Bubba Wallace says he has zero “free time” to participate in Snowball Derby

The Snowball Derby, the prestigious late model race, attracts top competitors from across motorsports, including NASCAR, but for Bubba Wallace, the event is likely to remain off his schedule, at least for now. The three-time Cup Series race winner recently spoke candidly about why participating in the Snowball Derby simply isn’t possible at this stage of his career.

The Snowball Derby is considered one of the most prestigious races in super late model stock car racing and is held annually at Five Flags Speedway in December. It is a highly anticipated and demanding event that draws top competitors from short track racing and has a history of attracting stars from the NASCAR world.

Bubba Wallace, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for 23XI Racing, explained that the time commitment required for the Snowball Derby is far more extensive. He admitted that jumping into the event without proper preparation would be setting himself up for failure.

“Maybe if I could run the full (Blizzard Series) season down there. That race seems so tough and stout. For me to show up, never even seen the place, and try to make the show is a tall task and you have to spend a week down there – and you talk about free time and I don’t have it. In the near future? No. Retired from Cup racing? Maybe. I would need a lot of time to devote and be really good and not look like a fool,” Wallace, who has never raced in Snowball Derby, said (as quoted by shorttrackscene.com).

The 2025 Snowball Derby is the 58th edition of the event and is scheduled to be held on December 4-7, 2025, at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. Among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers, two-time winner Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Noah Gragson, and Ryan Preece are confirmed to participate in this year’s Snowball Derby.

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How Bubba Wallace fared in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season

Bubba Wallace has been competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series since the 2018 season but still hasn't left his mark on the sport. He has eight years of experience in NASCAR, but his performance graph has not grown, having won only three races in 291 starts in the Cup Series.

Compared to his last season, the 32-year-old Alabama native had a career-best season in 2025, earning a career-high six top-5 and 14 top-10 finishes in a season, including a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and making a second career appearance in the playoffs. He wrapped up his season at 11th in the point standings with an average finish of 18.5.

Bubba Wallace, the #23 driver will look to continue the momentum into the 2026 season with an aim to win multiple races.