The 58th annual running of the NASCAR Snowball Derby takes place on Sunday, December 7, from Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. While the race is not part of the NASCAR season and it does not get the spotlight of those competitions, the short-track stock car race is one of the most prestigious events in short-track racing. Several notable NASCAR names have won the Snowball Derby, including NASCAR Hall of Famers Donnie Allison and Darrell Waltrip. Also among the winners: John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Busch, and Chase Elliot.
Over the past few years, Ty Majeski has been the driver to watch at the Snowball Derby. Since 2020, Majeski has won the race twice, getting the checkered flag in 2020 and 2023. Last year, Majeski finished in third behind the winner Kaden Honeycutt and runner-up Stephen Nasse. Majeski won the 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship. Last year, he placed second in that series to Corey Heim.
The Snowball Derby is a 150-mile race. The Five Flags Speedway is a half-mile asphalt oval.
We look at the betting odds, picks, and predictions for the 2025 NASCAR Snowball Derby and give our best free NASCAR betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash, while you enjoy the action on the track.
| To Win 2025 Snowball Derby | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Majeski | +200 | +200 | +200 |
| Kaden Honeycutt | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Stephen Nasse | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Derek Thorn | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Cole Butcher | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Dawson Sutton | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Bubba Pollard | +1800 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Jake Garcia | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Kole Raz | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Jace Hansen | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| David Gilliland | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Jake Finch | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Johnny Sauter | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Matthew Craig (UAB) | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Michael Hinde | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Noah Gragson | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Ryan Preece | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Bayley Currey | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Carson Brown (ISU) | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Erik Jones | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Haeden Plybon | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Max Reaves | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Treyten Lapcevich | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Tristan McKee | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Derek Kraus | +6600 | +6600 | +6600 |
| Dylan Fetcho | +6600 | +6600 | +6600 |
| Dustin Smith | +8000 | +8000 | +8000 |
| Jacob Gomes | +8000 | +8000 | +8000 |
| Michael Atwell | +8000 | +8000 | +8000 |
Experience and past performance in this race make Ty Majeski the betting favorite for the 2025 edition of the Snowball Derby. The 31-year-old is one of 12 drivers to win the race twice. In December, Majeski looks to become the second driver to win the race three or more times. If he does get the checkered flag this year, Majeski joins Rich Bickle (5) as the only other driver in that group.
Majeski led last year’s race for a race-high 191 laps. He held the lead with 18 laps remaining, but fell to third place by the end of the competition. Majeski started the race on the pole.
After the race, Majeski said, “The Snowball’s an interesting race because it’s always long run, long run, long run, and then it comes down to a 20-lap shootout. You have to have a good long-run car to stay in the game, then have a good short-run car or the right adjustments for a short run. Kaden was a little bit better on the short run, and that’s what it came down to today.”
The 2025 Snowball Derby will be Majeski’s 12th running of the race.
The defending champion of the Snowball Derby, Kaden Honeycutt, is not the betting favorite to win the 2025 version of the race, but the 22-year-old is not far from the top of the betting odds list, as he checks in at second to Ty Majeski.
Honeycutt was the first driver to file an entry for this year’s race, and that could be an indication of how anxious he is to attempt to become the first driver since Erik Jones in 2012 and 2013 to win back-to-back Snowball Derby races.
Honeycutt finished the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in third place overall.
Stephen Nasse has never won the Snowball Derby. This year’s outing will be his 15th go at earning the checkered flag in the short-track race. He finished second in 2024.
Nasse was the first driver to cross the finish line in the 2019 Snowball Derby, but he was disqualified after the post-race technical inspection for a violation of his brakes.
Nasse qualified 30th in 2024 and lamented that his second-place finish was painful. “This might even hurt worse than getting disqualified, I was so close,” Nasse said. “It couldn’t have happened to a better group of guys. They work so hard, Pat Jett, Larry Blount, Kaden Honeycutt, he’s a great driver and a great guy. I’m super proud of those guys because we lost a great guy, Jeff Sandlin, and I know how close they all were. They have his family over there with them. It’s tough, but second place ain’t bad at the Snowball and we’ll go on to next year.”
“The No. 08 (Jace Hansen) jacked me up going into one out of nowhere and ruined our chances. That let those guys get ahead of me, and I couldn’t catch back up. Hats off to them, I appreciate him and Ty (Majeski) running me clean. I love putting on a show and passing racecars, 30th to second ain’t bad.”
The 30-year-old Nasse won the 2024 Snowflake 100.
Go with the driver with the experience and two wins in this year’s edition of the Snowball Derby.
The betting pick is for Ty Majeski to win his third Snowball Derby in the 2025 running of the NASCAR race.
Once you are all up to speed on the latest NASCAR Cup Series news and information, make sure to check out the fantastic array of resources for you over at SBS. Of course, for even more analysis on the topic covered here, you should bookmark our NASCAR betting sites rundown. On this page you can find a variety of awesome information as it relates to the sport including the latest betting markets and beyond. Additionally, for those on the go, another fantastic page to familiarize yourself with is the best betting apps breakdown, which goes over all of the nuances of mobile betting sites and beyond. Finally, for those interested in maximizing their wagers, look no further than the best bonus betting sites guide, which contains a catalog of the latest and greatest welcome bonus offers.