Amber Mayhew picked up the 1st last place finish of her career in Sunday's SCRL Snowball Derby at the Five Flags Speedway when her #22 unsponsored Chevrolet fell out with header issues after completing 74 of the 300 laps.
For the second time in the seven year history of the SCRL, it was decided by the SCRL officials that it would host the first ever SCRL Snowball Derby at the historic Five Flags Speedway. The Snowball Derby is a 300-lap super late model stock car race that is held annually at the Five Flags Speedway, a half-mile paved oval track in Pensacola, Florida, United States. After the qualifying and the Snowflake 100 was held on Saturday, the 31 car field was set for the Main Event on Sunday.
In Qualifying, Chase Abbott would win the pole with a time of 19.575 seconds while Amber would post a time of 20.004, 0.429 seconds behind Abbott's pole time, placing her 22nd and forcing her to compete in the Snowflake 100 and trying to transfer by finishing inside the Top 11. Amber was able to finish 7th in the Snowflake 100 qualifying race, placing her 27th on the starting grid. Starting last would be the #7 Graham Trucking Ford of John Autzen, the last car to transfer into the Snowball Derby by finishing 11th in the Snowflake 100.
Autzen would trail for only the first two turns before he would knock the #08 Midnite Motorsports Chevrolet of Blaine Saylor into last, a spot he would whole for the first two laps before knocking the #02 J.D. Byrider Dodge of Reeves Montgomery into last on Lap 3, a position he would hold for only one lap before he would knock the #94 Motorcraft Quicklube Ford of Joey Crockett into last on Lap 4. Crockett would be in last for just one laps before he knocked the #20 Duke Mayonaise / Kroger Ford of Brandon Mayhew into last on Lap 5. Mayhew would continue the trend as he was in last for one lap before knocking the #18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota of Cameron Hathaway into last on Lap 6, the next lap the #3 Team Realtree Chevrolet of Bam Bam Jones fell to last on Lap 7.
Jones would trail for one lap as well before he knocked the #44 Case IH Chevrolet of Fisher Miller into last on Lap 8. Miller would trail for two laps before he would knock Hathaway back into last on Lap 11 but Hathaway would trail for one lap once again before knocking Autzen back to last on Lap 12. Autzen would remain in last for two laps before knocking the #14 Keystone Light Beer Chevrolet of Chase Miller into last on Lap 15. Miller would trail for two laps before knocking Brandon back into last on Lap 18 as Mayhew would struggle in last for the next five laps before finally knocking Hathaway back to last again on Lap 24.
Hathaway would remain in last as on Lap 32 he would bring out the first caution of the night when he was spun out by Brandon just seconds in front of the race leaders, putting Hathaway as the first driver to lose a lap, but he wouldn't be the last for long as slow pit stops would put the #22 of Amber Mayhew into the battle for last when she took the final spot on Lap 36. Amber would remain in the final spot for just one lap as the car that had won this same race one year prior, the #112 ARP Chevrolet of Chakat Whitelion, would fall back to last on Lap 37. Whitelion, making hir first ever attempt in the three hundred lap event would remain there for just three laps before Chase Miller would be forced to make an unscheduled pit stop, falling to last on Lap 40. Miller's stay was only for two laps before he knocked Whitelion back to last on Lap 42 before regaining it again on Lap 44 during pit stops after the second caution had flown.
Miller would remain in last after the restart before Amber would regain it on Lap 50. Amber would once again stay in the final spot until Lap 59 when the #05 Joyner Traffic Engineers Toyota of Jonathan Lawson would enter the battle for last for the first time. Lawson would struggle around the track like many other drivers would, keeping last for the next twelve laps before knocking Chase back to last on Lap 72. Chase would remain in that spot until pit stops put Lawson back to last on Lap 75 as the field prepared to go back to racing after the event's fourth caution.
Miller would remain in last after the restart before Amber would regain it on Lap 50. Amber would once again stay in the final spot until Lap 59 when the #05 Joyner Traffic Engineers Toyota of Jonathan Lawson would enter the battle for last for the first time. Lawson would struggle around the track like many other drivers would, keeping last for the next twelve laps before knocking Chase back to last on Lap 72. Chase would remain in that spot until pit stops put Lawson back to last on Lap 75 as the field prepared to go back to racing after the event's fourth caution.
As the field took the green flag to restart the race on Lap 75, Amber, who was running in 29th at the time, began to smoke heavily as she pulled to the inside of the track as the rest of the field would get around her expect for Lawson, who was trapped behind her into the field made it into Turn 1 when Amber was able to get out of the racing groove. Stats showed that Amber suffered from engine failure as she limped back around to the pits before pulling behind the wall, taking last on Lap 76. The team would look over the car for the next ten minutes before giving up the fight, with a broken header listed as the cause of the engine's failure, with Amber being listed as "out" on Lap 80.
It would be another 84 laps before another spot in the Bottom Five would be filled, and when it was, it was a controversial one as the #9 Aaron's Ford of Austin Tyler, who at the time was running in 5th, was given the Black Flag on Lap 158 with the officials given the reason that Tyler, who had started 3rd on the restart, had in fact jumped the restart when the green flag came back out. Footage of the restart would show that Tyler in fact had not jumped the start, staying behind the race leaders and not crossing down into the inside line before the start/finish line, but the decision by the officials was fine, ending what could have been a career night for Tyler.
Rounding out the Bottom Five would be drivers who finished two laps behind the race leaders when the checkered flag waved; 28th was the aforementioned #112 of Chakat Whitelion and 27th was the #44 of Fisher Miller
SCRLASTCAR STATISTICS
*This was the first time the #22 has finished last in the Snowball Derby.
*This was the first time a driver has trailed the field due to "header" problems in the Snowball Derby.
*This was the first time the #22 has finished last in the Snowball Derby.
*This was the first time a driver has trailed the field due to "header" problems in the Snowball Derby.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
31) #22-Amber Mayhew / 74 laps / header
30) #9-Austin Tyler / 158 lap / disqualified
29) #05-Jonathan Lawson / 298 laps / running
28) #112-Chakat Whitelion / 298 laps / running
27) #44-Fisher Miller / 298 laps / running
31) #22-Amber Mayhew / 74 laps / header
30) #9-Austin Tyler / 158 lap / disqualified
29) #05-Jonathan Lawson / 298 laps / running
28) #112-Chakat Whitelion / 298 laps / running
27) #44-Fisher Miller / 298 laps / running
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