“It’s pretty wild to put in perspective”: Noah Gragson reveals a heartfelt message from Dale Earnhardt Jr. after his 2018 Snowball Derby win 

Noah Gragson has recalled a 'special' message from Dale Earnhardt Jr. after his 2018 Snowball Derby win. The Front Row Motorsports driver returns to the crown jewel event alongside Cup Series drivers like Kyle Busch and Ryan Preece.

Gragson has made seven starts for the Snowball Derby. He won the 2018 race driving a Super Late Model fielded by Kyle Busch Motorsports. This time around, Gragson competes in the No.30 entry for Retta Jones Racing.

In an interview with Short Track Scene, Gragson reflected upon his maiden win, saying,

"It’s a special group to be a part of. The coolest part is when I won here in 2018 it was my last race at KBM, I was going over to JR Motorsports to run Xfinity cars. Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. text me and said ‘a lot of guys have run that race, including my dad, that never won’. I thought ‘man, that’s pretty special you know.’ Dale Earnhardt’s been around this racetrack, it’s pretty wild to put in perspective."

Noah Gragson suffered car issues and failed to post a lap during Saturday's qualifying (6 December), while Kyle Busch and Erik Jones couldn't break through the top-30. As such, the three Cup drivers will be vying for the final four transfer spots in the Last Chance Qualifier. Ryan Preece managed to slip by with a 27th-place qualifying.

Meanwhile, 2017 polesitter, Preston Peltier, grabbed pole for the 58th running of the event. Moreover, 2024 Truck Series champion and two-time Snowball Derby winner, Ty Majerski, locked out the front row in the No.91 car. Defending winner Kaden Honeycutt has qualified lower down the order in 16th.

The main event is scheduled for Sunday, December 7, at 1 PM. Fans can catch all the action on FloRacing.

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Noah Gragson reflects on the current state of short track racing

Despite rainy weather playing spoilsport, Noah Gragson remained upbeat about Sunday's prospects. The 27-year-old shared how he couldn't find a parking spot when he attended the event in 2021, noting that the scene reminded him of a '90s Cup race.'

"People say short track racing is dead, I don’t necessarily believe that. Come down here to the Snowball Derby, you have a good atmosphere, a good racetrack, good people that put on this race… short track racing is as alive as its ever been in my opinion,” he said via the aforementioned source.

Noah Gragson acknowledged that the genre is struggling at certain tracks and pointed to poor management as the root cause. On the Cup side, Gragson finished the 2025 season in 34th place. His FRM teammates, Todd Gilliland and Zane Smith, rank inside the top-30 at 27th and 28th places, respectively.

Gragson had a crash-prone season with eight DNFs to his name, while his best result comes from a fourth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway.