Over 60 drivers showed up to attempt and qualify for the 41 st Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola , Florida . Some drivers had decades of experience in the race. Meanwhile, the driver of the #51 BDI Racing/Beef ‘O' Brady's Chevrolet Impala SS had never raced a fendered car before in his career. But Modified standout Ryan Preece didn't let that faze him. The Connecticut racer successfully qualified for the event in the 30th position and then brought home a solid 14th -place finish.

Preece was actually poised for a top-10 finish until he became a victim in a multi-car wreck on the frontsretch with just 37 laps to go. Still, the day was a successful one.

“It was a marathon,” said Preece. “We had a top-10 run going. It all came down to being in the right pit stop sequence. For my first Snowball Derby, I'm happy. We made up a lap and we survived. There were a lot of guys who tore up stuff. The BDI crew gave me quick pit stops and it was fun. These cars are like Sprint Cars on asphalt.”

And while the Super Late Model that Preece drove was fun, it was also a precision instrument that didn't quite take the level of beating and banging that Preece is used to seeing in the Northeastern Modified world.

You actually have to be a lot more cautious with these cars,” said Preece. “That whole deal at the end of the race would have just been a bumper on the Modified. Modifieds aren't that fragile and you have to be up on the wheel. With these, you have to be more consistent and careful with the throttle.”

The Snowball Derby concludes the 2008 season for both Ryan Preece and the BDI Racing Super Late Model team. The team will be back on the track on December 20th , when 15-year-old Meghan Dillner makes her Legends Car debut at the Lowe's Motor Speedway's Winter Heat event.