago.

Stephen Nasse

Stephen Nasse has been one of the most consistent performers at the Snowball Derby over the past four years, recording finishes of eighth, third, sixth, and second. Last year, he delivered one of the race’s most impressive drives, charging from 30th to claim the runner-up spot. In 2022, he advanced from 36th to finish third.

If Nasse can qualify closer to the front this time around, his long-awaited first Tom Dawson Trophy may finally be within reach.

Ty Majeski

He may not race Super Late Models as often as others on this list, but Ty Majeski continues to be a favorite each time he straps into the Toby Nuttleman- prepared No. 91. His wins this year include the prestigious Slinger Nationals, Oktoberfest and Winchester 400. Majeski has recorded two wins and six podium finishes in the Snowball Derby since making his debut in 2014.