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Out of Nowhere, Melvin Steals Modifieds Snowball Derby Win Away From Pollard

By Chuck Corder

It felt like one of those seminal moments Snowball Derby and Five Flags Speedway fans have are accustom to.

Bubba Pollard locked in a duel for the ages with 15-year-old Bayley Currey, who was poised to make a late-race pass.

This is where Pollard would pass the baton to Currey, a rising Modifieds star.

Instead, veteran Billy Melvin — a collapsed lung and all — surprised them both on a restart and pulled away from the pair in the closing laps to win his first career Modifieds Derby crown.

“I’ve led this thing six or seven times with five laps left and lost the same way,� Melvin said. “I said, ‘You know what? Let’s win one.

“This is a great accomplishment and I’m proud to be here. This is where you come to race the best.�

For much of the 50 lapper, the Pollard-Currey battle was the story.

The two were bumper to bumper down the stretch until another yellow in a caution-filled race flew with 46 laps complete.

On the restart, Pollard was tardy in hitting the gas and it allowed Melvin to make the most of the opportunity.

Instead of waving off the restart, which was what Pollard was expecting, race officials kept the race green.

While Melvin drove off into the crisp night, Pollard recovered to finish second and Currey third, as neither had enough time to chase down Melvin.

“The leader’s supposed to start the race,� Pollard said when asked what occurred on the finale restart.

There were many unexpected incidents Friday. Who could’ve ever anticipated a 10-car crash on the second lap that wiped out most of the 34-car field?

But that’s exactly what transpired moments in.

And who could’ve expected a teenager giving a ’shoe like Pollard all he could handle.

But time and time again, Currey pushed Pollard for the lead. He was there on Pollard’s inside on Lap 44 with a blistering run out of Turn 2.

But Pollard closed the door and continued to his marks before the fateful, final caution.

 

Modifieds Snowball Derby Results

50 Laps

1. 145 Billy Melvin
2. 07 Bubba Pollard
3. 05 Bayley Currey
4. 88 John Sarppraicone Jr.
5. 05 Nathan Davis
6. 9 Bradley Reithmeyer
7. 13 Ian Webster
8. 131 Jeff Letson
9. 66 Korey Ruble
10. 54 Todd Jones
11. 71 Josh Goodwin
12. 7 Scooter Grice
13. 9 Chris Wagner
14. 66 Jerry Symons
15. 9 Kurt Jett
16. 14 Mike Maddox
17. 99 Brandon Howell
18. 00 Brandon Curren
19. 1 Kip Whitehead
20. 39 Mark Chrudimsky
21. 112 Augie Grill
22. 17 Chris Cotto
23. 33 Steve Buttrick
24. 8 Donnie Hamrac
25. 18 Steve Williams
26. 599 Donald Crocker
27. 91 Jim Wall
28. 64 Dustin Knowles
29. 33 Jason Morman
30. 8 D.J. Hoelzle
31. 32 Ricky Otts
32. 79 Kevin Bennett
33. 7 Terry Malone
    DID NOT START: 03 Matt Merrell

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